About Matt Keer
Matt Keer is the parent of two deaf children. He had to take his LA to the SEND Tribunal, to get the educational provision his children needed. It was a bruising time. In an blog on the NDCS campaign site, Matt said, "We got there in the end, as a family. We went through Tribunal, some of us broke briefly, but we mended ourselves and the boys finally – finally – now have a full shot at life. It was worth it – but it never, ever, should have been this way. It never should have been allowed to be this way."
Matt was part of the SNJ delegation to the Department for Education to feed into the Lee Scott inquiry and dug deep to highlight taxpayer funds paid by local authorities to the law firm in the BS Twitter Storm. He's great at finding and analysing obscure data that SEND departments would rather you didn't know about.
Matt's posts on SNJ
Matt's posts on SNJ
- Join the SNJ Squad as a “Patron” and get exclusive content!We have a brilliant new offering to tell you about - one that gets you exclusive content! We’ve linked up…Continue reading »
- Why the next government must make investing in new teachers of the deaf a prioritywith Ian Noon of the National Deaf Children's Society I’ve got two deaf sons. They’re brighter than I am. They’re…Continue reading »
- What does ‘£700 million for SEND’ actually mean in reality?4.55pm on a Friday doesn’t normally mean good news for SEND parents. It’s often a time when bad news pitches…Continue reading »
- SEND funding “completely inadequate,” says Education Select Committee reportFor well over a year now, the House of Commons Education Select Committee has been running an inquiry into the…Continue reading »
- The latest SEND Tribunal figures paint a troubling pictureIt’s raining cats and dogs outside where I live. More happily for me, it’s also raining statistics – the latest…Continue reading »
- EHCPs in 2019: Bedded in, or bogged down?Early Thursday morning, whilst thousands of families and allies were preparing to march to draw attention to the national crisis…Continue reading »
- The DfE’s out of SEND Funding ideas. Can you help out?Last week, the Department for Education put out a call for evidence about SEND funding. What are they asking about,…Continue reading »
- An inspector calls. Again. But are they improving SEND provision?Matt Keer looks at the latest picture for the SEND inspections and re-visits. It iisn’t a pretty picture in many…Continue reading »
- Getting Help with EHCPs: Be Careful Out There!Just before Christmas, we took a look at some of the latest figures to come out of the Special Educational…Continue reading »
- What costs £103.7 million and makes disabled children miserable?,, Whether you’re a SEND parent or SEND professional, you’re probably running on vapour right now as we come to…Continue reading »
- Nine out of 10 parents fear for their deaf child’s education amid the SEND crisisLet’s walk in a parallel world for a bit. A world where there’s never been a better time to be…Continue reading »
- SEND Inspections: Moving ahead but illegality must be called outAccountability is not a word that parents often used to associate with the world of special educational needs and disability.…Continue reading »
- Legal victory for Bristol parents against SEND cuts – what does it mean for other areas?Last Friday, the High Court handed down a judgment with far-reaching implications for families of children & young people…Continue reading »
- £600 million SEND reforms: Disabled children have had poor value for moneyMoney. A chorus of voices are speaking up, telling us there’s not enough of it. Parents, teachers, unions, local authorities,…Continue reading »
- EHCPs in 2018: Are we ‘bedded in’ yet?It’s the second May Bank Holiday – and for sad people like me, that means a special treat. Because that’s…Continue reading »
- Ofsted/CQC inspections MUST become a permanent part of SEND. Here’s why.We’re almost two years on from the biggest change to SEND accountability in a generation – the introduction of local…Continue reading »
- LA Watch: Dodgy SEND policies, parent power and how to fight the cuts!One of the joys of being a parent of a child with special educational needs is working out why schools…Continue reading »
- Zombie Statements: Councils to miss legal EHCP transfer deadline for thousands of childrenAfter a turbulent 2017, we’re all hoping for better things for the world of SEND this year. But however things…Continue reading »
- The £70 million council costs of fighting – and losing – against parents at the SEND TribunalWe all know that money's tight in public services, not least in providing for children with disabilities. It's not surprising…Continue reading »
- Battle of The Bands: The rise of ‘banding’ for funding SENDIs your child getting an EHCP? Have you talked to your school about SEND support recently? Has your LA tried…Continue reading »
- LA watch: Beware the EHCP Assessment Exception “loophole”It’s the last week of the year in most English schools. A week to take things a bit easier, tidy…Continue reading »
