Special Needs Jungle

Send shoe protest highlights 'forgotten' children Shoes are left at council offices to highlight issues of children with special educational needs.

Congratulations to Aimee Bradley & SEND Sanctuary for organising “Every Pair Tells a Story”: Parents have laid shoes outside council offices as part of a protest about "failed or forgotten" disabled children: www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/...

image shows people looking worried in a disintegrating hot tub

NEW POST: @captaink77.bsky.social gives a stark warning that reforms for #SEND funding reforms will be immensely painful—but the current situation is chaotic and sinking fast. www.specialneedsjungle.com/s... #SENDsky

PLEASE SHARE: Cheshire West & Chester; Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole; Hackney; Sunderland: Ofsted/CQC Area SEND Inspections in your areas. Click the link, scroll down to find the info for your area—Feedback surveys are open NOW until 9am Tues 11/11:
www.gov.uk/government/public...

Image shows a line of taxis colorised in green

NEW POST: Eleanor Wright of SEND legal Charity SOSSEN explores the real reasons transport costs are so high, what the law says, and what your child is entitled to www.specialneedsjungle.com/s...

How to choose a speech and language therapist for your child with SEND: A guide for parents and carer - Special Needs Jungle Special Needs Jungle provides parent-centred information, news, special needs resources and informed opinion about SEND - Special educational needs and disability, Education, Health and Care Plans, EHCPs, EOTAS, SEND Tribunal, children's mental health, rare disease, SEND politics

Recently on SNJ: How to choose a speech and language therapist for your child with SEND: A guide for parents and carer www.specialneedsjungle.com/c...

Wrexham toddler eats books, toys and doorframes due to disorder Junior has a condition called Pica that makes him crave and eat inedible objects.

“My one-year-old eats books, toys, tables and even his cot”. The perils of Pica mean he was found to have lead In his blood www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1...

Why the Human Rights Act matters when advocating for your child with SEND - Special Needs Jungle Why the Human Rights Act matters when advocating for your child with SEND. Annie Smith from BIHR explains how parents can use the HRA in SEND

Recently on SNJ: Why the Human Rights Act matters when advocating for your child with SEND www.specialneedsjungle.com/h...

image shows an orange colourised montage of transport and the disabled sign used on roads

On SNJ Today: In a new report on school & SEND transport, @nao.org.uk tells the DfE to improve data to better understand travel costs. But as @catrionamoore.bsky.social writes, the NAO says SEND changes mustn't make it harder for students to get to school or college www.specialneedsjungle.com/n...

image shows an orange colourised montage of transport and the disabled sign used on roads

NEW POST: @catrionamoore.bsky.social dissects a new report from the @nao.org.uk that tells the Government to improve its data on schools and SEND transport—and ensure any coming changes don't make it harder for disabled children to attend: www.specialneedsjungle.com/n...

image shows Chris Coghlan MP with raphic of a crowd in the background, standing behind a sad-looking family and to the left, a council official stamping on a broken lady justice. The family is haloed in yellow

On SNJ Today: @_Chris_Coghlan MP writes about the “lawbreaking, gaslighting and lying” by local authorities that's "wrecking thousands of children’s lives. The Dorking MP is working with Measure What Matters gathering testimony evidencing LAs' unlawful behaviour www.specialneedsjungle.com/c...

The LGSCO has published new guidance to help LAs support children unable to go to school. It follows an "exponential" 10-fold rise in complaints involving alternative education provision since 2021, most of children with SEND or EBSA. www.lgo.org.uk/information-c...

Why so many children in the youth justice system have special educational needs Children may have complex needs and overlapping conditions.

Why so many children in the youth justice system have SEND: “When children with neurodisability and complex social disadvantage continue to be punished and excluded, we can’t be surprised when they end up on the fringes of society.“ theconversation.com/why-so-m...

image shows Chris Coghlan MP with raphic of a crowd in the background, standing behind a sad-looking family and to the left, a council official stamping on a broken lady justice. The family is haloed in yellow

NEW POST: @chriscoghlanmp.bsky.social says LAs’ “lawbreaking, gaslighting and lying” is wrecking thousands of children’s lives. The MP writes the second of our articles about testimony gathered and #MeasureWhatMatters, evidencing LAs' unlawful behaviour www.specialneedsjungle.com/c... #SENDSky

shoes left in pairs with tags on

shoes left in pairs with tags on

On 3 Nov, parents carers across England are taking part in #EveryPairTellsAStory, organised by #SENDSanctuary. They'll each put a pair of children’s shoes outside their LA's HQ representing a child who's been failed. More here: www.sendsanctuaryuk.co.uk/ev... www.facebook.com/share/16TyD...

