How the SENCO~Parent team helps children with SEND thrive
Tania’s note: Hannah Moloney was the author of a research study into the SENCo workload that I wrote about on SNJ here. She’s a current class SENCo, researcher, and sits …
Category: Columnists
Is Ofsted a “force for good” in improving the education of SEND learners?
Ofsted’s draft Education Inspection Framework and School Inspection Handbook are currently out for consultation. An Ofsted inspection is a critical moment in the life of any school and the framework …
Shane’s story of being autistic in school: ‘I was the odd one in the class’:
Tania’s note: My ASD youngest often complains to me about hearing only the parent voice and not the young person (I’m still waiting for their own contribution 😉 ). However, …
Phase Transfer deadline: what to do if your child’s EHCP isn’t finalised on time
The transfer deadline day for all settings except post-16, is fast approaching! If your child is transferring between phases of education, then the statutory deadline by when your local authority …
Coming to terms with your child’s hidden Special Educational Needs.
Not all Special Educational Needs are immediately obvious. Some are initially hidden, such as dyslexia, autism or ADHD. When parents approach me about their child with SEN of this kind, …
How can children be traumatised just by going to school?
In a post titled Send Children Being Traumatised By Not Getting Help Needed in School, Tania recently touched on the subject of SEN children becoming traumatised by the education system. She wrote about …
Getting Help with EHCPs: Be Careful Out There!
Just before Christmas, we took a look at some of the latest figures to come out of the Special Educational Needs & Disability Tribunal (SENDIST). Those figures shone light on …
The SEND Jungle 2018: The year parents roared
It’s been an incredible year in the SEND world, but not because the system has started to work better, or because families are routinely at the centre of decision-making. It’s …
School can demoralise autistic students, help me celebrate our neurodivsersity!
Tania’s note: We recently featured a post from autistic teenager, Siena Castellon, about her fabulous anti-bullying work. Siena is now pulling in schools and organisations across the country to support …
What costs £103.7 million and makes disabled children miserable?
Whether you’re a SEND parent or SEND professional, you’re probably running on vapour right now as we come to the end of the longest term. If you can though, spare …
Why consistency in parenting is vital, especially for children with challenging behaviours
We have adopted a cat, or rather he has adopted us. We’ re no strangers to owning cats, but this is the first time in our renovated home. There is …
My “control freak’s guide” for my disabled daughter’s dignity and care in hospital
The thing that worries me most about my disabled daughter as she gets older is who will understand her. Who will really get to know who she is, and what …
Misinformation and misconceptions: Busting some SEND law myths
As many of you will know, half of the battle of getting support for your disabled child is getting people to listen to you. By people, I mean schools, professionals …
Nine out of 10 parents fear for their deaf child’s education amid the SEND crisis
Let’s walk in a parallel world for a bit. A world where there’s never been a better time to be a deaf child than right now. In this world, deafness …
“I’ve been bullied at school for most of my life” How Siena’s helping other autistic young people like her
Tania’s note: I really value being able to feature the voice of young people with SEND on SNJ, as we recently did with Lucy, from Ambitious About Autism. Today we’re …
Adventures of the sensory kind for National Multi-Sensory Storytelling Day
The 24th of September is National Multi-Sensory Storytelling Day and I’d like to tell you about an exciting event to mark the day – and hopefully inspire you to hold …
Why your instababy snaps could spell danger to looked-after childreno
I am a sensory engagement specialist. I spend a lot of my time looking at how our early sensory experiences shape and support our development. I have worked in special …
Balancing the needs of siblings, when one has ADHD
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 …
Matching needs with provision to make a dog’s doodah EHCP (Part 2)
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. …
Taking a stand against the dog’s breakfast EHCPs of Oldham (part 1)
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, …
