Neurodiversity and Ableism – a young person’s perspective
With Kyle Thapar Kyle Thapar is a young teen who attends a mainstream provision. As he is neurodivergent, Kyle recently chose the topic of neurodiversity and ableism for a presentation …
Category: Inclusion
Where is the Best Accessible Museum for Children? Vote now!
With Alison Bowyer, Executive Director, Kids in Museums Accessibility is crucial when you’re looking for a good day out with someone who has a disability. If you’ve found such a …
Helping Businesses Become More Inclusive with SEND Session Guides
with Dan Hughes I don’t think that there are many people reading this that would argue that inclusivity isn’t beneficial to everyone, but sometimes being exclusive is the best way …
Without detailed plans for its planned “Inclusion Dashboards”, the DfE is navigating towards an Inclusion Illusion
I don’t mean to show off, but my car has a very fancy dashboard. As well as the standard features – speedometer, odometer, petrol gauge – it can, with a …
Campaigning for inclusive education for children with Down’s syndrome
with Chris Barnes, Down’s Syndrome International Diversity and inclusion. Two words we champion daily, the holy grail for those in the disability community. But what do they mean? And how …
Exemplary Practice: How a Circle of Friends and other easy adjustments change lives for disabled children
On SNJ, we aim to highlight injustice and call out unlawful behaviour. But among the doom, there is also a lot of amazing practice going on in schools, actively supporting …
NEU teachers’ union votes to build inclusive mainstream education for children and young people with SEND
Editorial: Notes about the SEND motions at the 2021 NEU Conference Last Thursday (8th April 2021) the largest education union in the UK, the National Education Union voted, with only one abstention and …
Who benefits from inclusive education – and how?
with Prof Brahm Norwich & Dr Peter Gray, SEN Policy Research Forum Who benefits from inclusive education? It is an enduring question that applies as much to children and young …
Changing lives through Boccia
Opportunities for disabled young people to participate in sport can be limited, either because expensive specialist equipment is needed or inclusive sports clubs are few and far between. Boccia is …
£300 million for SEND school places. But how does it improve inclusion and equality?
At the end of yesterday’s Treasury spending review document, the catchily entitled “SR20”, Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, said it, “ensured that the decisions made considered the possible impact on people with a …
Coronavirus guidance: What mainstream settings should do to ensure the inclusion of disabled children
with Lorraine Petersen OBE, Educational Consultant Trying to keep up with the government’s latest coronavirus education guidance can seem like a full-time occupation. There is guidance for schools for re-opening …
Introducing Oak National Academy’s new online specialist curriculum
It’s been an academic year like no other, but I think we can all agree that teachers and families have done an exceptional job supporting children during school closures. With …
Jenna’s 10, has missed two years of school, and is campaigning for SEND inclusion
I’d like to introduce you today to 10-year-old Jenna, who has anxiety and ADHD and has missed two years of school. She is still waiting for her council to find …
The thorny issue of attendance awards and children with SEND
If your child has a SEND or a medical condition, it’s very likely they will need time out of school for appointments, illness, or just because some days, school isn’t …
Making secondary schools more inclusive. What’s your experience?
We’ve heard a lot about inclusive schools and how many parents have struggled to find one for their child. It’s a complex picture involving lack of funding, lack of expertise …
Challenge to the law that doesn’t protect disabled children from exclusion
Parents of an autistic teenager are going to the Upper Tribunal today to appeal a decision that they say discriminates against children with autism. Thirteen-year-old ‘L’, from Derbyshire, was excluded …
Are Teaching Assistants bad for children with SEND?
I often hear that, “Research says that Teaching Assistants (TAs) are bad for children, so we don’t do them here” in response to parental queries regarding support at school. The …
Is there meaningful accountability for illegal exclusions?
Over the years Special Needs Jungle has frequently highlighted the unacceptable practice of illegally excluding children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) from school. You can see just how …
Fighting for my disabled child’s right to summer fun
Tania’s note: Today we’re welcoming a new columnist to SNJ, Catriona Moore. Catriona is the parent of a child with complex needs from the rare disease, Rett Syndrome. She works …
Inclusion and putting the ‘Disability’ back into SEND
Tania writes: A leading advocate for inclusive education, Richard Reiser, says he is increasingly concerned about the direction of inclusion in the Children and Families Act. For many parents, special …