Paula McGowan: We need mandatory autism and learning disability training in education settings to change culture, hearts, and minds

With Paula McGowan OBE Few of us will be unaware of the scandal of young disabled people abused, mistreated, or neglected in residential health and education settings One of the …

63% of teachers say their school’s insufficient support for children with SEND is a barrier to pupil learning

A new survey of 6,000 teachers and senior leaders across England shows supporting children with SEND is one of the top five expected challenges in schools over the next 12 …

We must keep pushing for more autism education says charity leader, amid growing anger and confusion over Government SEND plans

with Jolanta Lasota, CEO, Ambitious About Autism There is an information vacuum from the Department for Education about what’s going on with its SEND Improvement Plan. And, as nature abhors …

How H&M and WorkFit helped my daughter who has Down syndrome gain purposeful, paid experience of work

In 2022, statistics were published by The British Association of Supported Employment (BASE) showing that only 5.1% of people with learning disabilities known to social services are in any form …

A New Hope: The TikTok SEND Parents planning to protest the Government’s failure to support their disabled children

If you were involved in SEND back in 2019, you will have been aware—or may have participated—in protest marches and events around the country to highlight the crisis facing disabled …

EHCPs in England in 2023. More plans but only half on time—and more efforts to take them away. Plus our annual LA Hall of Shame

Yesterday, the Department for Education (DfE) published their annual statistical summary of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) in England. These figures can usually tell us a fair bit about …

Research: Meeting the SEND needs of disabled children early delivers £380k return per learner and dividends for society

With Claire Dorer OBE, CEO of the National Association of Independent Schools and Non-Maintained Special Schools (NASS) A new research report into the value of disabled children receiving prompt and …

Innovative use of student specialists has revolutionised our schools’ SEND therapy and cut assessment waits to just 10 days

by Conrad Bourne, Mercia Trust Our post earlier this year, ‘No specialists = no support’ highlighted a severe shortfall in the number of speech and language therapists and other specialists …

Webinar Recording: “We’re not even testing mandatory mediation” SEND Minister, Claire Coutinho answers your questions

On Tuesday 2nd May, we were joined by Claire Coutinho, Education Minister with responsibility for SEND to discuss the SEND Improvement Plan. Many of you sent in questions before the …

Restricting autism assessment? Not on our watch, say Bristol parents, as they launch legal action

with Fiona Castle, Assess for Autism, Bristol The below quote from a new NHS autism Framework document illustrates everything about the “NHS Utopia” described in today’s article. “For an undiagnosed …

SNJ WEBINAR: SEND Minister Claire Coutinho discusses the SEND Improvement Plan. Register now!

We have another fabulous webinar lined up for you — with Education Minister, Claire Coutinho, who has responsibility for SEND. Claire Coutinho, MP for East Surrey, joined the Department for …

Better co-production is crucial for improving SEND provision. But are the Government’s plans a case of magical thinking?

‘Critically, we agree with what we heard during the consultation: that the national system should be co-produced with families, children and young people, so we can build their confidence that …

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