SEND in the Spotlight

What works to help children with SEND to go into school, and what should happen when they don't? Nuala McGovern speaks to Jayne Lowe, an Attendance and Behaviour Advisor to the government. She helped to write its official guidance, and is helping to get new Attendance and Behaviour Hubs off the ground.
We're joined again by actors and SEND parents Kellie Bright and Anna Maxwell Martin, who campaigns on these issues. BBC Education reporter Hazel Shearing has all the facts and figures on attendance and fines.
Plus we put 22 year old Nadia from Nottingham in the spotlight. She has mosaic Down Syndrome, and has made huge progress in getting to college independently.
Email the podcast with your experience, or to suggest someone who should be in the spotlight - [email protected]
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson
Digital AP: Mahima Abedin
Editor: Emma Pearce
Produced by BBC Audio

Many parents feel they need to go to battle with their local authority in the attempt to get their children's special educational needs met. In this episode we hear directly from those working for local authorities to help us see the world through their eyes.
Julie Ely, Assistant Director of Education, SEN and Admissions at Kensington and Chelsea Council in London, talks to Nuala McGovern about how that council approaches its SEND obligations.
Rebecca - not her real name - tells us what it's like to be both a SEND mum and a SEND caseworker for a different local authority.
We'll find out more about the challenges they face and how the pressures have changed as caseloads have increased. With the reality of limited resources, both financial and human, what is it like making decisions that will profoundly affect a child's future? And what suggestions do they have to improve the system from the inside?
BBC education reporter Kate McGough joins us again to talk funding, delays and what the government is doing about both.

And we put 17 year old Stephen in the spotlight, finding out why he won Contact's Proudest Moment award.
Email the podcast with your experience, or to suggest someone who should be in the spotlight - [email protected]

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson
Digital Producer: Olivia Bolton
Executive Editor: Karen Dalziel

Produced by BBC Audio

Tom Rees is advising the Government on how to do inclusion well. Nuala McGovern speaks to him about chairing the Department for Education's Expert Advisory Group on Inclusion. Tom is a former primary teacher and headteacher, now CEO of Ormiston, one of the UK's biggest chain of academy schools, plus he's dad to a son who has Down's Syndrome.
Also with us this week is Marsha Martin, founder and CEO of Black SEN Mamas - a network of over 7,000 families across the UK and beyond, and Kellie Bright, SEND mum and actor. We hear from Helen, a teacher and SENDCO who wants to talk about perhaps something unexpected - when mainstream inclusion works TOO well.
In the spotlight this week is 7 year old Will from Doncaster, who's taught himself to swim.
Get in touch with the podcast by emailing [email protected]
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson
Digital Producer: Olivia Bolton
Executive Editor: Karen Dalziel
Produced by BBC Audio

Christmas can be a time of great togetherness. It can also mean sensory overload and general overwhelm, plus changes to routine and health and care arrangements.
Andy and Gaz from the AutismDadCast share how they plan to make it a bit more manageable this year.
Also joining Nuala McGovern is Katie Ghose from Kids charity, which supports children with a wide range of disabilities. Katie offers her tips on what can help your family across the festive season - including the value of a half-wrapped gift.
In the spotlight this week is Elvi, a young disabled woman for whom it is Christmas 365 days a year. We hear from Elvi and her mum Sam.
And BBC education reporter Kate McGough is back with a SEND roundup of the year.
Get in touch with the podcast by emailing [email protected]
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson
Digital Producer: Olivia Bolton
Executive Editor: Karen Dalziel
Produced by BBC Audio

It's just four letters, but getting an EHCP - Education Health and Care Plan - for children with special educational needs and disabilities can be a long and frustrating battle. In this episode we explain how to get one and what it means when you do.
Joining Nuala McGovern are the actor and parent Anna Maxwell Martin and Jade, who over the past year has been through the process of obtaining an EHCP for her son. She'll tell us what she learned in what she calls 'the toughest year of her life'.
BBC education reporter Hazel Shearing explains why the future of EHCPs is uncertain, and Alex Stafford from IPSEA - Independent Provider of Special Education Advice - takes us through each step in applying for an EHCP, including the challenges parents can mount when things don't go their way.
Plus we put Mrs Robinson in the spotlight, as Alice and her two teenage sons show their appreciation for an amazing teacher.
Get in touch with the podcast by emailing [email protected]
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson
Digital Producer: Olivia Bolton
Executive Editor: Karen Dalziel
Produced by BBC Audio