Chief reporter
@SchoolsWeek
• SEND, exams, catch up, mental health • Paul Foot award nominee & BJA highly commended • mental health 1st aider • Sam is fine
For the last few months, I've been digging into the growing independent special school sector and who the big players are.
It's been hard work but absolutely eye-opening - I won't sum it up here but hopefully my investigation does the job⤵️
V pleased that from today I’m
@SchoolsWeek
’s chief reporter. Thanks so much
@JohndickensSW
@shanermann
As ever, pls do keep getting in touch with your stories from the frontline in schools
After four years in local news, this is my last before I join
@SchoolsWeek
as a senior reporter. I've learnt so much in my two years at
@NewJournal
/
@IslingtonTrib
and I'm thankful for everyone who has made London feel like home
I spent some time trawling through recently upheld parental complaints to the SEND ombudsman
There were shocking examples of councils not understanding laws correctly, children being out of education for two years, whole families needing counselling because of failings...
🔍 The problems suffered by families of SEND children due to councils’ failures to set up EHCPs can be revealed after an analysis of soaring local government ombudsman complaints
Schools Week investigates...
🤫 And herein lies the story of how I waited 2.5 years - 890 days - for these 8 words to be released by the Cabinet Office
An exasperating Freedom of Information battle which includes government taking the case to court before suddenly dropping it ⬇️
Investigation: Severely disabled pupils were left hungry and 'contained' in classrooms during breaks because of chronic understaffing at a special school, despite its small academy trust sitting on reserves of nearly £6m
A truly harrowing story
Frankly blown away by this. So glad stories on the realities of the SEND system have cut through because it’s not going anywhere
Thanks to all those experts, families and heads that have trusted me over the past few years
Look how strong the shortlist is for the inclusion award category - super proud, but also well deserved, for Sam
She’s delivered huge impact with her stories - including pushing DfE to get a grip of special school capacity crisis and ensuring they get vital funding 👊
There are no details available anywhere about these immigration announcements that have a huge impact on individuals and businesses. Shambles as per usual.
In response to those Gavin Williamson & Matt Hancock texts, heads union ASCL said their covid response was ‘an absolute shambles and the two individuals involved in these snide insults were at the heart of that shambles’
🕳️Ministers promised parents can be 'confident' schools have the resources they need after a £2bn boost
But I dig into the data to expose the collapse of state services brought on by austerity leaving schools to pick up the pieces
Hundreds turned out to Streets Fest in Finsbury Park today - a one-stop shop free service for the homeless to have haircuts, health check ups and given new clothes and free food. Hopefully first of many, says Jon from organising group
@streetskitchen
After seven years of being homeless and living life off the radar, former Islington road-sweeper Balvin Marshall found out last week he does have right to stay in the UK under Windrush policy.
Now, his compensation case begins.
Exclusive via
@dutaut
: Headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh has quit as Social Mobility Commission chair, saying her controversial opinions 'puts the commission in jeopardy' and it is doing 'more harm than good'
I went to visit Mark & his wife Ngamngon after they were reunited - her deportation was halted just 15 minutes before she was due to board the plane. They thanked everyone who had supported their case, including
@JCWI_UK
, petition signers and readers. Full story in today's CNJ
After two murder investigations were launched in the same night, just roads away from each other in Camden,
@NewJournal
asks the question today: is this the new normal? Who can, and will, change the story?
It’s been a year since I came off this and wouldn’t hesitate to take it again if I ever needed to.
I just wanted to share on
#WorldMentalHealthDay
to shift any lingering stigma on anti-depressants. As ever, DMs open for chats
It’s nearly time to start coming off this (life-saving) mental health medication.
For anyone who needs to hear it: Don’t be afraid to take the meds! Have the therapy! Life can get better!
And if you ever wanna chat on it, let me know
Yup - it's getting louder too. These stories below are *just* since January on the SEND system and I could go on... some many elements are just not working
Been doing lots of schools events recently with headteachers. A big theme from conversations is the special needs system has gone from crisis to essentially not functioning. Horror story after horror story.
Education secretary Gillian Keegan isn't at
@NAHTnews
conference this year. She snubbed the
@ASCL_UK
heads conference also in March.
Just sat here cringing remembering this similar saga from last year
Victory! ICO upheld my complaint & ordered DfE to release reports on National Tutoring Programme data.
This, I think, is key part: 'Providers fortunate enough to be awarded large government contracts should be well aware of the enhanced public scrutiny that is likely to result'
Exclusive: Ministers have been forced to reveal how their flagship tutoring programme performed during its inaugural year after a 15 month freedom of information battle
🚨 Emergency motion by NAHT members on Ofsted:
"Conference calls on national executive to communicate to members who are inspectors a request to consider refraining from carrying out inspections until the trade dispute is resolved" 🚨
Follow the debate below ⬇️
This term 'mild anxiety' being used in the attendance stuff is troubling me. I would guess a child is unlikely to know when they are experiencing 'mild' anxiety.
