Inclusion isn’t a bolt-on. It’s the measure of whether our education system is working at all.

Classroom paramountcy - not classroom at all costs, but classroom first and foremost for every child. Being present, being known, being planned for as part of the main, and being able to contribute. No one is better off with any less than the best offer.

The importance of time, interaction, thinking and decision making in inclusion.

Banning lifejackets to reduce drownings. As the conversation around SEND reform continues, it increasingly feels like we are trying to solve problems by tackling symptoms and not causes; choosing the immediate over the impactful. We might not have time on our side, but the long game is the only…

Process, inclusion, and the cost of convenience. inco14.wordpress.com/2025/07/13/j...

Thread ⬇️ I cannot understand why the people in power consistently fail to understand that giving each and every child, including those with SEND, the very best start in life is literally an investment in the future. It benefits children, families, the NHS, the economy and society generally.

Absolutely this. Excellent thread. I’m not sure there is currently an understanding in government of the sheer diversity of needs and how provision needs to differ. The current discussion seems to assume that with the right adaptation/unit mainstream could work for all. It can’t.

Process, inclusion, and the cost of convenience. inco14.wordpress.com/2025/07/13/j...

Specialist provision is not a fiscal burden. It is a vital public asset. Our new discussion paper calls for a confident, collective vision that places special schools and alternative provision at the heart of an inclusive education system. Read more: https://twp.ai/9PTMX4

One change I am hoping for, that I’m not seeing much mention of in all the conversations about SEND, is a new, better written SEND Code of Practice. Not just to reflect any changes or to update language, but to really promote inclusive culture, shared ownership, high quality SEN support stage etc.

The suite of @theeef.bsky.social Learning Behaviours guidance reports How many have you read? educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-ev...

Raising the threshold at which pupils get an education, health and care plan would not solve the problems within the SEND system, experts have warned

She adds that the "greater inclusivity cannot come from within that segregated space" and adds that a school's main or universal offer needs to expand to be able to embrace greater diversity.

Really privileged to be able to share my views with the Education Select Committee today.

The committee is now hearing from a panel from schools: Daniel Constable-Phelps, executive headteacher at St Mary’s, Primary and Nursery School, Southampton, Conrad Bourne, director for SEND at the Mercian Trust and Nicole Dempsey, trust director of SEND and Safeguarding at Dixons.

In the final instalment of our ethical leadership series, a leader discusses why difficult decisions around behaviour and sanctions must sometimes be made to drive school improvement…

It is unlikely to be a coincidence that the groups disproportionately impacted by this legitimised and grey non-attendance are the same ones who consistently don’t get the outcomes we would want for all children.

NEW BLOG inco14.wordpress.com/2025/05/15/c...

New blog from our director of SEND and safeguarding @ndempseyinco14.bsky.social just dropped and it's a banger. Classroom paramountcy. inco14.wordpress.com/2025/05/15/c...

"It’s not uncommon for a child to misbehave in the first lesson of the day and be kept out of every other lesson that follows. Or for a child with additional needs to miss large chunks of core learning because they are withdrawn for intervention. We rarely stop to ask: is this actually helping?" 👏🏻

NEW BLOG inco14.wordpress.com/2025/05/15/c...

Joy in the Classroom: Difficulty and Failure researchschool.org.uk/bradford/new...

A big part of the challenge for m/s schools is unavailability of specialist places for children who need them, & the biggest contribution to the DSG deficit is specialist places & use of private placements, why is so little of the talk around solutions about building special schools?

And part four, featuring the obvious but all too overlooked point that SEND outcomes are probably worse because children with that label spend a lot of time out of the classroom. Strongly recommend giving this a read for an overview of what inclusion should mean. bsky.app/profile/ndem...

Late to this after a hectic few days - part 3 from Nicole. Some points stand out: - the current legal framework isn't bad, just rarely implemented well - the coproduction point is v important. EHCPs were meant to enshrine a strategic rather than day-to-day say for parents, but became bureaucratic

20 years of answers to the SEND crisis question. Before we keep asking and answering, we should brush up on these (very consistent!) laws, guidance, inquiries and recommendations. #send #sen #inclusion #education #sendcrisis (all links in post) inco14.wordpress.com/2025/03/01/t...

NEW POST: Joy in the Classroom - Difficulty and Failure How do we keep classrooms joyful while still encountering difficulty, and sometimes failure? researchschool.org.uk/bradford/new...

Solving the SEND crisis - let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. NEW BLOG - part 4, conclusions #education #sen #send #inclusion inco14.wordpress.com/2025/03/01/t...

20 years of answers to the SEND crisis question. Before we keep asking and answering, we should brush up on these (very consistent!) laws, guidance, inquiries and recommendations. #send #sen #inclusion #education #sendcrisis (all links in post) inco14.wordpress.com/2025/03/01/t...

Solving the SEND crisis - let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. NEW BLOG - part 4, conclusions #education #sen #send #inclusion inco14.wordpress.com/2025/03/01/t...

NEW BLOG - The baby and the bathwater. Part 3 - opportunities Solving the SEND crisis. inco14.wordpress.com/2025/02/27/t...

NEW BLOG - The baby and the bathwater. Part 3 - opportunities Solving the SEND crisis. inco14.wordpress.com/2025/02/27/t...

An important read and fascinating insight for anyone who is trying to get their head round the SEND crisis, with SNJs usual fair but very straight talking approach.

MAT CEO @rachelwilkes.bsky.social tells Tes how her trust dramatically narrowed its disadvantage gap – from SEND training and data sharing to avoiding a standardised curriculum

​“Actions that align and unite people are a key driver of effective implementation.” Unite views and values Unite around concepts and principles Unite around the evidence researchschool.org.uk/bradford/new...

Part 2 - the challenges inco14.wordpress.com/2025/02/25/t...

Solving the SEND crisis - what do we need to overcome (part 2) and what do we need to understand (part 1)?

Part 2 from Nicole - nuanced, sensible, but also with some hard truths: - mainstream must be more inclusive, but that can't replace special schools and support services - internal provisions can be ropey - having inclusion as a separate category for Ofsted is a backwards step Please read and share

Part 2 - the challenges inco14.wordpress.com/2025/02/25/t...

'Ultimately, inclusivity cannot come from within a segregated space... the only way to make inclusivity available, impactful and secure is for it to have a deep and substantial foundation in the main of what we do' Please take the time to read this from my colleague Nicole.

Mainstream schools should be 'given the resource, guidance and flexibility' to meet the range of needs in their communities, @cstvoice.bsky.social has written in a new SEND framework due to be shared with members today

How can we solve the SEND crisis? We can start by understanding how we got to this point in the first place. Part 1 of 4.

Solving the SEND crisis (blog).