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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 6th December 2021 
Last week I talked about avoiding negative self-talk, but this week I want to talk about how you need to instead use positive self-talk!
You often just need to consciously verbalise in your mind what you want to happen in a positive way. You are simply replacing negative self-talk with more positive self-talk. Some people also say that it is about improving ratios and that you should have three times as many positive than negative thoughts, but I think that just having more positive and less negative thoughts is better. But you can’t jump straight from negative to positive thinking in one foul swoop. Long-lasting change only comes through little changes over time, not trying to do everything at once. You have to accept this and realise that you always need to do things little by little. Although you may try to be more positive than negative, you won't immediately become positive in everything that you think. Like most things in life, it is usually a case of two steps forward and one step back - not one step forward and two steps back, otherwise you will be going the wrong way! All these small changes a bit at a time though will lead to big changes eventually, probably without you even realising. There is also a difference between our conscious mind and our unconscious mind. Our brain is also very suggestible. If you think about it, if we fill our brain (or allow it to be filled) with negative thoughts, rather than positive thoughts, than this is the way that we will think of things. But then, if you also think about it, if we fill our brain with positive thoughts, rather than negative thoughts, that is also the way that we will then think of things. It is therefore important to not let your mind be continually hijacked by negative thoughts, or controlled by others, such as what we read or hear everyday on news or social media. If you really believe that it’s too hard to do this, then try to lessen or stop your exposure to it. It is not as difficult as it seems to deliberately ignore news or social media - just remember, you have a choice! Also, remember, as I said before, a lot of the negative thoughts that we have are based on our own unconscious fears. So, being aware and having insight into yourself are also great weapons to use against negative self-talk. However, you have to catch yourself in the moment and recognise when you are sounding negative, or being exposed to negative things. You can’t just force yourself to think positively by saying positive things to yourself, as they do not really mean anything sometimes. There is also a danger that you can sometimes see these things as a bit delusional or untrustworthy. In the same respect though, just as you should not tell lies or deceive others, you should also not tell lies or deceive yourself! Sometimes, you get turned off by a positive voice in your head feeling like it is coming from a self-help book, or it sounds a bit corny, like a motivational speaker, so you mistrust it. You must therefore find something evidentially true and put a positive spin on it that you can believe. If you record it in some way, you can also look back on it later to see how positive self-talk actually works. The brain is also, as some people say, the rebellious organ in the body, so it often does the opposite of what we want it to. We therefore usually also need to see continual evidence that positive thinking is working for us. It is a bit circular I am afraid, as only the more we do this, the more we achieve and only can we then evidence to ourselves that positive thinking works for us. It is also about attitude and seeing things more positively. You don’t just need to turn down the volume on your negative voice, but you also have to turn up the volume on your positive voice. However, we often have soundtracks in our minds from earlier in life and tend to hold onto negative things that people have said to us, especially when we were young and impressionable. So, this week, try to use positive self-talk as much as possible - you will hopefully find that the more you do it, the more positive things will become for you!
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone is, so feel free just to read the sections of interest,
or read everything; the choice is always yours.
SEN NEWS
I received another email this week from the SEND Division at the Department for Education (DfE), which stated: "Dear colleagues In light of the new Omicron variant, yesterday we updated the Special schools and other specialist settings: coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance. The main updates are: Information for all education and childcare settings on new measures in response to the identification of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the UK
Testing
Contact tracing and isolation
Vaccination
Changes to the red list for international travel to England
We will keep the guidance under review as the situation develops. Many thanks Special Educational Needs and Disability Division" 
NEWS ONLINE
In terms of news, here are the articles that I found of interest this week: School Covid absence up 60% in England in two weeks England’s nativity plays Covid guidance ‘unhelpful’, say school leaders “Strengthening and modernising”: Ombudsman sets out proposals to strengthen public voice
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above, or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook).
P.P.S. You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page.
