Why mixed attainment teaching can benefit children and improve social justice
NEW POST: Should schools use streaming or setting? Views vary but for expert educator, Jules Daulby, it’s pretty clear cut, as she explains in today’s post on SNJ
Category: SENCo
SEND funding “completely inadequate,” says Education Select Committee report
For well over a year now, the House of Commons Education Select Committee has been running an inquiry into the state of special educational needs in England. It’s turned into …
The SEND crib sheet: How you can help school help your disabled child
Back when my youngest was in mainstream, he didn’t yet have statutory support. Although the infant feeder school would have sent notes on to the junior school, as his parent, …
SENCO basics: My research defining the role of the modern SENCO
Tania’s note: Hannah Moloney was the author of a research study into the SENCo workload that I wrote about on SNJ here. She’s a current class SENCo, researcher, and sits …
Children with SEND and the emotional impact on parents
I recently came across a research article in the British Journal of Special Education entitled, Children with SEND and the emotional impact on parents by John Holland with Gabriella Pell, …
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 SENCo – parent relationship: Making it work to benefit the SEND child
SNJ is read by lots of SENCos and other school staff, which is pretty amazing, considering it started out as a blog by parents for parents. Of course, the advice …
I think my child has a special educational need. What can I do?
So often on SNJ we talk about the difficulties faced when getting SEND help. But if you’re new to the area and you’ve only just discovered that your child might …
The devastating impact of the SENCo workload
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 frustrated by …
“Forget the Health and Care and just call them Education Plans”: SENCOs’ perspectives on EHCPs
New research from the Centre for Research in Autism and Education has explored what SENCOs think about Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, The full research article by Laura Crane, Deputy …
SEN Support in schools: Finding out what works in practice
Tania’s note: We concentrate a lot on EHCPs on this blog, but far more children are on lower levels of SEN help in schools, now called SEN Support. But how …
One parent’s seven steps to success for her autistic son’s EHCP
We have another useful post for you today. Many parents find it difficult to navigate the SEND system and we hope that this site can help. One parent, Fiona Jones, …
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 …
Tips for spotting the signs of dyslexia in a child or young person
One in ten of us are affected by dyslexia. While many schools have got much better at spotting a potentially dyslexic student, there are still some in education who, believe …
Two-thirds of England’s schools lack support for best outcomes for SEND pupils
A survey of more than 1,000 school leaders has revealed that more than two-thirds (68%) say they lack the support to deliver the best outcomes for pupils with special educational …
Does child protection guidance discriminate against disabled children?
Safeguarding has become such an integral part of the language we use about children that it is hard to remember the days when the only children that needed this hyper-vigilant …
Schools breaking the law on helping children with medical conditions
A 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 the …
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 …
Key points of SEN Support in schools: What it is and how it should work
In Tuesday’s post on the outcomes for children and young people with SEND but no EHCP I concluded by drawing attention to the importance of the SEND Co-ordinator in taking …