Special educational needs reforms in Wales: All change for ALN
England isn’t the only country in the UK to be going through reforms in special educational needs. As Cardiff-based SEN specialist solicitor, Ed Duff, of HCB solicitors wrote here a …
Category: Guest Posts
Legal grey zone lets health body strip vital funding from disabled children
Dominic is 11 and now in his final year at a mainstream primary school. He is very happy there and despite very complex medical issues and relying on a powered …
NHS liaison: The Designated Clinical /Medical Officer for SEND
As some of you may know, I have been doing my bit to help improve local SEND where I live in Surrey – right now I’m running their new Local …
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 …
Post-Rochford, will primary SEND really improve?
The best thing about going to SEND conferences isn’t just having the opportunity to make sure that parent carer and children and young people’s expertise and experience is given a …
What does it take to get a disabled child to preschool?
In our summer SEND blogger showcase, we featured Alex Davey’s blog, The Long Chain. Alex has three children, the middle of whom has an undiagnosed condition other than being “a complete …
Our wish for a mainstream school turned into a nightmare
We really want to be able to bring you stories of great experiences of the SEND system by families. Sadly, we don’t often get sent them and today’s parent story …
SEND Blogger showcase 4: Rainbows, Broccoli and Wristbands
And now, what better day to bring you our final fabulous SEND Blogger showcase of this summer than on the August bank holiday! And what’s more, it’s a three-for-two featuring …
Home to school transport policies “inaccurate and inadequate”
So many families of disabled children rely on home to school transport. Whether it’s a shared taxi, minibus or a taxi with an escort, many parents simply could not manage …
IAS Service: Supporting families of children with SEND
When you need help or advice as a parent about your child or adolescent’s education or difficulties with special educational needs, there are a number of options. A while ago, …
SEND Blogger showcase 2: Mum On A Mission & Our Altered Life
Today we have the second in our August SEND blogger showcase and we’re so delighted to be able to share some of these brill bloggers with you. This week we’re …
SEND blogger showcase: itmustbemum & The Long Chain
When I started out blogging here on SNJ, before social sharing was a ‘thing’, there really wasn’t anyone else out there. Perhaps a few in the US, maybe one other …
Choosing a mainstream school for my disabled child
The issue of the type of placement for a child with special educational needs or disabilities can be a thorny one. For many, including my own sons with Asperger’s, a …
How I became a better child physio after parenting my sick newborn
We love sharing good practice with you that can help both parents and professionals offer improve the lives of children with disabilities. Andrea Selly, is the mum of twins and …
The Secret Life of Holly, from the Disabled Children’s Partnership
In England today, there is an unacceptable gap between the quality of life and opportunities available for disabled children, when compared to those without disabilities. Today, a new coalition of …
Helping carers and disabled children with Qigong
We are all living in stressful times. World events, both near and far, can leave us feeling anxious, fearful and on edge. When you are also dealing with illness and …
Irlen syndrome: a screener’s perspective
Back in 2012, we ran a parent story about her son’s difficulties, “When the words move by themselves – it could be Visual Stress.” It’s also known as Irlen syndrome and …
SEND, support staff and challenging behaviour in schools.
You may remember that we had Tess Philbert on the site not so long ago, talking about person-centred planning. Tess is a parental supporter for SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disability Information …
Explaining new funding rules for early years children with SEND
Funding is always a hot topic in local authorities and schools and nowhere more so than in special educational needs. From this month, April 2017, the Department for Education is requiring …
Inclusion and putting the ‘Disability’ back into SEND
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 schools are …
