Isle of Wight SEN Stand Up IWSSU

12/06/2026

12/06/2026

On SNJ Today: Where are the experts coming from who will be "at hand" in the Government's new support plans? Matt Keer looks at the numbers and concludes that using "Not Quite Experts" at Hand will be the only solution https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/not-quite-experts-at-hand-only-solution-staff-governments-plan-school-support/

22/05/2026

Have you signed the open letter?

Add your name to the growing list of experts, parents and educators calling for the government to deliver a properly funded education system.

19/05/2026

Another amazing post from the DfE today ……🙄

“We can’t have an inclusive society without an inclusive education system.”

Completely agree.

Which makes it slightly awkward to simultaneously:

- reduce enforceable provision
- dilute accountability
- move support into non-legally enforceable plans
- and expect already overstretched schools to absorb unmet need with no meaningful increase in funding or specialist capacity.

But at least the wording sounds somewhat inclusive… unlike the consultation document they encouraged everyone to complete while quietly hoping most parents wouldn’t actually understand what was being proposed.

19/05/2026

Policy Matters has written a piece on the current state of SEND reform entitled 'SEND reform – a tightrope without a safety net'.

The piece highlights:

"If the government’s reforms work as planned – if mainstream schools are well-resourced and genuinely inclusive, and ISPs meet most SEND children’s needs – then the need for EHCPs and special schools will naturally decline, conflict will dissipate, so there’ll be no cause for restricting parents’ legal rights."

The piece also references comments made by IPSEA's Chief Executive at the demonstration on 9 May:

“If it’s this hard when we have rights, what will it be like when we don’t?”

IPSEA has highlighted that although the proposed reforms promise significant improvements, they also risk weakening the existing legal protections that children, young people and families depend on. We will continue to advocate for the retention of children and young people’s enforceable legal rights to special educational provision that meets their individual needs.

It’s late afternoon on Friday and you’re done for the week. So read this instead

18/05/2026

🎯

The SEND consultation closes on Monday.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth:

We don’t just have one problem.
We have three.

1️⃣ The current system could work if the laws were actually enforced.
2️⃣ The proposed reform doesn’t fix that — it makes things worse.
3️⃣ And even perfect enforcement wouldn’t be enough, because the entire education system needs rebuilding from the ground up.

A rebuilt system would give families REAL choice, not just the illusion of it.

• online learning
• funded home education
• specialist schools
• learning hubs
• alternative provisions
• vocational pathways
• flexible schooling
• EOTAS

Less state control.
More power back to families.

So I want to ask, honestly:

Which of these is the biggest issue right now?

• Enforcement
• The proposals
• The entire system needing a redesign

Parents, what’s your experience?
Teachers, SENCOs, support staff, what’s the truth from your side?

And if you haven’t completed the consultation yet, please do.
Not because it fixes everything.
But because silence is exactly what the system relies on.

We have until Monday.
Your voice matters.

-

18/05/2026

The SEND Reform consultation closes today at noon. It’s SO IMPORTANT to have your say.

The easiest way to send your thoughts is to email via this address:

[email protected]