Air travel with children who need special assistance
If you have ever entered an airport with any child, let alone one with special needs, you will know the stress and anxiety the whole experience can bring. One bad …
Author: Debs Aspland
Do you ever just feel tired of it all?
Like many of us, I have children who believe that sleeping through the night is just an urban myth. Oh the joy of having to cope with a full day …
Where do KS4 and KS5 students go – when they have SEN?
In January, the DfE published a “Statitistical First Release” showing a breakdown of where children/young adults go to when they leave school or further education. The 2012/13 report looks at …
Should rich Katie Price pay Harvey’s SEN transport bill? It’s totally the wrong debate.
If you have been sitting in isolation with a power cut due to the snow, you are probably one of the few people who hasn’t heard about the Katie Price …
SEND reforms: What YOU told us
Last week, we asked if you had any views on the SEND reforms in your area so we could pass them on to the SEN Minister, Ed Timpson when SNJ …
SNJ’s year in review: What you read most in 2014
Where has the time gone? It doesn’t seem a year ago since we were welcoming 2014 and wondering what the SEN reforms would bring us in 2014. One year later, …
Stop, Get Ready and Go. A RAG guide for practitioners.
Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Each year there is a different focus to the day, and this year the focus is Disability-Inclusive Sustainable Development Goals. Many Local …
Top tips for a successful One Page Profile
The new Children and Families Act is supposedly person (and family) centred, i.e. the child (and family) should be at the centre of all decisions made about them. The services …
Who you trust, who you don’t and how to tell the difference.
Recently, we shared with you a a list of things people had said to families; the ignorant things that no family should have to hear. The response to this post on social …
Did you really just say that? The ignorant words SEND parents hear far too often
As a mum of children with special needs, I know I have walked out of meetings and thought, “Seriously? did I hear that correctly?” But I know that you often …
No sleep, no school, need suggestions!
As you know, SNJ is a parent-driven site and we share your challenges of raising children and young people with SEN or disabilities. We know from experience the frustrations, anxieties and …
Twitter Chat with DfE – #SNJSENChat
Here is a round up of tweets and answers from last night’s Tweetchat with Stephen Kingdom, Deputy Director of SEND at the Department for Education
Disabled Students Allowance gets a year’s reprieve: Is it practical or political?
Hark! I hear screeching tyres swivelling in a U-turn.. or is it just the sound of a General Election approaching? Surely that can’t be the reason for the most recent …
SEND reforms, ready or not?
This morning, the BBC had a report on the SEND reforms and queried whether parents (or schools) were ready for them. The BBC report that in excess of 1.7million children will …
Supporting Social and Emotional Development
I’m seen as a mum who is strong and proactive (some call this passionate, some call it bolshy, and others call it, well I leave that to your imagination). I …
Are you prepared for Adulthood?
Over the last few years, like many parents, we have been focussing on the forthcoming Children and Families Act. We’ve been busy keeping you updated and looking at the implications …
Meeting the Minister
On Monday, Tania and I, along with Steph from Steph’s Two Girls, headed into London for our meeting with the Minister. We always seem to face some transport issue whenever we …
My hopes for the new Education Health & Care Plan (EHCP)
EHCP stands for Education Health and Care Plan. Having given it some thought, this is what I want the EHCP to really stand for. E is for Education. E is also …
Children and Families Act: the Concerns
Last week, I was fortunate enough to be a speaker at the Towards a Postive Future conference in London. One of the other guest speakers was Elaine Maxwell. Elaine works …
SEN Code of Practice: what does this look like in Schools?
At Special Needs Jungle, we are parents of children with SEN ourselves, so we know that you will never have the time to get to the end of a long lengthy post …