10 top tips for moving local authority with an EHCP
with Liz Arriens Troy, a parent of a child with Down Syndrome The 2014 SEND reforms were supposed to have made EHCPs more easy to move between local authorities when …
Author: Special Needs Jungle
How will the government-funded RISE partnership improve local areas’ SEND provision?
with Anna Gardiner, Assistant Director – Health , Council for Disabled Children Earlier this year the Department for Education announced £12 million of funding to directly support schools and colleges to …
What is “special educational provision” in law? How a case of electromagnetic hypersensitivity may help future appeals
Article by Ed Duff, HCB Solicitors A very interesting SEND appeal in the Upper Tribunal caught our eye recently. A family was appealing in a dispute over what could be …
SNJ’s response to the EHCP Annual Review Timescales consultation
The Department for Education consultation on EHCP Timescales closed last month. We put in our own response, and we’re publishing it today. It contains not only our answers to the …
What influences the emotional wellbeing of young people with severe dyslexic difficulties?
with Claire Durrant, Researcher, University of Sussex When our child(ren) have a SEND diagnosis, they can be made to feel stupid, isolated, rejected by thoughtless peers and often, shockingly, by …
The #SENDReview must embed Speech, Language and Communication skills across education, especially teacher training
with Amy Loxley, Lead Speech and Language Advisor for I CAN, One of the major criticisms of the SEND Review is its silence about the revolution in SEND teacher training …
What the evidence says about the 13 crucial areas for quality in Alternative Provision
with Dennis Simms, IntegratED Hub Lead The SEND Review Green Paper places great emphasis on including alternative provision within a “single system” with mainstream and special schools. The DfE want …
#SENDReview: A vision for Alternative Provision, but where’s the evidence?
by Susie Lenihan, Renata Blower & Tania Tirraoro Chapter 4 of the SEND Review Green paper is focused on reforming the way alternative provision is used and integrating it within …
#SENDReview: Why mandatory mediation in SEND appeals isn’t wanted–or needed
with Margaret Doyle, author, accredited SEND mediator One of the proposals in the SEND Review Green Paper is for compulsory mediation before parents can register an appeal at the SEND …
Post 16: What’s in the #SENDReview Green paper for 16-25-year-old disabled young people?
with Ruth Perry, Senior Policy Manager, Natspec SNJ is bringing you lots of information and analysis about the SEND Green Paper. We are also interested to hear the responses of …
SNJ Report: The casual bias and daily discrimination faced by disabled children and their families from ethnic and marginalised communities
A new SNJ survey has highlighted how racial discrimination and unconscious bias are everyday experiences for disabled children and their families from ethnic and marginalised communities. Parents say they, and …
Launching the SNJ Intersectionality Panel focusing on disability, race, and cultural discrimination in SEND
With Marguerite Haye and Mala Thapar, Leads for the SNJ Intersectionality Panel *If this is not an issue that affects you personally, please still share this post on social media …
SEND Review: Fait accompli or a real chance for parents and practitioners to shape policy?
with Christopher Robertson, independent academic and author, policy analyst and adviser The SEND Review is promised before Easter with a full consultation. But does this mean that everything in the …
The Government must act to reduce the stark inequalities in disabled children’s health and care
With Aidan Smith, Campaign Officer at the Disabled Children’s Partnership Even though many services have been restored, we’re far from out of the woods completely yet. We were hoping that …
The Let us Learn Too petition is misleading, DfE? Really?
The Department for Education has claimed that the Let Us Learn Too petition SNJ and SCA are involved with and support is “misleading” The campaign has been driven by SCA …
Don’t Exclude Me: Shouldn’t SEND be the first thought?
The BBC programme, “Don’t Exclude Me” has caused something of a mixed reaction among parents of children with SEND. One of our readers, Joanne Lewis, who’s the mother of two …
The new “rights-based” Additional Learning Needs system in Wales
with Rukhsana Koser, Senior Solicitor, Education Lawyers, part of Langley Wellington Solicitors LLP While we usually talk on Special Needs Jungle about SEND education, this only applies to England. In …
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: What doctors and schools need to know
With Sandra Butcher, Chief Executive of The National Organisation for FASD and Brian Roberts, consultant and former Virtual School Head We assume that most women know that drinking alcohol in …
#LetUsLearnToo: Don’t dilute disabled children’s rights!
With Hayley Harding, Founder, Let Us Learn Too As part of SEND Community Alliance, SNJ has joined with a new parent-led campaign, Let Us Learn Too, developed out of frustration …
Six top tips for managing meltdown triggers for autistic pupils in school
with @Cherrylkd, Special school assistant headteacher Twitter seems to be a popular hangout for teachers, and I’m pleased to see many proudly specialising in SEND. @Cherrylkd is a popular SEND …