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 …
Category: special needs
Why the Coronavirus lockdown adjustment for people with disabilities and mental health conditions was the right thing to do
and Alice Irving, barrister, research assistant to Steve Broach. The current public health crisis has affected us all. But for disabled people and those with mental health conditions, or those …
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 …
Could remote hearings be the new normal at the SEND Tribunal?
SEND legal practitioners attend a periodic Tribunal User Group session – no surprises for guessing the latest was a remote session because of the #CoronavirusLockdown Tribunal hearings are also now …
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 …
Care in a time of coronavirus (ii): Using health direct payments to pay family members for care
Some children and adults receiving direct payments for complex health needs will be avoiding all non-essential face-to-face contact during the Coronavirus pandemic, including minimising the number of carers coming in and out of their home. One potential solution to these challenges is for ‘direct payments’ to be used to allow family members to be paid to provide care.
Coronavirus Lockdown with kids: Setting a steady pace for home learning
with Lisa Thomas, Angela Kelly and Marguerite Haye In the previous post, we discussed meeting the challenges of home learning. In this article, we’re going to look at what we …
Why learning in isolation doesn’t have to be an isolating learning experience.
from Lisa Thomas, Angela Kelly and Marguerite Haye So, how was your first week of home teaching and learning? Despite the Government allowing “vulnerable” children and those of key workers …
Special Needs Jungle wins Your UK Parliament’s Volunteer of the Year Award!
And now, among all the bad news, here is something pretty darn fabulous. We are thrilled to announce that Special Needs Jungle has been chosen as the Your UK Parliament …
Coronavirus: School, attendance and exclusions. Your legal questions answered, part 3
You sent over 200 questions in about your legal concerns over how the #CoronavirusLockdown was going to affect your child’s EHCP and education. Yesterday we covered timescales, and the day …
Coronavirus and SEND law: Your questions answered (part one – Tribunals)
I received more than 200 questions in the last week, sent by the wonderful parents reading Special Needs Jungle. Everyone is obviously very worried about what is going to happen …
Care in a time of Coronavirus: Using direct payments to pay family members for care
The current public health crisis will leave no aspects of our lives untouched. One of the most obvious consequences is the care and support which disabled children and young people …
Celebrating neurodiversity: Now, more than ever, we must support one another, whatever our differences
As we enter into a dark time full of danger and uncertainty, it seems almost perverse to write an article about Neurodiversity Celebration Week. As I sit down to write, …
The curious decision to keep disabled children at school despite the Coronavirus crisis
As you will have heard, yesterday the Government finally announced it was closing all schools as the Coronavirus crisis spreads. However, schools will remain open for children of key workers …
#Coronavirus, EHCPs and the law: ask education lawyer Hayley Mason
In these unprecedented days, there is a lot of uncertainty, not least about education. What happens to legally-backed provision when schools are closed? If schools arrange online working, what are …
Savage cuts to support staff leave deaf children in England fighting for their futures
So far, the SEND reforms have not been kind to deaf children and young people. Despite a series of ground-breaking advances in deaf educational research, practice and technology over the …
The one where the SEND system is a success: The astonishing views of the DfE
As we reported yesterday, the inquiry by the Commons Public Accounts Committee on funding for special educational needs and disabilities has restarted, after it broke last December for the election. …
Budget 2020: Show us the money for SEND!
with Matt Keer, SNJ columnist & SEND funding guru It’s budget day this week and we think it’s imperative the Government flashes the cash for SEND. While it repeatedly trumpets …
Can a new Parliamentary Group keep the pressure on to #fixSEND?
As a limping, wounded SEND system drags itself into the third month of the new decade, we are still waiting for the outcome of the DfE’s SEND Review to discover …
Green light urgently needed for #RareDisease Red Alert system
SNJ note: It’s #RareDiseaseDay around the world. Today, CEO of Genetic Alliance UK, Jayne Spink, talks about a new “red alert” system that can help thousands of people. But it …
