SEND | Schools Week

“Pupil mental health cannot be ignored”

News that pupil mental health is school leaders’ number one wellbeing-related concern is, unfortunately, not a surprise to me. Faced with daily concerns about the wellbeing of the children and young people they work with, headteachers, deputies, pastoral leads and all staff are asking themselves what can be done to address this issue, especially in […]

Why you should care about sibling young carers

As many as two pupils in every classroom have a sibling with special educational needs or disability and are at risk of becoming young carers. They’re more likely to have problems with progress in school – so it’s vital that you know who they are I was a sibling young carer who grew up in […]

Do we need autism-specific schools?

All children and young people deserve an inclusive and fulfilling education. But mainstream schools are not always the answer for those with autism who must have access to a range of provision Autism is a spectrum condition so, while all children and young people with the lifelong disability share certain difficulties around social communication and […]

SEN: schools can’t do it alone

Away from boarding schools and instead looking at SEN provision, Mark Baker discusses the challenges of budget cuts in schools attempting to meet new reforms Children and young people with special educational needs (SEN), their parents and schools are currently facing huge changes. Quite rightly, parents have wanted more of a say in SEN provision, […]

How can schools strengthen mental health for all pupils?

The Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) code of practice will give schools the impetus to review their approaches to supporting mental health. About one in 10 school-aged children has a clinically diagnosable mental health disorder. Many of these difficulties will still be apparent in adulthood, with estimates suggesting that around half of all adult […]