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You may be feeling like the Department for Education has beaten you into submission this year with confusing consultation after…

Renata Blower & Tania Tirraoro are full of gratitude This has not been the year any of us were expecting.…

Opportunities for disabled young people to participate in sport can be limited, either because expensive specialist equipment is needed or…

In 2019, the Government announced the biggest increase in school funding in years – a three-year funding programme, pumping an extra £2.6bn…

2020 is a year that most of us will be glad to see the back of. But before we kiss…

The number of children – including children with SEND – who are home educated by their parents’ choice, has increased…

with Caroline Wright, Policy Adviser at the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists In the first lockdown, thousands of…

It's close to the end of the year... and what an indescribable year it has been! Many of us have…

At the end of yesterday’s Treasury spending review document, the catchily entitled “SR20”, Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, said it, “ensured that the…

The education fo children with SEND (or lack of it) during the pandemic has been on our minds all year.…

"It's life, Jim, but not as we know it"... the Star Trek (mis)quote sums up 2020 for most people. Even…

Renata writes: Some of us will be old enough to remember when hundreds of disabled people took to the streets…

With Roseanna Gooder - Lead for 16-19 Pathway, Work Related and Vocational Learning at Swiss Cottage School, Development and Research…

Ofsted’s second report looking at how the pandemic has impacted children’s education and wellbeing has added more weight to existing…

Welcome to Coronavirus Lockdown 2.0. I don't know about you, but 2020 has seemed like a nightmare you can't quite…

About a decade ago an impossible dream of mine came true. Special Needs Jungle was a part of that happening,…

with Eliza Fricker, SEND parent and illustrator Twitter, eh? Sometimes it makes you grind your teeth, or it can offer…

For children with special educational needs, a skilled teaching assistant can be the difference between them being able to progress…

I've had a peruse through a new publication from the Department for Education, about the experiences of pupils and their…

We haven't done a book giveaway for a while, so today we're offering a copy of SEND parent, Suzy Rowland's…

Today we're releasing the second part of the really informative episode of SNJ in Conversation with SEND lawyers, Hayley Mason…

What's the difference between Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS) and Home Education? If you're thinking about educating your child…

with Jim Paterson, The Family Fund Earlier in the year, the government announced it was giving an additional £10 million…

with Alison Vaughan, teacher and SEND parent Editorial note: Last week, The Guardian ran a long feature by Sirin Kale,…

Tania's note: At SNJ, we want to pass on our huge congratulations to Siena for being selected for this incredible,…

Government guidance for the autumn school and college term 2020 is "everyone in". Only, that's not the reality for many…

with Lorraine Petersen OBE, Educational Consultant Trying to keep up with the government's latest coronavirus education guidance can seem like…

It’s been an academic year like no other, but I think we can all agree that teachers and families have…

It seems like a lifetime ago now – but there was a time when local SEND services were subjected to…

While schools opened to welcome children back last week, we have been hearing disturbing reports who have complex medical needs…

with Jane Harris, Director of External Affairs at the National Autistic Society Coronavirus has had a negative impact on every…

Amy Skipp is a researcher, founder of ASK Research, and the creator of the EHCP Journeys website. She's writing today…

** The rules referred to in this post have changed yet again. Read our new post here to find out…

Earlier this month, the High Court heard the case of a family who brought a judicial review against the government,…

Today's SNJ in Conversation is offering tips for everyone interested in improving SEND teaching. While schools are still on their…

One of the few positives of the pandemic and lockdown, was the creation of the Oak Academy resource, an online…

with Professor Luke Clements and Dr Ana Laura Aiello SNJ Intro by Tania: Has your autistic child had a social…

This episode of Special Needs Jungle 'in conversation with...' tackles the often overlooked issues around race, racism, intersectionality and disproportionality…

with Ruth Perry, Senior Policy Manager at Natspec, the membership body for specialist FE colleges. One of the things we've…

During most of June 2020, Special Needs Jungle offered a survey of to our readers, to ask them about some…

Clean hands it seems, are not just for the pandemic. The Department for Education has them over any failures in…

with Dr Helen Curran senior lecturer in SEN at Bath Spa University, The earlier a special educational need is identified…

With Ken Barlow, Waltham Forest SEND Crisis Parents being forced to throw themselves into the legal system in order to…

