Missing the mark: Anxiety and avoidance, illustrated.
with Eliza Fricker, SEND parent and illustrator Twitter, eh? Sometimes it makes you grind your teeth, or it can offer a spark of wisdom. Or in the case of today’s …
Category: Guest Posts
Joining the dots of neurodiversity with Suzy Rowland *Book Giveaway
We haven’t done a book giveaway for a while, so today we’re offering a copy of SEND parent, Suzy Rowland’s new book “SEND in the Clowns”. Suzy is the founder …
Family Fund grants: the who, what and how to apply
with Jim Paterson, The Family Fund Earlier in the year, the government announced it was giving an additional £10 million to the Family Fund during the pandemic, to families who …
The dyslexia ‘battle’ and middle-class mums? I think we need to look at the broader picture
with Alison Vaughan, teacher and SEND parent Last week, The Guardian ran a long feature by Sirin Kale, called “The battle over dyslexia”. An interesting read, especially as I wasn’t …
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 …
Left stranded: the impact of coronavirus on autistic people and families in the UK
with Jane Harris, Director of External Affairs at the National Autistic Society Coronavirus has had a negative impact on every section of society, but none more than the disabled and …
Explaining the inexplicable: why the government won the SEND coronavirus judicial review (round one)
Earlier this month, the High Court heard the case of a family who brought a judicial review against the government, claiming that the Coronavirus Act downgrading of legal duties for …
Autistic children unlawfully denied care assessments: Your parent carer group can help further research
with Professor Luke Clements and Dr Ana Laura Aiello Has your autistic child had a social care assessment of their needs? Either from the disabled children’s team or as part …
Young people with SEND left in limbo with no place for September
with Ruth Perry, Senior Policy Manager at Natspec, the membership body for specialist FE colleges. One of the things we’ve been hearing, that’s been borne out by our coronavirus and …
Identifying SEND in the Early Years: Partnership and collaboration is key
with Dr Helen Curran senior lecturer in SEN at Bath Spa University, The earlier a special educational need is identified in a child, the better their chances are of achieving …
SEND cuts campaigners in London tell their council: See you in (the High) Court
With Ken Barlow, Waltham Forest SEND Crisis Parents being forced to throw themselves into the legal system in order to secure basic rights for their disabled children is a sad …
Improving SEND provision: Co-produced resources for the whole school
Tania’s note: It may seem hard to believe but one day, we will get back to “normal” in schools. The question is, what will this new normal look like? Schools …
Lockdown gave me time to really appreciate my amazing children with SEND
While people are emerging out of lockdown, and some children are returning to school, other families remain carefully shielding. While same families have enjoyed the chance to spend more time …
Coronavirus: Managing risk to get our special school ready for reintegration
with Ian Thorsteinsson, Principal, Gretton School, Cambridge The Government has confirmed it is pressing ahead with its plans to reopen schools for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 cohorts from …
What’s wrong with Oak Academy’s specialist curriculum?
with Karen Wespieser, curriculum lead for specialist content at Oak Academy A couple of weeks ago a group of volunteer teachers, backed by the Department for Education, launched an online …
My trans-daughter, an unexpected gift
with Caroline Watson & Hannah Watson Today we have a subject that we haven’t covered before on SNJ: Having a child or adolescent who is transgender. It’s not a special …
Campaign: Family carers deserve at least minimum wage for their 24/7 work
When you care for a disabled child or adult, you are often not able to work full or even part-time, because of your caring duties. For this, you’re entitled to …
How has special education needs evolved in the 40 years since the Warnock Report?
with Professor Geoff Lindsay, Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR), University of Warwick Everyone in the SEND sector should recognise the significance of the 1978 report on special …
Steve Broach, Public Law Barrister on the Coronavirus Bill’s implications for disabled children
Tania’s note: Further to our post earlier today about Coronavirus and disabled children, the Government has today published its emergency Coronavirus Bill. The bill has sweeping measures aimed at enabling …
