I spent this morning slipping and limping my way through a trail marathon in the pouring rain, in the same week my brother-in-law lost his lovely dad to bowel cancer. Grateful if anyone might spare a few quid for Bowel Cancer UK. Thank you #JustGiving shorturl.at/w2Bqt

I’ve written an article in the new autumn edition of Autism Eye Magazine with practical advice for educators supporting Autistic children and young people. Please share with your networks. Amy Baxter Nicola Brooks Gary Aubin Georgina Durrant nasen Annamarie Hassall @AnnamarieHassall

They call it elective home education. For many it's not choice at all, just another label for children who have been failed by an education system that is becoming increasingly less inclusive. tinyurl.com/3r3pszxn

Ed Sec: '...we need to have a conversation about how we look to reform the system overall' Perhaps stop looking at the "SEND system" as separate from education as a whole, forcing families to ride a rollercoaster of desperation. 1/2 schoolsweek.co.uk/phillipson-hin…

SEN Lisa ❤️💙 Westminster City Council I was just feeling this… searching for a suitable college for my son, close to home that offers a suitable course with the right therapeutic provision is really difficult and that’s even before you have to convince the LA that it’s the only setting that is suitable.

This is such a huge issue, and what feels like recurring difficulty each year for families + placement officers There just aren’t enough options that aren’t either completely out of reach, or not just a repetition of the skills taught in schools

SEN Lisa ❤️💙 Westminster City Council And can we have more 6th Form colleges who offer a suite of GCSEs that enable students who didn’t get their GCSEs to study them and move onto A levels. Farnham College do this I think. A fantastic opportunity for those students who have had to learn to manage

SEN Lisa ❤️💙 Westminster City Council ADHD or work through trauma and weren’t in the right mental space at 14/15 to cover GCSE content, to have another go at an academic route. We push far too many students out of the academic route before they’ve had a chance to prove what they are capable of.

SEN Lisa ❤️💙 Westminster City Council Indeed! The removal of 14-16 provisions is also very frustrating!

This! #Post16 #SEND

One week to go until the Cardiff and Vale Unpaid Carers Assembly. Details and QR code for the livestream below. Link also in the following post.

New: Largest two schools within controversial academy trust see sixth form numbers plummeting, as teenagers seemingly vote with their feet educationuncovered.co.uk/news/171816/la…

I am lucky to have journalists ‘follow’ me. We have extraordinary disabled journalists (such as Disability News Service Frances Ryan Rachel Charlton-Dailey etc) but most interviews are done by folks with no idea of the issues hence the lack of challenge. What qu’s should journo’s ask?

The Curriculum and Assessment Review from Department for Education launched its Call for Evidence today. I hope as many stakeholders as possible, particularly those with something to say on #SEND, take the opportunity to give their feedback. Please share widely! consult.education.gov.uk/curriculum-and…

5k for a years missed #education? The council won again. Start fining them 50k per annum and let’s see how many break their legal duties then! 👇 Mother awarded pay out over special needs failure - BBC News bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Please support my new charity Sammy’s Foundation Sammy’s Foundation a legacy to my talented son who died aged just 13 We train young people with neurodisabilities in a wide variety of heritage crafts & today I took my first taster session at his old school 🥲 gofund.me/f2e62e20

I began the #EHCP journey in November 2022 Applied myself It’s been a steep learning curve STILL NO PLACEMENT ! What I’ve learnt ? Nobody cares Nobody checks information Nobody is helping these children It’s just me .. #SEND #SEMH

As we come to the end of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to reshare these photos of Ruby, at the beach, 2 weeks before her diagnosis She’d been poorly for a few weeks & the various doctors we’d seen were sure her symptoms were due to allergies. #ccam 🧵

Home Education: who’s going to tell the Minister that a large proportion of children with SEND “electively” home educated are nothing of the sort, but are at home as there is no place available to meet their needs, or they’re too traumatised to attend? theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2024…

This statement is from a parent who has moved all over the world because of her husband’s job. What a remarkable comment about my daughter’s school.