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 29th November 2021 
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone is, so feel free just to read the sections of interest,
or read everything; the choice is always yours.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
We have to be very careful sometimes to avoid talking negatively to ourselves. It is all too easy for us to see the bad in things sometimes, or be held hostage by our fears that we may not be able to do something. We all have lots of underlaying worries and we usually always default to the negative versions of things and then see the worst possible scenario, as we usually tend to inflate or exaggerate our fears. Your brain automatically thinks of the worst thing sometimes. It is like you also want to sabotage yourself unconsciously. It is like having someone inside your head constantly telling you that you cannot do something. But self-talk can be both positive or negative – it is always up to us. You cannot silence that inner negative voice completely, but you can ignore it and try to remember that it is just your fears that are talking. There is also always a difference between the message that we get from our brain and the way that we choose to respond to it. I know that this is something that is often quite hard for us to do naturally, as we frequently grow up and become increasingly cynical over many years, perhaps as an unconscious self-defence mechanism. However, we can also choose the opposite way to look at things if we really try to. For example, we often hear people referring to themselves or others as a ‘pessimist’ or an ‘optimist’ and seeing a glass as ‘half-empty’ or ‘half-full’. Some people even like to try to say that they are not one of these, but instead are really a ‘realist’ or a ‘pragmatist’, but this often sounds to me like a pessimist talking! Another example is the: “What if?” questions, which are usually quite negative and are just the pessimist inside of you talking and asking: “What if this or that happens and things turn out for the bad?” But you can actually flip this question around most of the time and instead ask yourself something like, “What if this or that turns out to be for the good and not for the bad?” Imagine it is like in a fairytale or children’s story and you have to make yourself resist going down the bad path, which only leads you to bad things and instead choose the good path, which only leads you to good things and which eventually takes you to the enchanted castle at the end! The irony is that we usually laugh at characters in films or on TV with negative emotions and outlooks on life, such as Eeyore, from Winnie The Pooh, or Marvin the Paranoid Android, from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (I am sure you can think of many more characters like this). If that person were outside of you who was constantly saying negative things, you would simply laugh at them and ignore them. Yet, because it is your own voice telling you something inside your own head, you tend to give it more credibility and take it more seriously. You must not dwell on things and let them take over your thoughts. You also have to often let go of things and move on. For example, you find that, sometimes, your brain just seems to go back unconsciously to some of the worst things in your life from many years ago, which has nothing to do with what you are doing at the time. So, this week, if you hear that little voice inside yourself talking negatively and saying that you cannot do something, try to ignore it if you can and realise that it is just your unconscious fears probably talking to you and do not let it control what you do! 
NEWS ONLINE
In terms of news, here are the articles that I found of interest this week: Covid jab wait for 12- to 15-year-olds in England could be up to five months Councils in England report 34% rise in elective home education Covid: Schools asked to test on-site after Christmas
SEN NEWS
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above, or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook).
P.P.S. You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page.ere to edit.
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 22nd November 2021 
You have to remind yourself to take a break sometimes, if you want to solve a problem properly.
In order to solve a problem, you often need to be not actively be thinking about it in the first place. If you do this, your brain will then suddenly (almost miraculously) and unconsciously solve the problem for you without you asking! Some people call this background thinking because your thinking takes place in the background, rather than in the foreground. Also, the more you think about a solution to a problem, the more the solution will usually run away from you. The irony of this is that the less then you think about a solution, the more likely you are to come up with a solution to the problem! The trick is to also do something quickly, because the more time you spend on something, the more difficult it is going to be to come up with a quick and simple solution. Remember, simplicity is the key as the more complex your problem, the simpler the answer is. The key to doing this successfully is also to either be doing something different, or actually be somewhere different. It is not just about a different way of being mentally, it is also about a different way of being physically. For example, many people do their best thinking when they are in the shower, sitting in the garden or on the sofa, or just taking a walk or going to the park. Unfortunately, you often feel chained to your desk or workplace and can be reluctant to leave it, because it feels as though you will then not be doing your work. But you actually get your best ideas about work when you are not at your desk or in your normal workplace. Even just getting up from your desk and going to the bathroom, or going for a coffee break, sometimes helps you to solve a problem that you were trying so hard to solve at your desk. The funny thing is that also, if you are sitting at a desk in front of a computer, you will often get distracted by so many things that you can do, so you then often find it hard to do the one thing that you are supposed to do! In this example, you may wish to take your phone, tablet, or laptop, and go and sit in the garden or on the sofa. There is an irony here, as many people trying to solve a complex problem, often feel that they need to get away for a weekend or even a holiday, just to think about it properly and solve it, but they then often think of the solution to the problem quite easily on their way to their destination, so that they have already solved their problem by the time that they get there! There is also another irony here because you often need to think of solutions to problems when you are under time pressures and then, paradoxically, will feel guilty and not feel that you have the time to take a break, because you will then not be spending time focusing on that problem. Yet, it is actually taking that break that will help you solve the problem in much less time. So you need to let yourself have that break, even if you feel that you cannot spare that time, as you need to think of that time as a necessary part of the work you have to do to come up with a solution to the problem. So, this week, try taking a break when you are getting stuck on a problem and looking for a solution. You will be amazed at how doing this so often helps you to then more easily come up with a solution to that problem, as I have described above. 
