About Matt Keer
Matt has two deaf children. He has over 20 years of experience grappling with the SEND system as a parent, and he’s seen the best and the worst that the SEND system offers. Matt specialises in SEND stats, data analysis, and in-depth investigations of policies.
He has given evidence to several Parliamentary Select Committee inquiries, and his articles for SNJ on SEND funding, local government policy, and the SENDIST Tribunal have been quoted in Select Committee inquiry reports and national media.
Pronouns: he/him
Matt’s posts on SNJ
Matt's posts on SNJ
- The Unacceptable Truth: 20 SEND legal rights at risk from the Government’s SEND reformsYou may be feeling like the Department for Education has beaten you into submission this year with confusing consultation after…Continue reading »
- Top Tips for the EOTAS & EHCP consultation: Protect your child’s rights to statutory SEND supportRegister for our SEND Rights & EOTAS webinar here There’s an odd feeling about this summer as a SEND parent.…Continue reading »
- Mainstream SEND Funding: A simple explainer, another consultation, and why it really mattersWhile the dust from new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham's reshuffle begins to settle at the Department for Education, there are…Continue reading »
- EHCPs 2026: A relentless rise, but who’s surprised? Plus SNJ’s annual LA Hall of Shamewith infographics by Tania Tirraoro The Department for Education (DfE) has published its annual statistical summary of Education, Health and…Continue reading »
- SEND 2026: Tracking a decade of rising need with earlier EHCPs and moves to specialist provision for secondaryIt's that time of year again: The Department for Education (DfE) has published its annual statistics on special educational needs…Continue reading »
- Using “Not Quite Experts” at Hand will be the only solution to staff the Government’s big new plan for school supportLast week, the Department for Education (DfE) provided more details on Experts at Hand, one of the most important parts…Continue reading »
- The Government thinks Ofsted will ensure SEND reform accountability. This evidence suggests ‘significant concern’.If you sat in on our Schools White Paper webinar with Department for Education Minister, Georgia Gould, last month, you’ll…Continue reading »
- Experts At Hand: A good idea built on wishful thinking and shaky foundationsOne of the most promising-looking initiatives to emerge from England’s SEND reform proposals is the Experts at Hand initiative. Funded…Continue reading »
- Capital carrot, SEND steamroller: The Government’s evidence-light reform route isn’t waiting for anyoneIt’s been a month since the government announced the Schools White Paper and their consultation on SEND reform. The consultation’s…Continue reading »
- Accountability after SEND Reform: A system that marks its own homeworkIf you had to rank the things that parent carers want to see more than anything else in a reformed…Continue reading »
- Schools White Paper: What do we know so far about funding for SEND?By the time you read this, we’re expecting the Department for Education (DfE) to have announced extra funding to help…Continue reading »
- A sceptics eye on government EHCP prep research shows the “deranged” numbers just don’t add upA few days ago, the Department for Education (DfE) announced more funding to train educational psychologists, following a research report…Continue reading »
- SEND cash splash: What does it all add up to—and will ditching debt improve provision?Last week, the government published details of the Final Local Government Financial Settlement, the package that sets out what funding…Continue reading »
- EXCLUSIVE: LAs largely ignored Government’s “strong recommendation” on how to spend SEND Capital cashIt’s hard to keep track of things with the current flurry of recent reports, ‘open conversations’ and shady briefings on…Continue reading »
- The £3 billion SEND funding extravaganza: We’ve crunched the numbers so you can ask the right questionsLast week, the government announced it was allocating at least £3 billion to create “tens of thousands of new specialist…Continue reading »
- The 1% club: LAs win almost none of 25k SEND appeals, at an indefensible cost of over £200m. Plus, a shocking announcementMid-December normally means just one thing in the SNJ stats gimp lair – the arrival of a fresh set of…Continue reading »
- SEND funding reforms will be immensely painful—but the current situation is chaotic and sinking fastLast month, the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson announced the government was delaying the announcement of reforms to…Continue reading »
- SEND Inquiry report 3: How does the Education Committee want to fix SEND funding?In our final look at the SEND Inquiry report, we’re taking a longer look at what it says about funding—one…Continue reading »
- The risks and benefits of using artificial intelligence to power EHCPsArtificial intelligence (AI) is used almost everywhere now, but it hasn’t been used much in the world of SEND yet.…Continue reading »
- By almost any metric, SEND Safety Valve has failed, but you’d never guess from this entirely unbiased reportSNJ’s Matt Keer was the first to bring the last government’s Safety Valve scheme to light, and we have continued…Continue reading »
- EHCPs 2025 show a 22.5% rise in pupils “educated elsewhere” than in schools. Plus, check out our annual LA Hall of ShameYesterday, the Department for Education (DfE) published its annual statistical summary of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) in England…Continue reading »