We’ve been waiting a while for confirmation about what’s happening when the current cycle of Ofsted/CQC SEND inspections of all…

with CEO of Internet Matters Carolyn Bunting.  For children with access to the internet, lockdown saw a sky-rocketing of the…

Tania's note: as many of you know, Joanna Grace is a Sensory Engagement and Inclusion Specialist, (normally) running training events…

The school census figures for SEND have just been published for 2019-2020. Before we get to that, I want to…

One of the (numerous) problems many parents find when their child is having an education, health and care needs assessment,…

When was the last time you checked out your local authority's Local Offer website? Some are attached to the LA…

Here is a situation you will probably have encountered: an adult holds out two toys to a child, asking, “Which…

*August update: EHCPs are now back in full force and all children are expected back in school in September. However,…

Four years ago, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission started inspecting local SEND services. Thanks to COVID-19, inspections are on…

Tania's note: It may seem hard to believe but one day, we will get back to "normal" in schools. The…

While people are emerging out of lockdown, and some children are returning to school, other families remain carefully shielding. While…

We've decided to create a quick survey to find out how families have been getting on while home educating and…

In Conversation with Steve Broach, public law barrister We wouldn't normally churn out another episode of In Conversation so quickly,…

The relaxation to the duties on LAs to make the provision in EHCPs has left disabled children without the legal…

with Renata Blower and Siena Castellon Today we're bringing you another episode of SNJ In Conversation and again you can…

with Ian Thorsteinsson, Principal, Gretton School, Cambridge The Government has confirmed it is pressing ahead with its plans to reopen…

A letter to the PM from Lilia, a year 10 pupil who believes that not all education in lockdown is…

Today we're launching a new feature: SNJ "In Conversation". It will feature both videos and podcasts where one or more…

This week Boris Johnston announced that schools may start reopening to certain year groups again from June 1st. Around 80% of…

Oral language is a term I became familiar with in my later years of teaching. Partly because I worked with…

Yesterday, the Department for Education published their annual snapshot of statistics about Education, Health and Care Plans in England. So…

Coronavirus has divided Britain into those who are vulnerable and those who are not. But vulnerable means different things to…

It seems like a lifetime ago, but for most of last year, you couldn’t move for official inquiries into the…

The Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 make wide-ranging changes to, amongst other things, the role of social workers and local…

with Karen Wespieser, curriculum lead for specialist content at Oak Academy A couple of weeks ago a group of volunteer…

and SEN Lawyer, Hayley Mason, SNJ Legal Columnist The Government yesterday announced temporary amendments to the SEND regulations around legal…

With so many children with SEND finding school an anxiety-inducing experience, has home learning during the coronavirus lockdown helped, or…

We are living through strange times; big things are happening to small people. I have a five-year-old son and I…

with Caroline Watson & Hannah Watson Today we have a subject that we haven't covered before on SNJ: Having a…

and Alice Irving, barrister, research assistant to Steve Broach. The current public health crisis has affected us all. But for…

When you care for a disabled child or adult, you are often not able to work full or even part-time,…

SEND legal practitioners attend a periodic Tribunal User Group session - no surprises for guessing the latest was a remote…

As I write this about being relaxed while home learning, I am aware of the irony that yesterday I screamed…

with Professor Geoff Lindsay, Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR), University of Warwick Everyone in the SEND sector…

Some children and adults receiving direct payments for complex health needs will be avoiding all non-essential face-to-face contact during the…

with Lisa Thomas, Angela Kelly and Marguerite Haye In the previous post, we discussed meeting the challenges of home learning.…

from Lisa Thomas, Angela Kelly and Marguerite Haye So, how was your first week of home teaching and learning? Despite…

And now, among all the bad news, here is something pretty darn fabulous. We are thrilled to announce that Special…

This is the last group of The the 200+ questions we received. These answers will be the most important for…

You sent over 200 questions in about your legal concerns over how the #CoronavirusLockdown was going to affect your child's…

On Tuesday it was all about how the SEND Tribunal is affected by the Coronavirus outbreak and temporary changes to…

I received more than 200 questions in the last week, sent by the wonderful parents reading Special Needs Jungle. Everyone…

The current public health crisis will leave no aspects of our lives untouched. One of the most obvious consequences is…

As we enter into a dark time full of danger and uncertainty, it seems almost perverse to write an article…

Tania's note: Further to our post earlier today about Coronavirus and disabled children, the Government has today published its emergency…

As you will have heard, yesterday the Government finally announced it was closing all schools as the Coronavirus crisis spreads.…

