C.E. Jottings

REACH together with Whitehouse - a huge opportunity for CE in the UK

If you agree that it's about time conductive education settings in the UK got together to make our presence felt, then here's some welcome news. From the website of The Whitehouse Consultancy: Whitehouse announces REACH as its pro-bono client for 2013-14 After a highly competitive application process, The Whitehouse Consultancy has announced that its pro bono client for the next 12 months will be REACH, a consortium incorporating ten of the leading specialist centres working with children with cerebral plasy... Read more →

And so on Sunday we flew home from Munich and the 8th World Congress

And so on Sunday we flew home from Munich and the 8th World Congress. On Monday, the Ofsted Inspector announced his imminent presence, arrived Tuesday morning at 8.00am and gave his feedback on Wednesday at 4.00pm. Home and back to earth! His judgement is embargoed until formally published by Ofsted in about 2 weeks time. Munich and the 8th World Congress will, for me, be ever associated with my Honorary Conductor award. May I say one more time how proud... Read more →

"Tired all the time". Impact of sleep deprivation on parents of disabled children

Into the inbox today popped an email with a press release from The Family Fund about their report "Tired all the time". The report forms part of Family Fund’s 40th year activities in raising awareness of its work and the barriers that families raising disabled and seriously ill children continue to face. SEVERE SLEEP DEPRIVATION AMONGST FAMILIES RAISING DISABLED CHILDREN EVIDENCED IN NEW REPORT LAUNCHED AT WESTMINSTER The Family Fund presented their report ‘Tired all the Time’ to a packed... Read more →

Where the Devil lurks: the detail beneath the Children and Families Bill

Yesterday, as reported over on Special Needs Jungle (SNJ), DfE published the consultation draft Code of Practice SNJ also reported yesterday that DfE has published " the draft regulations that accompany the actual Bill – these are the ones referred to as 'the devil is in the detail'. Regulations are available for the Local Offer, SEN (SENCO), remaining in special school/post 16 without EHC Plan, Assessment and Planning, Personal Budgets, SEN Appeal and SEN Mediation amongst others." I shall say... Read more →

Cerebral palsy: the impact of limited expressive linguistic abilities

Googling for something else, I came across this. As so often, it seems to be an online abstract of a full work that is not easy to access. The abstract is of Chapter 4 in "Access to Language and Cognitive Development" Michael Siegal and Luca Surian, 2011. What interested me? What intrigues me about this abstract is that unlike typical statements about cerebral palsy that it 'may be accompanied by' other impairments, this work explores the notion of a much... Read more →

Paces on Radio Sheffield

It’s all good publicity for Paces. Yesterday morning, as a follow up to our recent Seminars on the Children and Families Bill, Graham Parker (Parker PR) had arranged for me to do a pre-recorded interview with Rony Robinson for later broadcast on Radio Sheffield yesterday morning, followed by Claire Dorer CEO of NASS (National Assoc. of Independent and Non-Maintained Special Schools). Clicking on this link will take you to the broadcast recording. Do not be put off by our item... Read more →

What is a conductor?

Does anyone care to offer a definition of "Conductor" to contribute to @ClerktoGovernor's special education list of "terms and abbreviations that can be confusing to parents, new governors and others who are unused to them" on her Jargon buster for special education blogpost? "Physiotherapist" is listed so I'm sure a Conductor should be. You can leave your definition in a comment or email me. Updating the blog, I wonder if there is anything in this glossary of special education terms... Read more →