Keep out of the rain this weekend and review the week’s special needs stories instead

Today is the last day of school for my boys, apart from Founder's Day, tomorrow and we're all praying for the weather to be kind as teachers, staff, 400 boys aged 8-18 and their families cram under a vast marquee. I wrote in an early SNJ post about their very first Founder's day at the school. Since then the school has expanded so I would recommend a cushion to first timers and your do hands sting a little at the end after all the clapping.

Every boy gets an award for something they've worked hard at and they all get to troop up to the front - many have never had the chance to succeed at anything before they arrived at the school and their faces beam with pride; it's very moving. Our patience is rewarded with strawberries and sparkling wine at the end and a chance to mingle with everyone. Son1's playing in the Jazz Band on the bass so we'll have to hang around for a bit anyway! In September he starts his GCSE courses. That'll be a whole other story.

Do enjoy the stories this week, some great posts and interesting news and don't forget, if you've got any old mobiles hanging around, check out my post below on how you can convert them to a meal for a hungry inner-city child.

• Emma4OACS: Newest figures about Foetal Anti Convulsant Syndrome
• The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust: Resources for Schools and pathfinders for the local offer 
• Dyslexia Action: Train to administer the Hidden Disabilities Questionnaire
• BBC News: Gary McKinnon's extradition case adjourned for medical report
• NUT: We're launching our Pupil Referral Unit campaign leaflet at the PRUs UK conference
• A Boy With Asperger's: My daughter will be assessed for Dyslexia
• BBC: Charities fear child poverty rise
• Special Needs Jungle: Feed a child with an old phone a 'heads up' post on SNJungle about a fantastic new campaign 
• Special Needs Jungle: How NOT to prepare for the autistic child’s camping trip - a tale of woe and disorganisation
• Maxwell Gillott: School transport for special needs children could cost councils more 
• BBC: Reforms to target child sex abuse on children in care
• Special Needs Jungle: Place2Be – the charity that makes a lifetime of difference to children in schools
• Special Needs Jungle: Special Free Schools – is it worth it? A report on a conference about Special Free Schools, attended by Claire Louise from A Boy With Asperger's for Special Needs Jungle.
• Online College Courses: 40 Best Blogs for Special Needs Parents - This includes Special Needs Jungle!
• NotAsAdvertised blog: My nephew, Dylan's daily fight against his rare kidney disease

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Tania Tirraoro

Founder, Co-Director at Special Needs Jungle

Founder of Special Needs Jungle. (She/Her) Parent of two young adults with autism. New grandma. Tania, who is autistic, is a leading SEND advisor, working with the Special Education Consortium, Ofsted, and Whole School SEND. She is also an Advisory Board member of the Royal Holloway, University of London Centre of Gene and Cell Therapy and an Editorial Board member of Springer Nature Gene Therapy journal.
Tania is an experienced broadcast and print journalist & author. She also runs a PR, web & social media consultancy, SocialOro Media.
Tania is a rare disease & chronic pain patient advocate with Ehlers Danlos syndrome.

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Latest posts by Tania Tirraoro (see all)

• WEBINAR RECORDING: Will the SEND Improvement Plan fix provision for disabled children and young people? - March 16, 2023
• Can you legislate for love? The Government’s plans for children’s social care aims to - February 3, 2023
• Don’t make it harder to get EHCPs warns Equality and Human Rights Commission as DfE considers “raising the bar” - January 26, 2023