Supporting SEND pupils and their families: 20 free top tips for instant impact
Our SEND parent community is wise and knowledgeable, and we like to tap them for their views now and again. A while ago, I set the following topic: What are …
Category: Teaching
Ofsted and ONS offer further evidence that lack of funding, training and specialists damages children with SEND
With Matt Keer Ofsted has found increasing numbers of primary school children with SEND are being referred to alternative provision, because of a lack of access to specialist help. Around …
Gendered misperceptions: Research shows girls with ADHD miss out on school support
Attention, Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder, (ADHD) remains a controversial topic for all sorts of reasons. Research illuminates just by how much the ADHD debate is a can of worms; multi-layered, emotive, …
Falling Through the Cracks: How children with SEND struggle to access early years education
with Catherine McLeod, Dingley’s Promise Today we’re hearing from Catherine McLeod from Dingley’s Promise, a charity trying to drive change for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in …
How will the new ‘Universal SEND Services’ programme help for learners with SEND?
with Amanda Wright, Deputy Head of Whole School SEND Earlier this year, The Department for Education announced a funding service to improve SEND training in school and further education workforce, …
#SENDReview: Downgrading SENCO training is a mistake but protected time must be mandatory
with Tristan Middleton, University of Gloucestershire & chair, LLSCIC. Under the SEND Code of Practice, SENCOs must be gain a Masters-level NASENCO award within three years of taking the role. …
Schools White Paper: what are the implications for SEND?
The Government’s Schools White Paper (herein SWP for short) has just been published, the day before the long-awaited SEND Green Paper will finally arrive. It’s been emphasised that the two must …
The new handbook that’s helping every teacher to be a teacher of SEND
with Erica Wolstenholme, Whole School SEND National Coordinator As it says in the SEND Code of Practice, Every Teacher is a Teacher of SEND. But far too few come out …
How much impact will Early Years SENCOs in disadvantaged areas make to boosting early identification of SEND?
Recently, SNJ co-hosted Will Quince, Minister for Children and Families, on a parent webinar to talk about the solutions his team will be proposing to the colossal challenges facing the …
Schools need support to implement vital lessons about better SEND teaching, learned from Covid
with Sharon Smith, SEN Policy Research Forum The pandemic illuminated the yawning gap between schools that put high value on supporting their learners with SEND and those who have little …
Creative reasonable adjustments for SEND learners that don’t have to cost a thing
Today we welcome a new columnist, Susan Lenihan, SEND parent, former headteacher and a SEND Community Alliance campaigner Some time ago SNJ asked the question on our social media: What …
It’s not just SEND teacher training that’s needed. How we educate all children is broken
with Susan Lenihan, educator and parent of children with SEND After the recent BBC programme, Don’t Exclude Me, Joanne Lewis, parent of children with ADHD, wrote two articles, here and …
BBC’s Don’t Exclude Me (pt 2): Resorting to restraint shows desperate need for better SEND training
with Joanne Lewis parent & ADHD Superpower founder Last week on SNJ, parent of autistic children and … Joanne Lewis wrote about her reactions to the first of the BBC’s …
Six top tips for managing meltdown triggers for autistic pupils in school
with @Cherrylkd, Special school assistant headteacher Twitter seems to be a popular hangout for teachers, and I’m pleased to see many proudly specialising in SEND. @Cherrylkd is a popular SEND …
Overworked, underpaid SENCOs mean children with SEND “will be left vulnerable for decades”
For the last few years I’ve written about the annual National SENCO Workforce Survey that I help to produce with nasen and Bath Spa University. This year’s update, subtitled “time …
Whole School SEND Spotlight: Developmental Language Disorder Guide
Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) can, and do, have a lifelong impact, particularly when not recognised and supported. Effective communication is crucial for educational outcomes, social experiences, self-confidence and …
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 …
10 top tips to boost Working Memory in children
Tania’s note: You may remember Alison’s first post on dyslexia here. We’re very pleased she’s agreed to write more for us. Have you ever climbed a mountain with a group …
Whole School SEND Spotlight: The Autism Resource Suite
Autism is one of the most commonly identified needs in England, with more than 82,000 school-age children with an Education, Health and Care Plan for ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’, representing 30% …
It is time employers realised the benefits of employing young people with learning disabilities
Educating businesses on the benefits of employing Neurodivergent people and those with Learning Disabilities is key to making the changes needed for them to see the invaluable contributions people can make to society.