In terms of news, here are the articles that I found of interest this week:
Ofsted inspections for all England's schools and colleges Plan to speed up Ofsted inspections of schools in England sparks fury School uniform costs: 'It amazes me how much I spend on my children'
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above, or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook).
P.P.S. You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page.
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 15th November 2021 
You usually have to find things out for yourself I’m afraid, through a process of trial and error.
Although you can sometimes learn from other people, your true learning usually only takes place when you experience something for yourself. Learning is also generally through repetition. The trick here is to always learn from any mistakes the first time around, if possible, and then try to never make the same mistakes again (or never to make the same mistakes in the same way again). However, mistakes (within reason) are often actually good for you, as that is how we often learn. Also, accept situations for what they are and not what you want them to be. You usually never get it right the first time you try something. So, try to remember that you usually only get something right in the end, by getting it wrong a few times at first. However, be willing to try it again, knowing that, although it may not have worked out for you the first time you tried it, you will get better at it each time that you try it and should then succeed in the end, if you do not give up. People like to recall how Thomas Edison, who only invented the light bulb on his 10,000th attempt, later said: “I have not failed 10,000 times, I’ve just successfully found 9,999 ways that will not work!” There is also a real and significant difference between having high expectations and having high aspirations. It is alright to have high aspirations and really go for something, but you always have to manage your own (and other people's) expectations and be prepared to get something wrong. If you have a high expectation that something will work out for you the first time that you try it, you may soon find out that this is often unrealistic and you then will feel probably even more disappointed with the result, even if it was only slightly off what you had hoped for. It may even be serendipity in hindsight that something did not go the way that you wanted the first time, as something better was waiting for you around the corner. As people say: “Be careful what you wish for.” You can only see things through your own eyes anyway and not through other people's eyes. Remember, not everyone is like you or thinks like you. You therefore have to find out what works for you through trial and error, as what works for one person does not always work for another person and just because something works for somebody else, doesn't mean that it will work for you. You also often need to experiment with doing new things in different ways, until you eventually find what really works for you. There is no simple or single solution to things, as there are so many different ways of doing things. Also, not everyone can do everything, so just try to be the best version of yourself, rather than trying to be somebody else. At least, try to be a better version of yourself, if you can. In fact, just aim to get 1% better every day! Also, if you do start comparing yourself with others, you will again feel disappointed, as there will always be other people who are better than you at something. Finally, try to quickly accept situations for what they are and not what you want them to be. Realise that some days will be good, but some days will be bad. You just have to just hope that the good outweighs the bad, or try to and bring the bad day to a close and get rid of it and then try and make the next day a good day! So, this week, just try to realise that things do not usually work out the first time for you and be willing to try again. Remember, you're also just human!
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone is, so feel free just to read the sections of interest,
or read everything; the choice is always yours.
