C.E. Jottings

Dore pulls plug

If you didn't see it, The Times today reported that Wynford Dore has taken the decision to close the Dore Centres (offering an exercise-based treatment for dyslexia) for financial reasons. I am no position to comment on whether the approach worked or did not, and if it did, why it did. There are two observations I make: One: Wynford Dore injected £15m of personal funding. His financial model was a private sector model with the long-term expectation that central government... Read more →

Conductive Education. The International Community. Xavier

Allow me first to start this way: I emailed Andrew Sutton with the observation that whilst I could imagine (speaking purely theoretically ) a conductive education school or centre, staffed by conductors, that was less than satisfactory, I could not imagine such a school or centre being excellent without any full-time conductors. My rationale for this opinion, for that is all it is, having no evidence to prove the case either way, is training. When the day comes that I... Read more →

Can the Government count?

" In a report today from the Centre for Disability Research (CDR), the country's top experts admit: "It is not possible to estimate the numbers of adults with learning disabilities in England either from information held by central government departments or from large-scale, population-based surveys." Describing this as a "brutally honest assessment" that is "startling enough in isolation", the Guardian's public services editor, David Brindle, today ("We need to know more about disability", Guardian 28 May) goes on to set... Read more →

Paces’ business is supporting families.

Paces’ business is supporting families. Paces is a strategic project: aiming at nothing less than the transformation of opportunities open to parents in the upbringing of children with motor disorders. Paces’ strategic vision is the embedding of ‘conductive education’ routinely in the institutions with which parents interact: locally regionally, nationally. The Paces’ Project is not solely about being an outstanding small, private special school, somewhere in South Yorkshire – no matter how excellent Ofsted says that school is; no matter... Read more →

Too much learning is a dangerous thing

By chance, this morning, I came across the following FAQ-type posting on the web site of the Downs Syndrome Association. Whether the question is genuine or not and when it was posted, is not clear. "What advice do you have for an infant school teacher, just about to accept their first pupil with Down's syndrome? Most schools that are accepting a young person with Down’s syndrome will be doing so for the first time and those who may have had... Read more →

Writing this blog

One of my initial purposes in setting out ot write this blog, was to explore what I might use it for and how I might use it - or "learning by doing". Two current "work in progress" notices then: I am currently abandoning the system of a short list of 'Categories' with which I began in favour of something that looks more like 'Tags' as used on sites like deli.cio.us, for instance. It will take a while to adopt that... Read more →

Is this not a species of insanity?

I have asked before on this blog, when and where the debate on the education of children with motor disorders such as cerebral palsy is taking place. I was interested then to read in an email I received this week, the announcement of a "Cerebral Palsy Feature in the July/August issue of SEN magazine" and inviting Paces to buy advertising or advertorial. "The lead editorial will be produced in conjunction with Scope," the email informed me. It's not often cerebral... Read more →

Misbehaving Woman

OK so the Title to this posting is a tease. But someone for whom I have enormous respect, who I personally find an inspiration in my own life at home and at work, and whom I had the honour to meet last year along with Darrell, the great guy who is her husband, was nominated for an award at the "Misbehaving Women of the Year" event in March in Vancouver, Canada. As far as I know, she has no interest... Read more →

Putting in a word for Buddy Bear and Conductive Education

Yesterday, following the lead taken by Andrew Sutton, I sent the following letter together with the separate attachment below it, in support of Buddy Bear and Conductive Education in Ireland. 30 April 2008. The Rt Hon Dr Ian Paisley MP MLA. First Minister. Mr. Martin McGuinness MP MLA. Deputy First Minister. Office of the First Minister and Deputy first Minister Castle Buildings Stormont Belfast BT4 3FW Dear Dr Paisley and Dear Mr McGuinness Conductive Education in Northern Ireland Like Brendan... Read more →