Join the SNJ Squad as a “Patron” and get exclusive content!
Running SNJ takes time and money. As volunteers, we don’t mind spending time making the site as useful as possible, but we need your help to keep it online. We …
Neurodevelopmental Neurodiversity Network: A collaboration to advance understanding of neurodevelopment and neurodiversity
A short while ago I happened upon a website for something called the Neurodevelopmental Neurodiversity Network, which being autistic myself, immediately piqued my interest. Its website describes it as “an interdisciplinary …
If we truly want effective SENCOs, the government must act to make it possible
The Special Needs Jungle Coronavirus Survey sought the views and experiences of over a thousand parents and carers of children and young people with SEND between 3-30th June 2020. The National …
How the National Tutoring Programme can be a powerful tool to help SEND pupils during lockdown
with Robbie Coleman, Secretariat Director, National Tutoring Programme. You are almost certain to have heard of the National Tutoring Programme, set up to help pupils catch up after the lock coronavirus …
How to reclaim a positive mental attitude while parenting in a pandemic
Happy New Year (if it’s not too late to say that)… But it’s more like out of the frying pan into the fire in another national lockdown. This time, the …
Lockdown 3: What does it mean for the rights of children with SEND?
with Hayley Mason, SNJ SEND legal columnist So here we are again, the whole country in full lockdown and back to those “heady days” of home education (although many never …
More parents seeking children’s mental health support in pandemic, with growing pessimism over support delays
We need to look out for ourselves and others as Child and Adolescent Mental Health waiting times increase warn Karen Wespieser MBE & Dr Jo Taylor As we plunge into …
Your gratitude messages that blew us away after a nightmare year
Renata Blower & Tania Tirraoro are full of gratitude This has not been the year any of us were expecting. For most, it’s been an unrelenting nightmare, especially for those …
Changing lives through Boccia
Opportunities for disabled young people to participate in sport can be limited, either because expensive specialist equipment is needed or inclusive sports clubs are few and far between. Boccia is …
Blockbusting: What’s Happened to the £780m in Extra SEND Funding?
In 2019, the Government announced the biggest increase in school funding in years – a three-year funding programme, pumping an extra £2.6bn into the schools budget in 2020, and pledging to increase …
95% of decisions in favour of parents, but nobody wins at the SEND Tribunal
2020 is a year that most of us will be glad to see the back of. But before we kiss it good riddance, here’s a quick look at some figures …
MPs call on the government to act quickly on home education register
The number of children – including children with SEND – who are home educated by their parents’ choice, has increased steadily over the last five years, and sharply over the …
How has coronavirus affected your child’s access to speech and language therapy?
with Caroline Wright, Policy Adviser at the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists In the first lockdown, thousands of children overnight lost the external therapy input such as speech …
Who deserves a special SNJ thank you message for helping your disabled child through 2020?
It’s close to the end of the year… and what an indescribable year it has been! Many of us have lost someone dear. All of our children and young people …
£300 million for SEND school places. But how does it improve inclusion and equality?
At the end of yesterday’s Treasury spending review document, the catchily entitled “SR20”, Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, said it, “ensured that the decisions made considered the possible impact on people with a …
How is Ofsted supporting & evaluating SEND provision during the pandemic?
The education fo children with SEND (or lack of it) during the pandemic has been on our minds all year. How can we make schools and LAs accountable for ensuring …
We need more awareness that pandemic life is far from an equal experience
“It’s life, Jim, but not as we know it”… the Star Trek (mis)quote sums up 2020 for most people. Even if your family has escaped a serious coronavirus infection or, …
UK Disability History Month – How far have we still got to go?
With Richard Rieser – Coordinator of UK Disability History Month Some of us will be old enough to remember when hundreds of disabled people took to the streets in the …
How do you develop a meaningful pathway to employment for young people with SEND?
With Roseanna Gooder – Lead for 16-19 Pathway, Work Related and Vocational Learning at Swiss Cottage School, Development and Research Centre When specialist leader in education, Roseanna Gooder, approached us …
Ofsted: Disabled children “seriously affected in both care and education” during pandemic
Ofsted’s second report looking at how the pandemic has impacted children’s education and wellbeing has added more weight to existing evidence showing huge disparities in the experience of children during …
Coronavirus Lockdown 2.0: What does it mean for disabled children?
Welcome to Coronavirus Lockdown 2.0. I don’t know about you, but 2020 has seemed like a nightmare you can’t quite wake up from. Just when you think you have, you’re …