Jim Lauder

No one can expect to like everything a govt does - the key test is do the proposals, on the whole, move the system forward. There's lots in there that does.

But if they are going down this route, the safeguards aren't strong enough at present.

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

My reaction to the government's proposed SEND reforms, from Thursday.

I can't see them working for my family. At a minimum, there needs to be stronger parental involvement and accountability, especially given the risks of the inclusion base approach:

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

At swimming. I like the swimming teachers. They have high expectations.

Quite literally chuck him in at the deep end.

That's my lunch sorted then. Excellent news.

Everyone ready for #rEDBrum tomorrow? Come and see me talking about how a synthesis of evidence is at the heart of our teaching and learning principles 🔬

Session 1 @researchedbrum.bsky.social

I am speaking on why leaders need a leadership framework for their development in their context and how we might go about doing this. The impact of leaders’ work on staff wellbeing, culture and results for students is too important to be left to chance.

Good morning everyone. I'm at @researchedbrum.bsky.social today and looking forward to catching up with lots of people. If you make it to the end of the day I'll be talking about the benefits and trade offs of diagnoses to children.

Likewise

Haha probably! There's Jinnah in town, then offshoot Jinnah Bistro in Saltaire. Both are great.

Amen

Inclusion being conceived of as essentially a bunch of memes vs inclusion being deeply thought out design of education.

Hopefully as we build the evidence base we'll innoculate ourselves.

For various reasons never managed to get there, but it's on my list.

Current fave is Sweet Centre. All time fave is Jinnah Bistro.

I am a regular at Bradford's curry houses! Love them.

Sometimes nothing hits the spot like a vindaloo though.

The British Indian restaurant vindaloo, done well, is a thing of great beauty at the end of a hard week.

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.

Strongly agree with this. That by itself would be a big leap forward (and the measures on this front are the strongest parts of the send bit of the WP).

Thread, as they say

And thanks!

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.

And of course you are absolutely right that, often, special schools will be more likely to provide that sense of community.

Thanks John

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

Best thing I've read on the SEND reforms: personal, really lucid, great on the policy context jimlauder.substack.com/p/the-white-...

Ha, of course they did

Bit of that already. If it works, fine, but I don't want it as the organising principle of the secondary system.

Yes I thought that was very eloquently put.

I'm open-ish to the argument (without the negative implications re special schools of course) - local schools should educate as many children as possible.

But educate properly. Some inclusion bases will. Many won't. The model makes it less likely.

Thanks, Jonny

Challenging this needs to be an explicit part of the reforms, and it isn't at the moment.

And from personal experience, there is a lot of ableism across institutions.

I don't trust professionals to do what's right for my child.

So reducing rights and accountability is a non-starter for me.

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...