Simon Knight

The cost, both monetary & staff capacity / delivery, on specialist sector needs to be very carefully scrutinised. It could be a very positive shift, but it cannot be at the expense of any child’s education.

I think that is an area that needs exploring carefully, but I am uncomfortable with money going out of the system via payments to organisations whose primary function is to make money.

This is why it’s complex. That position would risk compromising the non-maintained sector, who are non-profit charities, and in some cases provide a specialism to meet a need that is such low incidence that an LA would struggle to deliver.

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This is the benefit of the consultation process being followed by a significant implementational period. We can collectively grapple with the complexities and take decisions that lead to better outcomes for children in a better functioning system.

Further thought is certainly going to be necessary to reach the right balance. Not least because some organisations in that part of the system support children with incredibly low incidence needs, whose provision would be difficult to replicate in the maintained sector.

Screen shot from a section of the DfE SEND consultation that discusses independent special school costs.

They have put something in the SEND consultation.

For the first time, a British Sign Language rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone was performed at Anfield before Liverpool vs. West Ham ❤️

Some news on my next book....

www.thebookseller.com/rights/sam-f...

The return of teacher led SEND education is a positive step. Teachers know what helps children learn and make progress when they gain extra support. Where there is uncertainty, a specialist can be consulted. This was my experience of schools pre 2014. It worked. Now we need the staff, not toys

And also careful consideration regarding how to release the best specialist sector staff without impacting on specialist sector performance. There will also need to be really effective local/national evaluation of impact to see where it’s working best and identify commonality of need to inform CPD.

SEND reform: Experts at hand service could be a game-changer Trust leader Tom Campbell says quick access to SEND experts - especially educational psychologists - could be transformative

This is an important part of the reforms, not just getting expertise where it is needed more easily, but also from the point of view of building collective responsibility, with specialist settings & mainstream working in partnership as a community of schools serving a community of children.

I do hope this will attract experienced EPs back to public service. A broader role and more time to support schools will be a big draw.

a man in a black leather outfit is dancing in front of a crowd of people . ALT: a man in a black leather outfit is dancing in front of a crowd of people .

Or Derek developing a new look.

Certainly seems to be at our gym. My boys have to wear wristbands when they go, based on age, and that determines what they can use.

In a nutshell:
Most edu diagnoses are tautological.
They can help but too often we assume they do and we don't look at the trade offs closely enough.
Last session of the day at @researchedbrum.bsky.social

There is also a real need to ensure that we have absolute clarity about what exceptional Specialist provision look like and why, otherwise we risk knowledge exchange being a form of contagion rather than improvement. And my sector is not the shining example it is sometimes thought to be.

This is why you need to put in really comprehensive submissions to the consultation, to help make sure that this is not the outcome. The intent of the reforms has the potential to be a real force for good, but only the implementation will ensure that the system delivers it.

I think trying to get the sector to solidify around shared understanding is important, along with agreed language, & accept that not having that is an implementational risk. This may be where groups of schools and better collective responsibility may help to, at least, have a locally agreed vision.

I think we should do the inclusion standards stuff first. Clean up the evidence base etc. Then big changes after that. Everything all at once feels very very very risky.

I think the knowledge transfer is one of the key things we need to think through carefully. Identify where it’s worked best and learn from the process they went through. Less convinced trying to directly replicate practice will work well.

Agree on intent. I think the fiscal picture we are looking at makes it risky. I hope I'm wrong. Leaders would always cut back on mainstream classrooms last, and focus on them first. So the mainstream offer is a more protective factor for vulnerable kids if it can be made truly inclusive.

“Are they safe” is also an issue for some Specialist provision now, given the legally compelled overcrowding the current legal system facilitates. Something the reforms are hoping to address.

I get the implementational concerns, there is loads to think through & risks to overcome, but I am hopeful.

It’s one of the areas where submissions to the consultation would benefit from high levels of specificity in terms of the concerns and how to overcome them. Work we have done in partnership with River Learning Trust, supporting the establishment of good base provision has shown what can be achieved.

It’s a really thought provoking analysis Jim. If what you describe around bases occurs it will be a criminal failure of implementation, because I do believe the intent is to ensure those in bases are provided with a high quality educational experience that leads to high quality outcomes.

In terms of the framing of Special schools that was deeply frustrating, particularly when what I suspect they mean is mainstream is intrinsically better for some pupils in Special schools. But presenting it in such a binary and clumsy way was very unhelpful.

The White Paper There are some good bits, but also an approach that isn't going to work for my family

My reflections on the SEND elements of the white paper, and the political path that led us here.

TL;DR - the govt's missing economic strategy & fiscal rules is the backdrop.

That's led to the approach the govt has chosen, but also makes it vulnerable.

open.substack.com/pub/jimlaude...

The devil is in the feasibility - thoughts from Ryan Campbell on the Schools White Paper and SEND reform proposals A summary from Ryan Campbell, CEO of Prior's Court, about the publication of the government's Schools White Paper and SEND proposals, wirtten as personal reflections rather than an organisational posi...

This is a really balanced and thoughtful response to the SEND reforms.

On Monday, we set out our plans for SEND reform, shaped by the ideas and insights of families, young people, teachers, support staff and practitioners from around the country.

But this is far from the end of our work...

Kevan Collins appointed government's SEND delivery adviser Collins will focus on white paper roll-out and reviewing how DfE 'engages with councils'

This is encouraging.