Dad of two. Inclusive schools advocate. Devout sceptic. All views my own.
London
Joined February 2009
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My latest blog for the LSE blog site about how talking up truancy is just another way of punishing neurodivergent children. blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp… @AFNCCF @sweale
Fantastic to see #barrierstoeducation launched. I was lucky enough to be involved in its early stages and was blown over by the expertise, skills and insights of those involved. Please share with anyone interested in inclusive education. barrierstoeducation.co.uk/ @SpectrumGaming
A child risks losing an education every time a relationship between school and parent breaks down. I've not posted in a long while, but here's my piece in @SchoolsWeek about govt double standards on absenteeism. tinyurl.com/3zn9bvy5
I've had enough of billionaire owners using their platforms to promote their far-right, anti-democratic, hate conspiracies. I've learned a lot from good people. But I've had enough. Leaving is overdue. Thank you for your company. I'm at @timlinehan.bsky.social. Do keep in touch.
Home education is up 20% from 92k to 111k in the last 12 months according to govt data published today. More children leaving education. More exclusions. More severely absent children. We need to rethink education. explore-education-statistics…
"We know that shame is a powerful driver for violence" Prof Gwen Adshead - on the Reith Lectures, Four Questions about Violence. Something for our education system to ponder. bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...htt…
I love this from @milton_damian after criticism of that school SEND reports are harder to read than Stephen Hawking tinyurl.com/494khujr Can anyone do any better? Please post!
Well this would be quite funny if the consequences were less serious to the lives of children and their families. schoolsweek.co.uk/school-sen…
Earlier this week we heard in a govt report how SEND delays put children at risk of severe violence. Today we learn SEND children are at risk of trafficking & modern slavery. And delays in SEND help play a critical part putting their lives at risk. tinyurl.com/2rcsdbef
'The vandalism of austerity'. So true. Before anyone gets into the parents vs teacher conflict in education for SEND children, remember this phrase. We have all been vandalised, and we all feel the pain.
Here we go: clear research evidence that Sure Start impacted long-term on life chances in this country. Many parallels with Head Start in the US. It took Gove weeks to close the programme with irreparable damage. Basically he didn’t have a clue about EY😞 theguardian.com/commentisfre…
Yes. Blaming children for their disability, a trope since ancient times, equating physical and psychological difference as aberrant. It's the fanfare of bullies.
If you want to know how broken the SEND system is, read on: complaints about dominate the local govt ombudsman intray. 90% are upheld yet don’t include complaints from academies (80% of secondaries, 50% of primaries). tinyurl.com/yc73ejtp 🧵1/6
6. So the legal cases that are, allegedly, bankrupting local authorities because parents are fighting for their children’s legal rights to an education, only make a tiny fraction of those who could have complaints about SEND education but aren't able to.
I've been saying this for years - now @TES & @TeacherTapp have got the data: teachers are unprepared to meet SEND needs. Only 1 in 10 primary teachers say they are well prepared to meet the SEMH needs of pupils. Support teachers. Train them. Help pupils. tinyurl.com/39wjyfz9
The evidence of toxicity in our ed system mounts. This report from the excellent @EdSupportUK talks about stress throughout the teaching profession, as well as worsening behaviour from parents and children. tinyurl.com/yhxac22t 🧵 1/4
3. The report puts worsening behaviour down to unmet need. That’s one factor, for sure. But it’s also down to a failing system; one that pits school staff against families, one that’s undersupported, and one that’s simply out of touch with the needs of today.