SEN NEWS
I received another email this week from the SEND Division at the Department for Education (DfE), pointing me to an open letter by Will Quince MP, Minister for Children and Families, about the long delayed SEND Review, which stated: "...I want to assure you that I am wholeheartedly committed to the SEND Review. It is vital work and as we move towards publication of our proposals in the coming months, it is key that your children, families, teachers and others who play a vital role are actively involved. ... As parents and carers of children with SEND, you are seeking change to the system so that your children get support earlier and outcomes improve alongside better access to jobs and services. I am committed to delivering the SEND Review quickly but we do need to make sure our proposed changes are robust. The Review has been delayed, in part due to the pandemic which has intensified some of the issues in the system, and we have needed time to reflect on those. We also wanted to do justice to the huge amount of input we have received and take time to check back with people that we had properly understood what they were telling us. I agree improvements are needed – and overdue. To help us move forward and enable us to publish proposals in the first quarter of 2022, we have established a steering group that brings together government departments with representatives of parents, schools, colleges and early years, local government, health and care and independent experts. You can find out more about the steering group here: www.gov.uk/government/groups/send-review-steering-group. We will of course continue to work with a wider range of organisations to hear further from young people, parents and those who work with them so they can inform and challenge our thinking. We still have work to do on the Review and I do not think it is helpful to offer up specific details ahead of publication of the full set of proposals. I think it would be more helpful for people to see them all together, so that they can make an informed judgement about whether they will lead to the lasting changes we all want to see. What I can say at this point is that, based on what we have heard and the evidence we have gathered, we know that it is important that proposals offer a way forward to reduce local variation. We also need to improve early intervention, make clearer the support and services everyone should be able to expect and have funding and accountability systems in place which support this. Improving complex systems is challenging and our proposals must align with other improvement work currently underway, such as the Care Review, recovery planning and wider reform. And we need to make sure changes we propose are supported and understood across health and care services, as well as education providers. As an indication of this government’s continued commitment to supporting the most disadvantaged children and young people, I was delighted that the recent budget announcement committed £2.6 billion over the next three years for school places for children and young people with SEND, more than tripling current capital funding levels to over £900 million by 2024-25. The Spending Review also delivers an additional £4.7bn for the core schools budget by 2024-25. This settlement includes an additional £1.6bn for schools and high needs in 2022-23, on top of the funding we previously announced. We will confirm in due course how this additional funding for 2022-23, and for the two subsequent years, will be allocated for schools and high needs. This is a hugely positive outcome. Over the coming months, I will be making more visits and listening to children, young people and their parents and school, college and local authority staff, as well as meeting with SEND organisations and experts, across education, health and care. Their views will influence the proposals we set out in a full public consultation. I strongly encourage people to get involved in that consultation. Your views really matter. I don’t underestimate the challenge we face. But continuing to listen, and working together, gives us the best chance to make sure all children and young people get the educational experience they deserve. Will Quince MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families" 
NEWS ONLINE
In terms of other news, here are the articles that I found of interest this week: GCSE and A-level changes give pupils advance warning of exam content MoJ is wrong on the SEND Tribunal ‘That will save lives’: the move beyond school food allergy bans
USEFUL INFORMATION
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above, or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook).
P.P.S. You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page.
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 8th November 2021 
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone is, so feel free just to read the sections of interest,
or read everything; the choice is always yours.
,JUST A THOUGHT
Unfortunately, we often prioritise getting something done perfectly, as being more important than doing it completely. There is a big difference though between finishing off something to your satisfaction and finishing it off to somebody else’s satisfaction. But we are often perfectionists, so should try and remember that good enough is sometimes good enough. It can sometimes be a bit of a slog to get to the finishing point of something, so you need to make it as easy as possible for yourself to complete something and not put friction points in your own way. Usually, you find that some tasks naturally link to other tasks, so if you find a task to do that is not linked to something else, you can sometimes think about giving that task up. Additionally, you have to be careful of not unconsciously abandoning tasks or projects without realising it. It is very important to complete something at the time if you can because, if you do not, things often go stale when you don’t finish them there and then. Remember, you need to be realistic about timescales, since you always need a bit longer than you think to do things. So, recognise that the first 80% of a task usually takes you 20% of the time, but the last 20% usually takes you 80% of the time. Also, when you realise that there is still quite a lot to do to complete a task, it can actually be quite demotivating, so always feel proud of yourself for completing something and try and reward yourself, say, by eating some chocolate or something else you like, or doing something else you like doing. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, like breaking open a bottle of something! Whilst it is very important though to enjoy your success, it is also important to then move on, as otherwise you can get stuck in a rut without realising it. It is all about how you define what is critical to something, as there is always a bit of fluidity between what you think needs to be done to complete something and what actually needs to be done to complete it. Sometimes things are non-negotiable and need to be done in a certain way or by a certain time, but many things are really complete just when you feel that they are complete. So, try to review things, or adapt and sacrifice them as you go along. You also need to do a sanity check on yourself from time to time, to make sure that you can do what you think you are going to do within the allocated timeframe. In fact, it is better sometimes to start at the end of the project and work backwards, in order to plan out what you need to do for something to be completed, which I know probably sounds a bit strange but, as I heard someone once say, you need to start with the end in mind! There is also an irony that I have noticed with parents and children. Parents usually want to make things easier for their children when they do not finish tasks, so sometimes finish off the tasks for them. But actually this is not helping their children in the long-run, as it is just showing them that there is no need for them to complete tasks, or finish what they started, as somebody else will do it for them! So this week, as we are now getting close to the end of the year, try to recognise the importance of this principle of completing something. Thankfully, we still have a couple of months to go and so can give ourselves a last push to complete things that we said we would do this year. If we manage this, we will go into the new year feeling good about ourselves, rather than beating ourselves up about not completing something by the end of the year, as we may have told ourselves! 
