SEND | Schools Week

Sabrina Hobbs, principal, Severndale specialist academy

A nine-year-old boy in a wheelchair is delightedly pressing the large button on a battery-powered speaker that calls Betsy the dog by name. Every time he does, a chocolate sprocker spaniel comes bounding across to a small circle of children. This all happens under the watchful eye of Sabrina Hobbs, the executive principal of Shropshire’s only […]

Extracurricular doesn’t count as ‘broad and balanced’

There have been two recent government announcements on funding for arts activities in schools. But their extracurricular nature leaves some students out in the cold, argues Anita Kerwin-Nye Alexander is 11. He has autism and is in a special unit at a mainstream school. He is an exceptionally talented musician and this year he led […]

Thousands of children without EHCPs by government deadline

Almost 4,000 children with now-defunct statements of special educational needs were still waiting to transfer to the new education, health and care plans (EHCPs) system after the April 1 deadline, the government has admitted. Data collected in early April but only released today shows that although 232,352 pupils, 98.4 per cent of those who previously had […]

How should progress be measured in a special school?

Special schools aren’t just a watered-down version of mainstream schools, and require progress measures that provide meaningful information for students, parents and the government, argues Sabrina Hobbs As many mainstream schools are still finding their way through life beyond levels, special schools are dealing with a similar scenario of their own. Our old system of […]

Which local authorities got flexibility on high needs funding?

In a move allowing certain local authorities greater control over special-needs funding, the education secretary has lavished Conservative-run councils with more flexibility. Councils are no longer able to freely move money from general schools funding to cover spikes in demand for higher-needs funding, which is used to pay for special needs places and excluded pupils. […]

Newham expands special needs provision

Five new or expanded centres attached to mainstream schools will be created for pupils with special educational needs in Newham, east London, as part of a multi-million pound grant from the government. The new provision will provide an extra 100 places focused on speech, language and communication needs, including autism. The first are expected to […]

Sue Jay, Head of creative arts, Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee School

Rain is lashing down outside the drama studio at the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee School, but inside there’s a cast of storm troopers, a school-uniformed Princess Leia, and Darth Vader (holding a fluffy unicorn), all prepping for Rock Challenge, a fiercely competitive annual dance contest featuring more than 330 schools. Sue Jay, the school’s […]

Special-school closure will leave pupils with 45-mile commute

Staff and pupils from a special school in Cambridgeshire will have to travel 45 miles to a new location if plans to close their current site are approved. The TBAP multi-academy trust wants to close the Unity Academy – Fenland in Wisbech, which has just 24 pupils, and transfer them to another site it owns […]

How are schools implementing flexible working?

Schools are letting teachers take their planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time at home, banning work in the staff room and cutting the hours of senior leaders, all in the name of staff wellbeing and flexible working. But researchers believe more still should be done to “normalise flexible working in schools”, and have launched a […]