SNJ & IPSEA yesterday met SEND Minister Georgia Gould. We restated the law must be retained & fully implemented in deed, culture ➕ sustainable funding. Getting more disabled adults into work starts with being fully included in education. The Minister said she’s keen to work with us

📣 SNJ & IPSEA yesterday met SEND Minister Georgia Gould. We restated the law must be retained & fully implemented in deed, culture ➕ sustainable funding. Getting more disabled adults into work starts with being fully included in education. The Minister said she’s keen to work with us

Image shows purprle colourised sad girl behind school bars

On SNJ Today: A group of child psychologists are calling for Government action on "harmful" rigid behaviour & attendance policies that are causing significant mental health problems for pupils. They say, “It’s not a compliance issue—it’s a design failure.” www.specialneedsjungle.com/n...

Image shows purprle colourised sad girl behind school bars

NEW POST: “It’s not a compliance issue—it’s a design failure,” say child psychologists, as they call for systemic action on children's mental health and "harmful" rigid school attendance and behaviour policies www.specialneedsjungle.com/n...

One in 12 secondary pupils put in isolation rooms at least once a week, study finds Children with special educational needs more than twice as likely to be put in isolation, say Manchester researchers

One in 12 secondary pupils put in isolation rooms at least once a week, study finds, often for more than 8 hours.
Children with SEND more than twice as likely to experience “internal exclusion”. www.theguardian.com/educatio...
Warwick Mansell’s view here: warwickmansell.substack.com/...

Autism charities portray autistic people as helpless and a burden – our research shows why it matters New research finds that the language and imagery used by autism charities often reinforce stigma instead of challenging it.

“Our study shows Autism charities portray autistic people as a problem—helpless and a burden –In contrast, charities represent themselves as the solution to this problem” theconversation.com/autism-c...

Why children with SEND in penal detention routinely fail to be given educational needs support. A case of if you want a different outcome, you have to do something different to get it: www.specialneedsjungle.com/c...

The right to a suitable education: what the law says - Special Needs Jungle Special Needs Jungle Columnist, Bren Prendergast, explains what the 'right to a suitable education' actually means in law

The right to a suitable education: what the law says - an explainer www.specialneedsjungle.com/r...

image shows an icon illustration made of a council official stamping on Lady justice as a sad family look on

On SNJ Today: Independent accountability group, Measure What Matters discusses its evidence showing the law on SEND hasn't failed, it's been systematic undermined by LAs. MWM say the Government is wilfully ignoring the truth. Please share with your MP:
www.specialneedsjungle.com/l...

image shows an icon illustration made of a council official stamping on Lady justice as a sad family look on

NEW POST: Independent public accountability initiative, Measure What Matters writes an excoriating, evidence-backed article that the law on #SEND isn’t failing, it’s been systematically undermined from within. Please consider sharing with your MP:
www.specialneedsjungle.com/l...

image shows screenshots of DfE letter and of the report cover

On SNJ Today: Delaying SEND changes is right—as long as it's not JUST a delay. And why do the DfE letter & a new report from @ippr.org both use "most complex needs" to describe children who should be in special schools? What does the term even mean? www.specialneedsjungle.com/s...

image shows screenshots of DfE letter and of the report cover

NEW POST: More on yesterday's announcement that SEND changes are to be rethought—or are they just delayed? And the DfE letter and a new report from the @ippr.org both talk of special schools for those with the "most complex needs” What does that even mean? www.specialneedsjungle.com/s...

image shows a collage of pots uk logo, a heart rate monitor of 168bpm, POTS uk campaigners and a young person who is dizzy

On SNJ Today: For #PoTS Awareness Month, we look at Postural orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome and with help from PoTS UK, explain how teachers can help children with the condition to thrive at school www.specialneedsjungle.com/l...

White paper on overhaul of Send provision in England put back to 2026 Plans had been expected this autumn but government wants more time to build support for changes

"The government is to delay publishing its long-awaited overhaul of SEND provision in England as ministers seek to build a coalition among parents to support its changes" No surprise if true, given the strength of feeling of MPs at the recent debate. www.theguardian.com/educatio...

image shows a collage of pots uk logo, a heart rate monitor of 168bpm, POTS uk campaigners and a young person who is dizzy

NEW POST: October is PoTS Awareness Month. Today's post is about understanding Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome and how schools can help children with the condition www.specialneedsjungle.com/l... #PoTS

Croydon Council pause EHCP speech and language therapy 'without telling parents'. Parents, please look into judicial review proceedings to ensure your child's SLT as written into their plan is upheld. SOS!SEN and IPSEA have info about JRs. www.mylondon.news/news/south...

Image shows screenshot from the story headline showing image of Philipson

This is a very terrible idea—and teachers think so too. “Teachers to take greater role in carrying out SEND assessments, says Phillipson”
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