If you're anxious, the levels, I think, are determined by having the feeling over time. Just talking from experience
Bit of news - before Christmas I’ll be leaving
@CroydonAd
. I’ve had 2 years reporting on the most wonderful patch and have been lucky to meet some amazing people. I’ll be off north of the wall (river) to become a senior reporter on the great
@IslingtonTrib
2 years ago, we exposed how DfE didn't collect central figs on special school capacity
Our investigations revealed bursting schools - gov then committed to collecting it.
This morn, the 1st figs will be published. Stay tuned.. (background below)
'This group didn’t have GCSEs, so this is the first time they’ve taken public exams. Their schooling has been decimated, but at the same time they aren’t getting the same allowances as the last two years' -
@Lem_Exeter
The noise is getting louder on the worsening crisis in SEND services and funding.
We’ve been writing about it for years. Campaigners have been banging the drum for years. Now MPs are shouting about it … will it be enough?
📉 Councils face a 'cliff-edge' of effective bankruptcy notices without accounting immunity and extra SEND funding which is currently 'far from sufficient', a cross-party group of MPs has warned
It’s nearly time to start coming off this (life-saving) mental health medication.
For anyone who needs to hear it: Don’t be afraid to take the meds! Have the therapy! Life can get better!
And if you ever wanna chat on it, let me know
My mate, a social worker in north of England, has sent me this after exit poll: “I’m devastated. We’ve lost basic support services for the families most in need. We now have our own foodbank because a lot of our families can’t afford to travel to the ones we used to refer to.”
A jaw-dropping moment at ASCL conference this morning
The education secretary has said she would have 'punched' disrespectful Ofsted inspectors that ran the rule over a school that she recently visited
Last year, I took a deep dive into how inclusive mainstream schools are - we've all heard of it, but there's no 'one measure' on it (see investigation below ⤵️)
Now it seems like government and Ofsted are taking it seriously...
Formed a civil partnership, travelled by boat to the church, gained a surname, made mad diorama centre pieces and banners, had
@dannycarrier
as our celebrant - job well done ♥️
You can’t get kids (or anyone for that matter) with anxiety disorders / symptoms back to school just by telling them to go back. It needs patience but most importantly, treatment. If the treatment isn’t available quick enough, then surely most other actions are futile?
The government should create a school absence code specifically for mental health and review the adequacy of health services struggling with soaring waiting lists, MPs have said
@commonsed
Gosh, can't believe this. So honoured families and schools trusted
@StaufenbergJ
and I to tell their stories. And the hours digging through FOIs was worth it. What a day
I am SO proud and chuffed for
@StaufenbergJ
+
@samanthajbooth
-their ‘Kids in Crisis: Revealing the Toll of our Collapsing CAMHS’ investigation has made the Paul Foot Award longlist (an incredible achievement in one of the most competitive journo awards)
Big news on this! After our investigation, DfE has now pledged to collect data on special school capacity from next year.
Currently, there's a gaping hole in data meaning they haven't got a proper handle on how these schools are coping with rising demand
Exclusive: Special school leaders are being forced to cram vulnerable pupils into converted therapy spaces and staffrooms as surging demand and scarce places elsewhere pushes them over capacity. Investigation with
@TBIJ
I've got friends really anxious of losing their jobs because they rely on government funding, friends literally losing houses because of mortgage rates - now unable to afford anything else - and friends wiping out savings to pay for energy bills
This PM, there was an important Commons debate on SEND funding secured by
@f40campaign
and
@DavidDavisMP
- please read all of this, it sets out well the issues we and campaigners have been covering for years. MPs from all parties calling for change
Tomorrow is my last
@IslingtonTrib
deadline, before I move over to the
@NewJournal
side of the desk. Thank you to everyone who helped me or spoke to me over these last 12 months. It's been a great year working alongside
@emifinch
If you nearly saw me deck it down the stairs at Victoria station this morning, it’s because I’d just seen I’ve been nominated for a
@RegPressAwards
. So has my awesome colleague
@williammclennan
and
@NewJournal
At my count - if Coutinho does move - that’s seven children’s ministers since the SEND review was announced in September 2019….
Doesn’t send a great message, does it?
Are we set for a fifth children’s minister in just under two years?
