SEND inquiry takedown: Parents Vs DfE
There have been close to 700 pieces of evidence (and counting) sent in to the SEND Inquiry. Tomorrow, the Department for Education will be giving evidence to the Education Select …
Category: SEN Reforms
SEND parents tell Ofsted its new draft inspection framework lets vulnerable learners down
Parents of disabled children have voiced their anger over Ofsted’s new draft education Inspection Framework for England, that’s under consultation until April 5th 2019. The framework covers early years, maintained …
SEND children are being “traumatised” by not getting the help they need in schools
Watching the parliament TV broadcasts of the SEN Inquiry has been an interesting affair, but yesterday’s brought tears of outrage to my eyes. More on that in a moment. It …
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 …
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 …
The struggle in SEND hurts us all. It’s a sign of society gone wrong
Yesterday I was interviewed by BBC TV news about the Ofsted Annual report. It’s not an unusual occurrence, being contacted by various news organisations to talk about the crisis in …
The devastating impact of the SENCo workload
Tania’s note: 70% of SENCOs responding to a national survey said they don’t have enough time to complete the demands of the role. Almost three-quarters (74%) said they frequently feel …
SEND Update: Good intentions…and complaints for young people with SEND
A brief update today. Despite it being the middle of summer, the Department for Education is still pumping out information that you, perhaps being on hols, might have overlooked. The first …
£600 million SEND reforms: Disabled children have had poor value for money
Money. A chorus of voices are speaking up, telling us there’s not enough of it. Parents, teachers, unions, local authorities, all with different perspectives, but all telling us that we …
SEND Inquiry: The Baroness, Brian, the man in the middle and much more..
The first hearings into the SEND inquiry were held before the Education Select Committee this week. Three esteemed witnesses were gently probed for their views on how the 2014 SEND …
SEND update: Parental support and EHCP transfer miracles
Time for a quick update on what’s happening in the world of SEND for you today. A while ago, we told you that the services that support parents and young …
The DfE replies: Accountability in SEND
This is our final instalment of the answers supplied by the Department for Education to your questions. We grouped your questions into related themes and over the past week we’ve …
The DfE on the EHCP transfer deadline. Plus all change for national SEND support services
Following Matt’s post last week about Transfer Deadlines and zombie statements, we got in touch with the Department for Education and posed a few questions that we thought you’d like …
SEND on the rocks: Can a new minister rescue the reforms from certain disaster?
It’s all change at the Department for Education. Not only was Justine Greening knocked off her stool as Education Secretary this week, Theresa May’s reshuffle has also done for the …
Parliament autism group calls for more autism training, speedier support, more understanding
A couple of months ago, accompanied by my younger son, I attended the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism in Westminster, as a witness. We were reassured that the evidence …
The SEND system is fractured, if not broken. Three new reports prove it.
SEND reports are like buses. Nothing for ages, then one, two and now three come along at once, this latest from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO). None …
Schools breaking the law on helping children with medical conditions
A new report published by Young Epilepsy says one in three schools in England are effectively breaking the law by not having Individual Healthcare Plans (IHP) in place for children with …
School leadership and SEND ignorance
In an earlier SNJ blog in 2015 I wrote about the critical role of the SENCO in schools. The SEN Reforms had called on a more strategic role for SENCOs …
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 …
Horror stories: Recent SEND research for your summer reading
Dear reader, I am sorry, but I have failed you. A clutch of research reports about SEND have been recently released and I would so love to be able to …
