SNJ's Tania and Renata chat to newly-retired Director of the Council for Disabled Children about her career, her biggest achievements and who her favourite SEND minister has been... Find the webpage for the episode, including pictures from Dame Christine's Valedictory address to the SEND sector, here ..read more

While few except the DfE think the Government's SEND Improvement Plan is going to fix special educational needs provision in England, Tania & Renata ask Labour's spokesperson on SEND, Helen Hayes MP, for her views on the issue. Find the podcast webpage here: https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/snj-in-conversation-labour-send-spokesperson-helen-hayes-mp-fixing-send ..read more

Vocal coach and celebrity, Carrie Grant MBE is well known for having a diverse family. Along with her husband, singer, David Grant, she has four neurodivergent, mixed race children, several of whom also identify as transgender. Two are also up and coming actors, including in the series, Hollyoaks. In an interesting and entertaining episode of SNJ in Conversation, Carrie discusses these intersections with Tania Tirraoro and Renata Blower, and the difficulties they have encountered along the way. Find the post that accompanies https://wp.me/p3S8eh-8gf If this subject is one you want to comment o ..read more

In the first SNJ in Conversation podcast of the year, Renata and Tania put your questions to public lawyer Steve Broach about SEND law in 2023. Your questions answered about EHCPs, Annual Reviews, what, if anything, has changed, group challenges via Judicial Review and much more! Listen to the show and find the show webpage here: https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/snj-in-conversation-send-law-in-2023-public-law-barrister-steve-broach-answers-your-questions ..read more

SNJ's Renata Blower and Tania Tirraoro discuss aspects of the SEND Review Green Paper with Minister for Children & Families, Will Quince MP.  We covered a range of issues, including plans for mandatory mediation, ringfencing schools' SEND budgets, teacher training for SEND and much more over 45 minutes of in-depth conversation.  If you want to know more about the Green Paper, check out our dedicated page here ..read more

On this episode of SNJ in Conversation, young disability campaigners, Siena Castellon and George Fielding talk to Special Needs Jungle's Renata Blower, discussing their lives, their achievements, what it was like growing up with a disability and the challenges that has presented. They offer advice for other young people - and their parents. Find the main post for this podcast on the SNJ website https://wp.me/p3S8eh-7y4 ..read more

On this episode of SNJ in Conversation, Tania Tirraoro & Matt Keer chat to Nick Whittaker, Ofsted HM Inspector and its specialist SEND Adviser, about how Ofsted is supporting & evaluating SEND provision during the coronavirus pandemic.  You can also watch this episode as a video on YouTube.  Find the blog post for the article on the SNJ website. Nick will be doing more of these chats in the coming months. Tell us what you want to know ..read more

The teaching assistant is vital to enable many children with SEND to be in mainstream schools. But often teachers have had no training in using them to the best effect, and with no minimum standards, quality training for TAs can be hard to find. SNJ's Tania chats with Assistant Professor Rob Webster of UCL's Institute of Education, and Bren Prendergast, specialist teacher and trainer, about research into TAs and what needs to happen to improve training Don't forget to take the SNJ SEND Autumn Survey about your child's provision, whether they're in school and  Theme tune by Luca Tirraoro ..read more

Part Two SNJ in Conversation: SEND law now and EOTAS. Specialist SEN lawyers Hayley Mason and Nicole Lee talking to Tania Tirraoro about what parents should be expecting from their child's school for their support right now. And why Education Other Than at School or EOTAS shouldn't be confused with Home Education.   Help us to help you by please taking our Autumn SEND Education survey to find out if your child has the provision they should: http://bit.ly/autumn-send SNJ in Conversation theme tune: Luca Tirraoro ..read more

SNJ in Conversation: SEND law now and EOTAS, with specialist lawyers Hayley Mason and Nicole Lee talking to Tania Tirraoro.  What's happening with SEND Law right now? And why if you're thinking of educating your disabled child yourself, you mustn't confuse Education Other than at School (EOTAS) with Home Education. This is part one of a two-part episode. Please help us to advocate for your family by taking our autumn SEND survey to find out how much of their stated provision your child is currently receiving: http://bit.ly/autumn-send Find the post for this episode here on Special Needs J ..read more