NEWS ONLINE
In terms of news, here are the articles that I found of interest this week: Covid infections dip among secondary schoolchildren in England Research and analysis - Review of time in school and 16 to 19 settings Bill to prevent school shutdowns passes first test
SEN NEWS
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above, or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook).
P.P.S. You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page.ere to edit.
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 1st November 2021 
Today, I want to talk about the importance of always leaving yourself a margin of error of time for things that you plan to do and also learning to say "no" to things sometimes (as they are related, believe it or not!).
Unfortunately, we have grown up in a society where being busy and not having enough time to do things is often seen as a badge of honour and something to boast about. But being busy and not having enough time to do things you want to do is not something to be proud of and should always be avoided, if at all possible. In fact, you should actually be more proud of the fact that you have time to do the things that you want to do, instead of saying that you cannot do things that you want to do, just because you are too busy! By not leaving yourself more time than you need to do things, you are effectively not leaving yourself any margin of error over time to allow you to breathe and not always feel so hurried. This will end up making you more busy and feeling more stressed than you want to. I always like to say that there is a difference between ‘stress’ and ‘pressure’, as pressure is often quite good and is something that you put on yourself that motivates you, makes you want to do something well and is in your control. But stress is when other people put you under pressure and it is therefore out of your control and often demotivating. The irony therefore of not leaving yourself any time margin is that you are now not just putting yourself under pressure, but you are actually now also putting yourself under stress! Not having enough time to do something is often because you are trying to do too many things within a short period of time and are therefore not being realistic with yourself. You usually have to just step back and look at things more realistically. One of the things that I’ve also noticed over the years is that, to avoid this from happening, you often need to accustom yourself to start saying “no” to requests from other people (or even yourself) when asked to do things sometimes – i.e. not always feeling that you should say “yes” to everything you are asked to (or can) do. It’s best summarised in the old adage: “Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean that you should do it!” Ending up doing things that you do not really want to do, but are committed to, or not having enough time to do the things that you want to do, will just consciously or unconsciously make you feel sad and frustrated. Also, everything adds up, so, if you always agree to things and accustom yourself to always say “yes” to everything that you are asked to do (externally or internally), then you will eventually not have enough time left to do the things that you really want to do. I know that this is very hard to do from personal experience, but the more you do it, the better you will become at it. So, this week, try to say “no” as much as possible to other people (or even yourself) who ask you to do something, but which you do not really want to do, and also try to leave yourself a margin of error of time when planning to do something. Or, even if you want to do something, but you then realise that, practically, you will probably not be able to do it within the time allocated, also try to say “no” to it. As I say, it will become easier the more that you do it!
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
SEN NEWS
A lot of SEN news this week was focused on the Budget and the announcements of reports that it will include £2.6 billion to help children with special educational needs and disabilities and £1.8bn to help schools and colleges tackle lost learning from the pandemic, and bring total education recovery support to almost £5bn. As ever, there were supporters and critics of these announcements, particularly a concern that the SEND money was for 'capital' investment (i.e. buildings and similar), rather than 'revenue' funding (i.e. practical everyday and ongoing support). 
NEWS ONLINE
In terms of news, here are the other articles that I found of interest this week: Budget 2021: Schools cash to be restored to 2010 levels after 10 years of cuts Rishi Sunak’s learning catch-up fund is ‘false economy’, says former schools tsar Disadvantaged pupils in England lag behind in Covid learning catch-up
USEFUL INFORMATION
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above, or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook).