In these unprecedented days, there is a lot of uncertainty, not least about education. What happens to legally-backed provision when…

So far, the SEND reforms have not been kind to deaf children and young people. Despite a series of ground-breaking…

*Click here to go straight to latest information for education, health and social care. The Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is whipping…

As we reported yesterday, the inquiry by the Commons Public Accounts Committee on funding for special educational needs and disabilities…

with Matt Keer, SNJ columnist & SEND funding guru It’s budget day this week and we think it’s imperative the…

As a limping, wounded SEND system drags itself into the third month of the new decade, we are still waiting…

Parents of SEND children know all too well how the cuts to SEND and children's services have decimated crucial provision.…

SNJ note: It's #RareDiseaseDay around the world. Today, CEO of Genetic Alliance UK, Jayne Spink, talks about a new "red…

This is a sponsored post by JKP Publishing. However, the review of Diary of a Dyslexic School Kid is honestly…

Having had a couple of SNJ articles out now, I recognised I was running into a theme of throwing up…

First thing's first, congratulations to Vicky Ford, MP for Chelmsford in Essex, who has been appointed to be the new…

The first time I held my eldest as a newborn, it hit me that my needs would never come first…

The Bake-Off contestants race to uncover today’s technical challenge. In their haste, one contender reads the instruction to add two…

With Dr Jane Hood, Consultant Paediatric Neuropsychologist and Educational Psychologist & Rob Webster, Associate Professor,Centre for Inclusive Education, UCL Institute…

With Dr Jane Hood, Consultant Paediatric Neuropsychologist and Educational Psychologist & Rob Webster, Associate Professor, Centre for Inclusive Education, UCL…

The theme for the 2020 Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, from the Place2Be charity is ‘Find your Brave’. As parents of…

Every child with SEND has a right to access the best provision to help them reach their potential. Their families…

Tania's note: Today's we start a new series of posts from expert educator, Jules Daulby called, appropriately enough, SEND with…

Ofsted's annual report, late because of the election, has a great deal to say about SEND and not much of…

Three years ago, when I first imagined what a SENCO Survey might achieve, I spent a lot of time wondering…

with Nick Whittaker, Specialist Adviser, SEND, Ofsted In one of my roles, I work alongside other SEND representatives on Ofsted's…

A few months ago, we ran a story about the development of a new toolkit called for #RightFromTheStart to assist…

with Clare Dangerfield, Campaigning and Public Affairs Manager, Newlife charity If you or your child uses a wheelchair, you will…

With Belinda Schweher, CEO, social care legal charity CASCAIDr Anyone who's tried to get social care help for a young…

You may be feeling like the Department for Education has beaten you into submission this year with confusing consultation after…

? Seems to me nowThat the dreams we had beforeAre all dead, nothing moreThan confetti on the floorIt's the end…

Well here it is, Merry Christmas, everybody's having fun.... This is a post full of gratitude. It's been a really,…

Last Friday, whilst people were still getting their heads around the General Election, SNJ’s relentless data hoover sucked in a…

Our hearts may be as heavy today as they were on Friday morning. But there is no more time to…

Some time ago, Renata and I were asked to review* a device called a PainPod that claims to control pain,…

with Harminder Samra, SEND parent Just over two years ago we ran an article by Harminder Samra, the mother of…

After months of form-filling, evidence gathering, panel meetings and bureaucratic slow-dancing, your child or young person now has an Education,…

Depression is an increasingly common issue in children and adolescents. Today we're reviewing Starving the Depression Gremlin - a cognitive…

with Mary Isherwood OBE, Headteacher Camberwell Park Specialist Support School, Moston, Manchester There's so much bad, stressful or just plain…

A poll of families who have a child or young person with SEND suggests that more than two million General…

Why do I have to go to school to learn? Many children and young people find school or college inaccessible…

with the Safe Schools Alliance "All organisations that work with or come into contact with children should have safeguarding policies…

with David Mills, Executive Vice Principal, Phoenix Park Academy & Sevenhills Academy When a child is admitted to a pupil…

We recently announced the establishment of our new campaigning group, led by the teams from Special Needs Jungle, SEND National…

I’m still just 17 and I've been bullied at school for most of my life. If you’re autistic or have a…

with Ian Noon of the National Deaf Children's Society I’ve got two deaf sons. They’re brighter than I am. They’re…