NB: children’s minister has responsibility for the major SEND reforms, and it would be less than ideal (again) for one to come and go so quickly
Great to see
@BBCNews
banging the drum on the issue of oversubscribed special schools
It's something I uncovered last year through FOIs and led to DfE moving to collect capacity data from special schools (still waiting on that)
❗️Twenty more councils will be forced to make sweeping changes to their special educational needs provision in exchange for government bailouts which now total nearly £1 billion
THREAD: The broken special needs system is exposed today in a joint investigation by
@SchoolsWeek
&
@TBIJ
.
#SENTooFar
reveals the scale of the challenge facing ministers - key findings below ⬇️⬇️
Our 6-pg report is free to read -
Educational psychologists went on strike in England and Wales yesterday in a pay and working conditions dispute. Some told me how children with needs were being missed because of how stretched they are, with some kids then being excluded from school.
@AEPsychologists
.
@NAHTnews
president-elect
@simonkidwell
asks conference 'how long can we continue to do more with less?
'How long can we sustain crippling workload pressures that impact on our health and family life? How much longer can we work in a system that prioritises metrics over people'
Couldn't be happier at this. Thank you to the families of the Croydon tram crash victims who let me tell their heart-wrenching stories and the campaigners who helped me investigate in the aftermath - stories here:
New Committee members 📢
👉 Gen Kitchen, MP for Wellingborough
👉 Jess Phillips, MP for Birmingham, Yardley
have been appointed to the Committee.
Explore the inquiries they'll be working on 👇
I sat down with new children's minister David Johnston (7th since 2019) to chat SEND. He was appointed a month ago when Coutinho was promoted.
He said the DfE should do much more communication with parents 'because I think they’ve got a lot to teach us'
❗️ The government’s own children’s commissioner Rachel de Souza has warned ministers their reforms to fix the broken SEND system risk 'more years of children being fed' into a 'vicious cycle' of poor outcomes
⏳ The government’s own children’s commissioner has warned ministers their reforms to fix the broken SEND system risk 'more years of children being fed' into a 'vicious cycle' of poor outcomes
This is intriguing.
There's another 'tier' within the safety valve programme for councils who are slipping behind on their agreements. Can't find much public on this beyond what's in schools forum minutes, so no idea how many are in it. But have found at least two councils
🔬 Cash-strapped councils falling behind on their SEND deficit bailout plans – just months after they were signed off – have now been placed under 'enhanced' monitoring by ministers, Schools Week can reveal
Worth remember it was Liz Truss who appointed her... 'by expecting high standards and not indulging the soft bigotry of low expectations she is producing amazing results at Michaela school and giving children the best chance in life'
One of the biggest issues children and teachers grapple every day with is the impact of smartphones in schools.
So many schools have already done an amazing job in banning mobile phones.
Now, we’re changing the guidance so other schools follow their lead.
The mother and cousin of Kwasi Anim-Boadu at the
#operationshutdown
march. Nobody has been charged with his murder as it approaches a year since the attack
@JCWI_UK
@TulipSiddiq
said: “We are working closely with JCWI to try a last-ditch attempt to make the Home Office see reason."
She said the deportation did not seem like the best use of resources right now
Education secretary
@GillianKeegan
and her ministers will be answering education questions in the Commons shortly. I'll be tweeting the key parts here ⤵️
#eduQs
This wk I spoke to parents whose children became critically ill days before exams started.
But they were told they'd still need to sit some exams to get grades.
Parents say now is the time for these children to get 'tried and test' teacher assessed grades, like during Covid
Investigation: Parents of critically ill teenagers who had to sit GCSE exams days after major surgery or chemotherapy are demanding schools are allowed to give 'tried and tested' teacher assessed grades instead
In which I *try* to capture what’s happened to SEND since 2014 reforms.
One interviewee said I’d need a short novel to explain - so hopefully done it justice by speaking to as many experts as poss and those involved in creating the reforms - thanks to all who gave me time
Edition 354 done and dusted:
Special feature: SEND reforms, 10 years on
@samanthajbooth
The secret world of academy cash pooling
In profile:
@LawrenceEFoley
Solutions: how to get MAT growth right
Opinion: why all trusts need a stakeholder report
@pha71
Camden & Islington new borough commander
@MPSRajKohli
at his first
@CamdenSNB
meeting - says it feels like he’s “coming home”. He was previously an officer in Camden. “My intention is to be as open and as transparent as possible,” he tells the meeting
The education select committee will be questioning SEND experts, parents and charities this morning on the SEND review and green paper. I'll be tweeting the key parts
#edselctte
“He poured everything into his music, all of his experiences, his pain, his love, his regrets and mistakes." Fiancée of hip-hop artist
@Lxsko
pays a moving tribute, remembering him as some who "stood up for the underdog"