P.P.S. You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page.
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 25th October 2021 
Although we start something sometimes, we do not always finish it, do we? Or we don’t even start something at all sometimes, just because we are afraid that we won’t finish it.
For example, we often think of something that we need to do and then try to do it, but ultimately find that we then run out of time and so therefore end up not finishing it. Alternatively, we sometimes do not even start the thing that we need to do, because we know that we are not going to be able to finish it within the timeframe that we have allocated for it, so we do not even start it at all! Unfortunately, human beings are not very good at estimating the time in which they have to do things. Realistically, you need to break a big task down into lots of small achievable component tasks because, if you just see it as one big task, you will probably feel overwhelmed and may not even start it, because you will know unconsciously that you cannot finish it there and then. We usually take this ‘all or nothing’ approach to things and then put unnecessary pressure onto ourselves by feeling that we have to do something completely, or not at all, rather than just accepting that we probably need to do things just a little bit at a time. As the famous Chinese philosopher, Confucius, once said: “Every journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step”! Instead of setting yourself only one big task on your list, break that one big task into lots of smaller sub-tasks that you can do one at a time and check them off. By doing this, you will also feel good that you are making progress and are on your way to completing the big task and also by doing this, you can see that task written down and ticked off, so you then feel good about what you are doing – it is circular. Progress is always a good thing, no matter how small it is. Sparing a small amount of time to do something often also does not feel like very much time and can usually be done quite quickly, so even doing just 10 minutes of an hour-long task is already 1/6th of that task done. Let me put it slightly differently, rather than just doing 15 minutes of a 30-minute task and then doing the other 15 minutes of it the next day (or later), you may not even do those first 15 minutes, because you know that the whole task is going to take you 30 minutes to do and you cannot do it all there and then, so you end up not doing anything. We also need to realise that we cannot do everything at once. It is probably better anyway to do things only a bit at a time over a few days, as you then have thinking time between doing things and can therefore reflect on what you have already done and what you still need to do. In this way you can also adapt the way that you do things as you go along. So, rather than doing everything at once and then knowing you may have to do everything again because you have only later realised you have not done everything right the first time, you end up not having to do that whole thing again, but only that small part again. So, this week, try to look at things that you need to do as smaller component tasks of a big task that you can break down in your mind. If you do this, you will probably find that you can actually find the time to do those big tasks that you have been putting off, or thought that you could not do, by just doing them a little bit at a time.
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
SEN NEWS
Although I overlooked telling you about 'Dyslexia Week' a couple of weeks ago, I am pleased to say that I have not overlooked this issue completely, as October is also seen as 'Dyslexia Awareness Month'. I have been helped this week by looking at the website of The British Dyslexia Association (BDA). The BDA says that it is "... the voice of dyslexic people. We aim to influence government and other institutions to promote a dyslexia friendly society that enables dyslexic people of all ages to reach their full potential." But my understanding was also helped by a very good article I saw on SEN Magazine's website entitled: ' Dyslexia and prejudice', which you may also find interesting to read. 
NEWS ONLINE
In terms of news, here are the other articles that I found of interest this week: Schools should stay open as greatest risk of Covid transmission is in households, research finds Social mobility tsar wants campaign against toddlers having mobile phones 'Years to get children back on track after Covid'
USEFUL INFORMATION
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above, or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook).
P.P.S. You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page.
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 18th October 2021. 
