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
- School staff need a pay rise, but when LAs don’t pass on government funding, it’s SEND pupils who suffer mostEveryone’s feeling the cost of living crisis right now – and the world of SEND hasn’t been spared. Most children…Continue reading »
- SEND parents under surveillance… is your council watching you online?For families of children and young people with SEND, social media is one of the greatest assets we have. It…Continue reading »
- Are new SEND financial accountability measures compatible with lawful SEND provision?Accountability. Ask most SEND parents, and that’s what they’ll tell you is missing from the current system. Most of the…Continue reading »
- SEND Stats 2022: How has the pandemic affected the numbers of pupils with SEND?It’s the middle of June, and that means the Department for Education (DfE) has just published its annual set of…Continue reading »
- The EHCP statistics 2022 don’t tell the whole story. And see who topped the new EHCP LA Hall of Shame!At the end of last week, the Department for Education (DfE) published their annual statistical summary of Education, Health and Care…Continue reading »
- What are the implications of the #SENDReview for deaf children?with Justin Cooke, National Children's Deaf Society I’ve got two deaf boys. They’ve experienced some of the best and the…Continue reading »
- How can the #SENDReview implement new changes while avoiding the same mistakes of the last reforms?Let’s kick off with some Green Paper quotes: “Disabled children and children with SEN tell us that they can feel…Continue reading »
- Bureau of Investigative Journalism finds SEND funding black hole grew by 52% in a year, with one child in a SEND school 412 miles from homeThe Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation with a mission to hold power to account. TBIJ…Continue reading »
- What does the #SENDReview Green Paper say about funding the future of SEND?This post includes an explanation of how SEND funding works in the simplest way possible, before looking at funding in…Continue reading »
- #SENDReview Chapter 5 (part 1): The missing accountability questionIn this article, we'll be looking at the first part of Chapter 5, dealing with Consultation Questions No. 17 &…Continue reading »
- Publication day: Your first look at what’s in the SEND Review Green Paper.Updates Summary of the SEND review: right support, right place, right time Dedicated SEND Review website Open consultation SEND review:…Continue reading »
- “Impowering” the future of SEND where parents and SENCOs just need to be less “demanding”As the SEND Review Green Paper edges closer - maybe within a week - we decided to look into something…Continue reading »
- Councils wasted £253 million fighting parents at the SEND Tribunal since 2014 reformsSomehow, it’s already early December. That means it’s time for Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service to release their set…Continue reading »
- New Budget funds for SEND capital spending. But how did LAs spend previous cash? We checked…This post contains original research. If you would like to use this, please get in touch. Yesterday, the Chancellor of…Continue reading »
- Is the DfE’s SEND funding “safety valve” on a collision course with schools and families?It’s a strange time out there, and it’s a strange time in the world of SEND too. Some sort of…Continue reading »
- SEND in schools 2021: Waiting for the other shoe to drop?Yesterday, the Department for Education (DfE) published its annual set of statistics on special educational needs in England. If you…Continue reading »
- What’s next for Ofsted/CQC SEND Inspections? And is accountability about to nosedive?Last week, Ofsted published a report on the experiences of children and young people with SEND during the pandemic. The report is…Continue reading »
- 15,000 disabled learners with EHCPs but no provision: The EHCP figures for 2021It seems like an ice age since the last time we this rather than just a year – but yesterday,…Continue reading »
- SEND judicial review and how LAs spin tales about “litigious” parentsOver the years, we’ve written a lot at SNJ about the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) First Tier Tribunal.…Continue reading »
- 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…Continue reading »