Plans have been announced to extend the current trial that gives the SEND Tribunal powers to make non-binding directions for…

with SNJ's Renata Blower, Gill Doherty (SEND Action) and Nadia Turki & Poppy Rose (SEND National Crisis) An exciting announcement…

with Claire Ryan Every week the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) publishes the latest set of decisions for…

This is the second part in our SEND Inquiry report coverage. See Part one from Matt Keer here It has…

Eighteen months ago, the House of Commons Education Select Committee launched a formal inquiry into SEND. The Committee (made up of…

with Matt Silver, Head Teacher, Shaftesbury High School, Harrow Recently I put out a call for positive stories of great…

More evidence that inclusion isn’t working has come from Ofsted, which has published research to show home education is often…

Last week, the High Court found against campaign group, SEND Action in their judicial review into SEND funding against the…

‘You will be too much for some people – Those aren’t your people’ Meme It’s #WorldMentalHealthDay 2019 and the focus…

Today on SNJ we want to pay tribute to the SEND Action parent campaigners who took the Government to the…

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, says 87%, or 9 in 10, of complaints about the Education, Health and…

It's back! Once again we are giving you the chance to ask the Department for Education the questions you want…

I'd like to introduce you today to 10-year-old Jenna, who has anxiety and ADHD and has missed two years of…

Another day, another SEND inquiry. It seems that inquiries into SEND are like buses. None for ages then three come…

Adoptive parents expect their new child may deal with issues such as attachment, after living through prior traumatic circumstances, both…

Access Arrangements are a way to level the playing field in exams when someone has a disability or special educational…

by Frances Ridout, Director of the Legal Advice Centre, Queen Mary University, London When you find yourself at the start…

A lesson I recently learned is that sometimes admitting defeat is the best decision you can make.  This time last…

with contributions from Matt Keer, SNJ Columnist Just last week, Matt mentioned the upcoming report from the National Audit Office…

While the biggest political and constitutional crisis that anyone can remember rages all around us, ministers resign, MPs are purged…

With Jane Harris, Director of External Affairs at National Autistic Society Last year we covered a landmark legal ruling that…

4.55pm on a Friday doesn’t normally mean good news for SEND parents. It’s often a time when bad news pitches…

I wrote this post yesterday in the wake of the leak of Government schools funding. This evening, Boris Johnson has…

I go by the name of Philip Milburn but you are welcome to call me Phil, I’ve spent some of…

You may have seen recently that the government launched a consultation into revised statutory guidance for local authorities on home…

As many of you will know, the SEND system is in crisis. There are more appeals than ever coming before…

The last week has brought a succession of big changes at all levels of government. The appointment of a new…

NEW POST: Should schools use streaming or setting? Views vary but for expert educator, Jules Daulby, it’s pretty clear cut,…

For well over a year now, the House of Commons Education Select Committee has been running an inquiry into the…

Running SNJ takes time and money. As volunteers, we don't mind spending time making the site as useful as possible,…

Tell me more... We’ll never charge for you to read articles on SNJ so everyone can access information whatever their…

with Liz Walker, Care Services Emergency Care Co-ordinator and Safeguarding Lead for Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children Social care…

For the third year running, the number of pupils with special educational needs (SEND) in schools has increased. In January…

Amy Skipp with Rob Webster, Associate Professor in the Centre for Inclusive Education, UCL Institute of Education At the start…

The judgement in the Judicial Review of a group of parents against the government over SEND funding, has been reserved…

While most of the country’s politicians are fixated on Brexit and BoJo, vulnerable children have been left to bump along…

With Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists chief executive, Kamini Gadhok MBE, and Caroline Wright, policy adviser for children…

It’s raining cats and dogs outside where I live. More happily for me, it’s also raining statistics – the latest…

with Olivia Gordon Parents of children with disabilities are known for their generosity in sharing their knowledge to help others.…

This is just a quick reminder for you. The Special Needs Jungle team is at The Autism Show this Friday…

Anxiety appears to be increasing in children in recent years, or is it perhaps that we just appreciate its existence…

Suppose I told you I was going to teach your child maths, and then I dumped a load of maths…

What a day it was! On Thursday 30th May 2019, up and down the country, parents, children, young people, professionals…

Early Thursday morning, whilst thousands of families and allies were preparing to march to draw attention to the national crisis…

Today families of children with SEND—and the children and young people themselves too—are making history. Up and down the country…

