Special Needs Jungle, In Conversation

SNJ Co-Director, Dr Sharon Smith leads this webinar on the implications for EHCPs and EOTASof the Government's SEND proposals. Panellists are Eleanor wright, Legal Officer, SOS!SEN, Marsha Martin, CEO, Black SEN Mamas and EOTAS parent, Megan Booth, SOS!SEN EOTAS Adviser and EOTAS parent, Joanna Gibbs, CEO SENsational Tutors online education provider Webinar recorded 16.7.26 Find the article with all the links mentioned and transcript here: https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/webinar-recording-implications-legal-rights-ehcps-eotas-governments-send-proposals/

Education Minister, Georgia Gould, who has responsibility for the Schools White Paper's SEND reform proposals, speaks to Special Needs Jungle about the Government's plans for SEND. The Minister answered questions sent in by SNJ's audience and those attending the webinar. She mentioned ringfencing of SEND funding in schools twice--but does she mean what we mean by it? Ms Gould repeatedly stressed people could respond to any aspect of the proposals, and that nothing was set in stone. It sounded like there will ne movement on many of the initial plans as set out in the consultation--but defended the moved to rein in the Tribunal in ways that were not convincing to those attending.

On 23/3/26, Special Needs Jungle held a webinar focusing on the legal implications of the SEND proposals in the 2026 Schools White Paper. This webinar is just under 1' 30". The webinar features solicitors Hayley Mason Seager, CEO of SEN Legal, Polly Sweeney, Partner at Rook Irwin Sweeney, Eleanor Wright Legal Officer with SEND legal charity SOS!SEN, and Kate Cox, Senior Solicitor with SEND legal charity, IPSEA. The wide-ranging webinar looked at proposals to change EHCPs, creating four "tiers" of support, that would raise the threshold for EHCPs, Education Other Than at School (EOTAS/EOTIS) packages, Schools and school governors, and much more besides. This webinar is freely available, but donations to the volunteer run SNJ are always welcome: http://bit.ly/SNJ-Donatezhttp://bit.ly/SNJ-Donatez

SNJ's Sharon Smith and Tania Tirraoro talk to veteran SEND expert, Brian Lamb OBE a new episode of SNJ in Conversation on the Children and Families Act 10 years on. Brian says building good parental relationships is the key to fixing SEND Find the webpage for this episode here

In the third podcast in our series on a decade of the Children and Families Act 2014, SNJ ’s Tania and Renata talks to former SEND Minister, Edward Timpson, who steered the legislation through parliament. We discuss the battles he had to fight to create a legal duty on health in the Act, and to bring in Ofsted /CQC SEND inspections. What does he wish he’d been able to push further? And what else might be different if he hadn’t lost his seat—and ministerial role— in the 2017 election. Edward Timpson grew up surrounded by children his parents fostered—more than 80 of them. It endowed him with a deep sense of empathy of the problems children face when their needs have not been met. As an MP and Children and Families Minister, he used that knowledge to push for legislative change for disabled children. As he takes his leave of parliament, he discusses how he plans to work again as a family law barrister with the aim of becoming a judge so he can take decisions that positively affect children’s lives in a direct way. Find the webpage for this episode here https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/snjic-edward-timpson-care-families-lives/

Philippa Stobbs OBE worked for 30 years at the centre of developing national SEND policy with the Council for Disabled Children—she's the highly-respected doyenne of SEN. Few people have as encyclopaedic knowledge of special educational needs as she does. She spent decades negotiating with the government of the day to ensure legislation and new policy supported children with disabilities, pushing back against government plans that would do the opposite. In a fascinating and educational conversation, Philippa talks to SNJ's Tania Tirraoro and Sharon Smith about a decade of the Children and Families Act 2014 that she was instrumental in influencing, what came before, and what she thinks the future holds. Find the webpage for this episode here

This is Part 1 of a series on a decade of The Children and Families Act that was passed in 2014. What went wrong and what went right? First up is Stephen Kingdom, now of the Disabled Children’s Partnership, but in 2012, he was the SEND man at the DfE. Stephen looks back at the creating and implementation of the CFA and discusses with Tania Tirraoro and Sharon Smith what he'd do differently now he's been on "the other side". The webpage for this episode is: https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/children-and-families-act-10-years-stephen-kingdom-dfe-implementation/

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

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/

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 on, remember these are real young people with real feelings so please be respectful.