We never leave ourselves enough time to do things, do we…
Today, I want to talk to you about being as realistic as possible when thinking about how long a task or project is going to take you. This comes from my own continuing personal experiences, as I am often guilty of not being realistic about time estimates for doing things (although I promise that I have been trying to improve on this day by day and week by week for many years!) We often very carefully plan out things that we want to do time-wise, but we still then find that things overrun on us a lot of the time and then also impact upon each other, so that eventually we run out of time to do everything that we had planned to do? People also call this ‘The Domino Effect’, as it is similar to a game of dominoes, where one domino impacts on another as it goes down, which then impacts on the next one and so on. In fact, 'The Domino Effect' also works between one person and another person doing consecutive tasks in a project. For example, if the first person does not leave themselves enough time to do their task, which needs doing before the second person can do what they have to do, when the first person is not realistic about how long their task is going to take them and then overruns, they will end up impacting upon the second person doing their task. So, even if the second person has actually left themselves enough time to do their task theoretically, they then are put under pressure and the whole project may run out of time practically, because the time that the second person had set to do their task has now been shortened because of the first person’s unrealistic time estimation about doing their own task. I am a big believer in ‘Time Blocking’, where you first specifically (as best that you can) determine the task that you need to do and then put corresponding time in your diary to do it. I usually try to be as realistic as possible, by not only estimating and allocating the time that I think that something is going to take me, but then double it! (Some people say that you should also double that again!!) The other thing to do is to always have or even write a plan. Be careful though, as you should not only write a plan, but you should then stick to that plan! And remember, things do not always go to the way that you planned them to go, so you always need to be prepared to expect and then adapt to new obstacles that present themselves as you go along. I heard someone once say that: “Plans are essential, but planning is useless!”, which I think is a wonderful way of putting it. But you at least need to have a plan from the start of any task or project. Curiously also, when you feel that you are running out of time, you will feel more stressed and probably will then not do as good a job, whereas when you leave yourself more than enough time to do a task and finish it earlier than you had planned to do, not only do you then have time left over, you then feel less stressed and often do a better job too! So this week, if you find yourself running out of time to do things, even though you thought that you had planned for them to be done in a certain space of time, step back and think about what I have said. You may also be surprised at how much more you can actually do when you are genuinely realistic about your time estimates.
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
SEN NEWS
A few days ago it was Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) Awareness Day. As the Department for Education (DfE) puts it, Developmental Language Disorder is diagnosed when a child fails to acquire their own language for no obvious reason. Children with DLD often find it difficult to understand others and struggle to articulate their ideas and feelings. DLD affects on average 2 students in every class of 30 and it is s therefore crucial that schools are able to meet the needs of these pupils. In an email I received later that day from the DfE, it also said: "This year’s DLD Awareness Day campaign is asking teachers to #ThinkLanguage #ThinkDLD. The organisation 'Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder' has produced a set of resources to support teachers to understand, identify and support those with DLD. These resources can be accessed at: https://radld.org/dld-awareness-day/resources-media-ideas/teacher-kit" (It is on a website called: RADLD.ORG, which was created to Raise Awareness of DLD, where you can learn more about DLD, access resources and find out how to raise awareness.) I have also seen many other bits of information/resources on the web this week, so please do an internet search if you want to find out more. 
NEWS ONLINE
In terms of news, here are the articles that I found of interest this week:
USEFUL INFORMATION
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above, or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook).
P.P.S. You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page.
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 11th October 2021. 
We all have a silent todo list that always screams at us, don’t we…
Things that we see around us that we have to deal with are constantly sending us silent messages and reminders, aren’t they? Like ‘fix me’, ‘do this or that with me’, or even ‘just decide whether to keep me or get rid of me’. It can be really very emotionally draining! Seeing something constantly around you that you know you have to deal with really increases your stress levels, even if you are not consciously aware of it. In fact, most of the things that we have around us are actually just bits of clutter that, if we are being honest with ourselves, we know unconsciously that we really don’t need or will never get around to doing. The irony of this of course is that, if you cannot see something, you cannot really deal with it – ‘out of sight, out of mind’ as people say. But that is exactly my point! It is really better to say: ‘in sight, in mind’! In fact, just reading this and thinking about what I am saying and knowing that the concept of a silent todo list exists and knowing that it weighs on us in the back of our minds, sometimes lets you give yourself permission to let go of these things, or put them away somewhere where you cannot see them, but know that you can take them out when you need to. Or just get rid of them! Also, practically, it is often easier to see what you need to do as a full task written down, rather than just seeing something physically. So, I find that when I see something that I need to do, I have to be very clear about what I need to do when I look at it, which I find easier if I see a task as something written down, rather than just seeing the thing itself. This is because I then know what I have to do immediately, rather than first interpret in my head what I need to do when I see it, which is really quite stressful. Remember, it is always easier to separate identifying what you need to do from actually doing it, as there is usually time in between when you can think about how to do a task that you have to do, before you actually have to do it. However, let me warn you, there is always a bit of pain to be experienced when you try to organise new or different systems from how you did things before and you cannot do everything at once. If you try to, you may succeed in the short term, but may probably fail in the long run. So, this week, please look around you -and, if you see things that are sending you silent messages that you need to deal with, but which you then realise are just things you may never get around to do, or don’t really need to do (and are, in fact, just cluttering your life), please give yourself permission to get rid of them, or at least move them to somewhere out of your sight. You will be amazed at how much lighter you will suddenly feel in yourself when looking around you again and no longer consciously or unconsciously seeing an overwhelming list of task for you to deal with anymore!
