Rough Draft SEN Code of Practice published
Late yesterday, the DfE published the “Indicative draft Code of Practice” as a “work in progress” to go with the SEN/D provisions in the Children & families bill, now going …
Category: special needs
Government acts on calls for SEN ‘duty’ for health provision in reforms
The surprising and extremely welcome news today from the Department for Education (DfE) is that there will, after all, be a legal duty on health providers to deliver the provision …
SEN reform progress report: ‘pathfinder champions’ chosen
It’s been a bumper day of announcements and happenings surrounding SEN reform. First of all, came the publication of a list of local authority groups who have been appointed “pathfinder …
DfE publishes an easy-to-read version of Children and Families Bill
The Department for Education has published an easy to read version of the children & families bill designed especially for young people. The guide uses a simplified layout and language …
Rare Disease Day: My son has Retinopathy of Prematurity
Today, 28th February is Rare Disease Day. It’s an awareness raising day for the millions of people around the world who are affected by rare conditions. Most suffer from lack …
Children and Families Bill – the missing pieces
Earlier this month, we shared our Initial Views on the Children and Families Bill. Since then, we have had chance to look at the Bill in more detail and wanted …
Top Tips for Speech and Language Therapy – Part One
As is often the case, I come across great resources and services for children with special needs on Twitter. I then cheekily ask them if they’d like to contribute a …
Ten things I wish, with hindsight, I had known
Debs writes…. As we go through the Special Needs Jungle, we pick up tips, we gain confidence and we often think “I wish I’d known …….. at the beginning” I …
Children and Families Bill – initial views
Finally, the wait is over and the Children and Families Bill, which includes the SEN reforms, has been published. Debs spent yesterday poring over it and here are her initial …
Ten tips when your child is newly diagnosed with a special need or disability
You may have suspected, even all but known, but the moment when you finally get a confirmed diagnosis for your child is a watershed. You may feel numb, distraught, helpless. …
Chinese Whispers and Garth’s Uncle
As you may have read on Friday, Special Needs Jungle has a new regular contributor in Debs Aspland, the director of Kent PEPS and parent of three children, all with …
SEN Pre-Legislative Scrutiny report- a précis and my views
The Education Select Committee report on its pre-legislative scrutiny of the SEN draft bill has just been published. The scrutiny entailed two oral sessions in which parents, professionals, service users …
Pathfinders, politics and parental co-production
Last Friday, our parent-carer forum in Surrey, Family Voice joined with Surrey LA and local voluntary and community services to host an SEN reform pathfinder update. Surrey is one of …
Speech Therapy to stay within educational provision – so said the man from the DfE
One question on many lips in the reform to the special educational needs system is, with the inclusion of health in an EHCP, where will speech and language provision end …
Common sense prevails with more time to test the SEN reform proposals
Education Minister, Edward Timpson, has, it seems, listened to the concerns that so many, including Special Needs Jungle, have voiced – that the pace of SEN reform is too fast …
Beech Lodge: A new school offering a practical approach to learning
For some children, a mainstream school setting can be overwhelming, particularly if they have learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or find it otherwise difficult to learn in the same …
Parents on the Warpath…and other stories
It’s been a difficult week for many parents at our school, who have discovered that our LA doesn’t want to pay our statemented sons’ school fees, because there has been …
Doing your best is all you can do
Today I’m feeling a little sad. Youngest is off school again with joint pains in his legs. We’ve just been for a blood test and he is awaiting an appointment …
Thoughtful special needs blogs, top tips and news you can use
It’s been a busy week for lots of special needs mum bloggers – as you’ll see there are some fabulous, thought-provoking posts from Claire at A Boy With Aspergers and …