We’re seeing increasing numbers of parents feeling forced to crowdfund to help secure justice for special educational needs educational issues…

“It’s a journey.” That’s what SEND minister Nadhim Zahawi said, repeatedly, at the final hearing of the House of Commons…

There have been close to 7000 pieces of evidence (and counting) sent in to the SEND Inquiry. Tomorrow, the Department…

Back when my youngest was in mainstream, they didn’t yet have statutory support. Although the infant feeder school would have…

Instead of writing my own post for Mental Health Week, I’d like to share my column today with Jo Griffin,…

You may have noticed we've been featuring more young people recently. It's a deliberate move to broaden the the conversation…

No sooner had the Exclusions Review announced that off-rolling of pupils is “rare”, Ofsted comes along with research that indicates…

"Schools must be places that are welcoming and respectful, where every child has the opportunity to succeed. To ensure this…

Last week, the Department for Education put out a call for evidence about SEND funding. What are they asking about,…

When my sons had their first annual review after their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), it happened roughly on…

Anyone who has had to grapple with the SEND system to get their child’s needs acknowledged and met knows that…

It’s Undiagnosed Children's Day. It is hard to believe that it was seven years ago that Lauren (now of SWAN…

With Elly Chapple, parent of a disabled daughter Elly Chapple is back with a hugely important topic. We’ve recently been…

Imagine living in a country where the government and politicians are robbing their youth of their futures? Where budget cuts…

I’m sharing this post with my 19-year-old autistic son, Philip, who is looking for the experiences of other autistics who've…

We’ve written many posts here on SNJ about the funding crisis. Renata and I also joined the NEU organised event…

A few weeks ago, we ran an open letter from a SEND parent, Claire Ryan, to Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, Amanda…

There have been a few happenings recently that I have intended to write about but meetings and other commitments, plus…

We’re excited to be able to be at The Autism Show, the national event for autism, in London this year!…

We’re hearing much more in the last few years about Pathological Demand Avoidance, a condition on the autism spectrum, although…

by Georgia Harper [su_note note_color="#F9FEF5" text_color="#000000" radius="1"]Georgia Harper is 24 years old and lives and works in London. She is…

Matt Keer looks at the latest picture for the SEND inspections and re-visits. It iisn’t a pretty picture in many…

Tania’s note: Hannah Moloney was the author of a research study into the SENCo workload that I wrote about on…

I recently came across a research article in the British Journal of Special Education entitled, Children with SEND and the…

Ofsted’s draft Education Inspection Framework and School Inspection Handbook are currently out for consultation. An Ofsted inspection is a critical…

As many parents who read our articles can tell you, when a child has a serious illness, their normal family…

Speech, language and communication is fundamental to children's development. Children with underdeveloped SLCN skills (which is more common that you…

Parents of disabled children have voiced their anger over Ofsted's new draft education Inspection Framework for England, that's under consultation…

If you live with a rare or chronic illness, managing fatigue is something that is a daily challenge. One technique…

Tania’s note: My ASD youngest often complains to me about hearing only the parent voice and not the young person…

The issue of children arriving at school without being able to speak in full sentences and lacking basic age-appropriate skills…

Oh it’s all going on in the world of politics isn’t it? Labour Party defections, Brexit shenanigans… it’s almost as…

If your child has a SEND or a medical condition, it's very likely they will need time out of school…

The transfer deadline day for all settings except post-16, is fast approaching! If your child is transferring between phases of…

with Elly Chapple Imagine a world you can neither see nor hear, yet you must find a way to grow…

Last week, I attended the first meeting for a new Reference Group "Right from the Start" established by the charity,…

Not all Special Educational Needs are immediately obvious. Some are initially hidden, such as dyslexia, autism or ADHD. When parents…

 In a post titled Send Children Being Traumatised By Not Getting Help Needed in School, Tania recently touched on the subject of…

Just before Christmas, we took a look at some of the latest figures to come out of the Special Educational…

with Rona Epstein, University of Coventry, Coventry Law School University researchers have discovered that most of the children of parents…

Watching the parliament TV broadcasts of the  SEN Inquiry has been an interesting affair, but yesterday’s brought tears of outrage…

SNJ is read by lots of SENCos and other school staff, which is pretty amazing, considering it started out as…

Earlier this week the NHS’s Long Term Plan was published. It’s a pretty big document and, as I’ve been away,…

So often on SNJ, we talk about the difficulties faced when getting SEND help. But if you're new to the…