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
SEN NEWS
Lots of Covid-19 news this week (see below), but very little SEN news for me to report, I'm afraid. The thing that did catch my eye though was an article on the BBC website about Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) entitled: 'Better diagnosis of FASD in children needed, adoptive mum says'. FASD is the name for all the various problems that can affect children if their mother drinks alcohol in pregnancy, which can result in mental and physical problems in the baby, called foetal alcohol syndrome. This is because alcohol in the mother's blood passes to her baby through the placenta and, as a baby cannot process alcohol as well as an adult can, it can damage cells in their brain, spinal cord and other parts of their body, and disrupt their development in the womb. This can result in the loss of the pregnancy and babies that survive may be left with lifelong problems. More common than people think I'm also afraid... 
NEWS ONLINE
In terms of news, here are the articles that I found of interest this week: School Covid absences rise two-thirds in fortnight 1 in 14 pupils at English secondary schools have Covid, ONS data shows Covid: Are schools back to normal yet? Not quite
USEFUL INFORMATION
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above, or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook).
P.P.S. You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page.
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 4th October 2021. 
You can’t please everyone can you…
People often say that you shouldn’t try to please everyone, as you are just destined for failure if you try. For example, you will hear people say things like: “You can’t please all of the people all of the time” or: “You can please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time”. I do realise the inherent logic of this principle and, most of the time, I honestly tend to agree with it from my own experiences. However, personally, I actually still think that, even if this is so, you should still try your best to please as many people as you can, as much of the time that you can! So, whenever I try to do something, I genuinely try to accommodate as many people as I can, by actively trying to consider their potential needs, even if those needs may be very different to mine. I also always try and make what I say or do as palatable as possible, to as many people as I can. Also, if there is something that you are going to say or do that could be misinterpreted, no matter how clear you think that is, then it is usually best not to do or say it. You can think it, but don’t say it, as I like to tell people. And, even though people may seem receptive outwardly to what you say or do at the time, remember that they may think of it differently inwardly, but will just not tell you what they really think. In fact, it may actually come as a bit of a shock to you if you only find out later that you have upset them. The irony of this is that other people may have been careful not to say anything to you, so as to try not to upset your feelings, whereas you were not so careful before this, to try to not upset their feelings! And just a final thought, actions always speak louder than words. So, don’t only think of yourself when you say or do something, think of other people, especially children, who may hear or see you. If they hear you say something that they see you then do not try to do genuinely, they may unconsciously take this on board and then may do the same to you in the future.
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
SEN NEWS
Not much to report this week, although I noticed on the Council for Disabled Children's website a page entitled: "Minister for Children and Families, Will Quince MP, gives keynote speech at nasen Live 2021 addressing the SEND Review" which you may find of interest. 
NEWS ONLINE
In terms of news, here are the articles that I found of interest this week: Air pollution likely cause of up to 6m premature births, study finds Failing social care system reflected in relentless rise in Ombudsman’s upheld complaints 12% of English pupils report continuing Covid symptoms weeks after infection
USEFUL INFORMATION
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. And this week I also want to highlight that 1st - 31st Oct 2021 is ADHD Awareness Month and draw attention to the Changing Perceptions: Virtual Conference 2021 taking place virtually between 6th to the 9th of October, collaboratively run by The ADHD Foundation: Neurodiversity Charity and ADHD Ireland, which they say will facilitate the largest ADHD conference in Europe. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above, or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook).
P.P.S. You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page.
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 27th September 2021 
You’ve always got to be as patient and flexible as possible…
One of the hardest things that we have to do as human beings is to just be patient enough to wait for things to happen naturally. