Last Friday, the High Court handed down a judgment with far-reaching implications for families of children & young people with SEND. Here’s what the case was about, what it …
In a class of 30+ children, a teacher’s prime objective is to make sure that everyone is working to the best of their ability. Their attention is inevitably drawn to …
Money. A chorus of voices are speaking up, telling us there’s not enough of it. Parents, teachers, unions, local authorities, all with different perspectives, but all telling us that we …
This is the follow up post about the dog’s breakfast EHCPs produced by Oldham. In part one, I outlined what’s wrong with Oldham’s EHCPs, its autism SEND provision and why. …
I’ve seen a fair few EHC Plans now – those of the pupils at Bright Futures School (BFS), those of children whose parents are seeking a place for them at BFS, …
Many of you will have seen Nadhim Zahawi MP – the current Children and Families Minister, talking on BBC Breakfast a couple of months ago about how the SEND …
It’s the second May Bank Holiday – and for sad people like me, that means a special treat. Because that’s when the Department for Education (DfE) unloads its annual statistical …
It’s Mental Health Awareness Week from 14-18 May. The Mental Health Foundation is a UK charity that promotes good mental health for everyone and it’s chosen to highlight stress as the …
‘Teachers leave them kids alone’, the line from Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall, must resonate with some parents of children who are different, and who feel their children …
We’re almost two years on from the biggest change to SEND accountability in a generation – the introduction of local area SEND service inspections, led by Ofsted and the Care …
6,000 children are born in the UK each year with a syndrome without a name – a genetic condition so rare that is likely to remain undiagnosed. Having an undiagnosed …
The National Trial which extends the powers of the First-tier (SEND) Tribunal to make non-binding recommendations about the health and social care aspects of Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans …
Each year families, educators and charities come together to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day on 21st March. The date was chosen to represent the three copies of chromosome 21 that …
One of the joys of being a parent of a child with special educational needs is working out why schools and local authorities do things the way they do. Sometimes …
“Did you say ‘Retz Syndrome’? How do you spell it?” These were the questions I asked the neurologist who speculated in passing that this might be the explanation for why …
“The Local Authority refused to assess my child for an EHC Needs Assessment,” “I have an unacceptable EHC Plan”and “The Local Authority has taken away the provision my son receives” …
It’s Children’s Mental Health Week, and the charity, Place2Be, have themed 2018 for children, young people and adults to celebrate their uniqueness. It’s all about #BeingOurselves. Place2Be provides emotional and …
The speech therapy process is very much a collaborative one. Even if your child is lucky enough to get regular speech therapy sessions, that’s still only half-an-hour or an hour …
In my first post on top tips for parenting a child with challenging behaviours, I suggested that you: Seek support and be compassionate with yourself and that you work as …
One of the things I get asked regularly, in my capacity of mother of an older child with Down’s syndrome, is how to write the parental statement part of the …
