News

Keep up to date with all of the latest news, headlines and features from across the SEND sector.

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News listing

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International Day of People with Disabilities 3rd December 2021

The theme for IDPWD 2021 is ‘Fighting for rights in the post-Covid era’ and has been planned to celebrate the challenges, barriers and opportunities for people who live with disabilities in the context of a global pandemic.

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Young people encouraging others to talk about mental health this Advent

The charity Spark UK was set up in the pandemic by four young people who wanted to dispel the stigma around mental health and provide resources for schools to deliver lessons and ‘spark’ conversations around mental health.

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Updated Coronavirus Guidance for Schools

In light of the emergence of the Omicron variant the government have updated it’s guidance for all schools and specialist schools. The changes came into effect on 29th November 2021 and will be reviewed in three weeks’ time.

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New webinars aimed at building confidence and competence for school workforce in supporting Visual Impairments

The National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NatSIP) and its partner VI organisations delivered a series of webinars as part of their new programme: Building VI Confidence and Competence in the Schools Workforce.

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New EEF guidance on Literacy in Key Stage 2

The Education Edowment Foundation (EEF) have published their updated guidance on ‘Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2’.

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Wellbeing of school staff continues to be impacted by the Pandemic

Education Support, the charity dedicated to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff, have published their annual Teacher Wellbeing Index.

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Dramatic rise in Elective Home Education (EHE)

In a survey carried out by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), local authorities have reported a ‘rapid surge’ in the number of parents choosing to electively home educate their children.

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Parent Voice Report shows positive outlook for parents

Parentkind have issued their 7th annual report providing parents’ views on their child’s mental health, schooling and education.

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nasen Award winners write insightful articles

Two of the winners from the nasen Awards 2021 have written articles of their experiences within the sector.

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Government release funding for tackling bullying and improving staff wellbeing 

During anti-bullying week the government announced additional funding for organisations to support schools to combat bullying, promote diversity, and improve wellbeing for staff.

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Mencap launches ‘Talk to Me’ campaign to address disability misconceptions

To celebrate Mencap’s 75th anniversary they have launched the ‘Talk to Me’ campaign to highlight the need for greater progression, understanding and inclusion of people with a learning disability.

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Disability History Month 

Disability History Month is now in it’s 12th year and runs from 18th November 2021.

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Education in times of crisis: Effective approaches to distance learning

The Chartered College of Teaching has issued a report concluding their ‘Education in times of crisis’ series on distance learning.

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Ofsted release figures on inspections

Since Ofsted resumed its inspections this autumn their first job was to inspect schools who had previously been exempt due to attaining an ‘outstanding’ judgement.

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Widgit Symbol-Supported Recipes

Widgit have always produced resources free and paid for on their website to support a variety of topics. The latest additions have been created with support from celebrity chefs Tom Kerridge and Ainsley Harriot.

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Understanding Persistent Absence from School - Free Webinar

The Department of Education at Oxford University are holding a webinar on 24th November at 5:30pm to discuss the causes and hear a response from a Psychiatrist around the theme of persistent absence.

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New Pupil Premium Guide from the EEF

The EEF have published an updated Pupil Premium Guide to reflect the new Department for Education guidance and the new statutory template for schools.

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National Autistic Society issues School Report

The National Autistic Society have issued a School Report based on the views of over 4,000 parents, carers and autistic young people surveyed during Summer 2021.

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Anti-Bullying Week Resources

The 15th to 19th November is Anti-Bullying Week and the theme is One Kind Word. The week, organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, is beginning with Odd Socks Day supported by CBBC and CBeebies star Andy Day. 

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Open letter from Children and Families Minister Will Quince, MP

Children and families Minister Will Quince has written an open letter to all parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities to talk about his ambitions for them and their children.