I’m Gillian Doherty, co-founder of SEND Action and SEND Community Alliance and now a director of SNJ. My professional background is in children’s publishing where I worked as a writer and editor for over 25 years before taking a step back due to family commitments and health issues. I have three sons. My youngest has Down syndrome. We have recently returned to the UK after spending most of the last ten years living in Africa.
Much of my time these days is spent campaigning on disabled children’s rights and trying to inform and influence local and national policies and strategies to improve the experiences of disabled children and young people and their families. I co-founded SEND Action to support and coordinate strategic group legal action on key SEND issues, including a judicial review against the Secretary of State for Education and Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding SEND funding. I represent SEND Community Alliance on the Special Education Consortium and on the SEND Strategic Oversight Board.
I am passionate about social justice and have a lifelong background in volunteering with various charities, including with disabled and disadvantaged children in the UK and internationally. I have a research background in international development, focussing on children and education. I am currently developing research partnerships to explore and evidence the experiences of disabled children and young people and their families, particularly concerning access to justice.
At this critical time, I believe it’s more important than ever that the many and varied voices of disabled children and young people and their families and carers are heard and that they are meaningfully involved in strategic decision-making, as genuine partners.
“I first came across SNJ when we were already well over a year into our (supposedly max 20-week) EHC needs assessment and I am forever grateful to the person who passed on their details. I am in awe of their hard work and commitment over so many years. They give me hope that positive change is possible. It’s a real privilege to join the team.”
Gill Doherty
Articles featuring Gill on SNJ
- Don’t stop making noise: Sign to save SEND Legal Rights! Here’s 3 easy actions for this half termJust because the consultation is over, it does not mean we can just sit back and wait to find out…Continue reading »
- SEND families, teachers, and allies take to the streets to defend their children’s legal rights. We MUST keep going!On Saturday 9th May 2026, parent carers, their children and young people with SEND, teachers, campaigners, professionals and allies gathered…Continue reading »
- “Performative, chaotic and desperate” The DfE’s national SEND “conversation”If there’s anything that can put a damper on Christmas, it’s the Government’s irony-free announcement of “the biggest national conversation…Continue reading »
- Announcing two new Directors for Special Needs Jungle!Today we bring you some exciting news about changes at Special Needs Jungle— we have appointed two new Directors! 2024…Continue reading »
- A separate Down syndrome school census category is unlikely to improve SEND provision—and may have unintended consequencesOn Friday, we wrote about the Department for Education announcing a new phase to its short breaks innovation programme and…Continue reading »
- 10 reasons the Change Programme might fail, by experts from across the SEND sectorThe SEND Improvement Plan was published earlier this year. We’ve covered this many times but today we’re going to look…Continue reading »
- A setback at the High Court, but parents’ SEND Action goes onToday on SNJ we want to pay tribute to the SEND Action parent campaigners who took the Government to the…Continue reading »
- Judge: A remarkable achievement for parents to take the government to courtThe judgement in the Judicial Review of a group of parents against the government over SEND funding, has been reserved…Continue reading »
- The government’s legal day of reckoning looms, as families challenge over SEND failuresWhile most of the country’s politicians are fixated on Brexit and BoJo, vulnerable children have been left to bump along…Continue reading »
- Help SEND parents legally challenge the government over national funding crisisThe Department for Education has been put on notice: parents have had enough of government and local authorities speaking with…Continue reading »
