This is rather good, & a tension that extends into the specialist sector. For example, we need to think hard & often about the risks of not being within mainstream & how we can mitigate them in order that our pupils are both visible to & valued by the communities in which they are educated & live.
This is a thoughtful and considered piece from Claire Dorer @nasschools.bsky.social that captures the complexity of the SEND reforms.
GGGGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!! KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #BWFC 2-0
It appears incredibly harmful. When I was growing up in the 80’s I wanted to be like Adam because the girls fancied him, he had a Lacoste jacket and was pretty good at football. It was unachievable, but wasn’t an unrealistic aim. Now what people consider success is bonkers.
🚨Attention SENDCOs🚨
I'm looking for a SEND specialist working in a UK school, to write an article in response to the recent white paper.
Please send me your article ideas via EMAIL to andy@teacherwriters.com
Thanks!
Heading back to school? It's normal to feel a mix of emotions 💙
Our free and confidential helpline is open 24/7 for everyone working in education.
If you know someone who might need support, please share this number 👇
📱 Call us, we'll listen: 08000 562 561
We value them for celebrating just how incredible our pupils are. They are a reflection of our community and the place our pupils have within in it. A conscious acknowledgment of who they are and what they can do.
We're looking for a permanent, experienced teacher at Wolverham Primary School to take on the leadership responsibility of the foundation curriculum. We are a very inclusive school one form entry in Ellesmere Port. Please let me know if you'd like to chat about it and please RT!
Cheers Andy.
A day trip to Bournemouth beach today with our boys and a friend of theirs, to given the two Year 11s a break from the revision, has resulted in them reverting to little kids again. It’s joyous. Glad we packed the bucket and spades.
As an aside, the cost of the bat tunnel is enough to fund the Local Authority maintained special school I work in for about 25 years. Whereas currently we don’t have sufficient funding to operate with a balanced budget. The decisions we take on how to spend public money baffles me sometimes. 2/2
My Dad was a District Council Treasurer, and one of the things he taught me about managing public money was to think about cost, not just in pure fiscal terms, but also in how long the average earning person would have to work to generate the money you are spending. 1/2
This is a conversation I have with my economics curious 16 yo. When there is a cost disparity, it is often the consequence of consumers willingness to accept it. Which I will prove by paying over the odds for a coffee and bacon roll at Stafford North services on Monday.
Infographic titled “Neuro-affirming relational flow of Intensive Interaction to support people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.” A soft-toned infinity loop illustrates a continuous relational process with five steps: 1) Notice – observe with curiosity and respect; 2) Be Present – bring full attention without expectation; 3) Attune – tune into the person’s rhythms, signals, and ways of making meaning; 4) Respond – join in gently and be responsive to expressions and needs; 5) Pause – allow meaning to emerge in its own time. At the centre is a heart labelled “Relationship and Connection.” Surrounding text emphasises noticing small expressions, attuning to the person’s world, pausing to allow connection, and responding through connection rather than a plan. Key principles include: no targets (not about changing behaviour), no hierarchy (every person is equal), and led by the person (their lead, pace, and world). The image ends with the quote: “Intensive Interaction is not only neuro-affirming — it is humanity-affirming.” Dr Joanna Grace and Helen Edgar 2026
There is no single script for Intensive Interaction; it is relational knowledge, built slowly, held carefully, and grounded in a genuine desire to be with someone rather than to do something to them or to achieve targets. Co-authored with @jo3grace.bsky.social
autisticrealms.com/intensive-in...
Very good. 😂
Special school Ofsted inspection report cards will no longer compare their cohorts to national mainstream averages after complaints from heads
schoolsweek.co.uk/special-school-ofsted-re...
Huey Morgan from Fun Lovin Criminals
Tottenham close in on Roberto de Zerbi www.theguardian.com/football/202...
The English language is nothing if not a rich reservoir of insults - so let’s look through those and condemn ableist language to the history books - where it belongs, alongside fascism.
Dear Friends,
Can we please find alternative words to cr*tin, m*r*n, and imb*c*le. In general, but particularly when referring to our political class and especially those with fash tendencies. Equating fascism with learning disabilities is very unfair and deeply damaging to a vulnerable community.
There have been some major confectionery thefts over the years, but this one takes the biscuit.
Images of people standing round a table chatting with their laptops and cups of tea.
Parents - do you want to speak directly to the Department for Education about the SEND reforms? This is your chance. The DSA is hosting a series of small, focused discussion sessions online.
Click here: www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/our-work/campaigning/sch...
Image of a teenage girl who has Down's syndrome, pictured at school, in a lesson with her classmate.
The DfE are hosting a series of online and in-person engagement events to support the formal consultation on SEND Reform.
They want to hear from everyone with an interest in the consultation.
You can find out more here: https://loom.ly/pU3P4GQ
Labour has just released the biggest single funding allocation to deliver more places for children with SEND on record, with £11.299 million for Oxfordshire.
I've written to Oxfordshire County Council to ask how they'll be using that money for the benefit of children in Banbury Constituency.
Crazy golf is pretty decent too.
The closure of various international orchestras is disconcerting.
Elon Musk moaning about what his child orders in restaurants.
You think that’s bad Elon. Aged about five, my eldest asked for Balsamic Glaze in a Toby Carvery.
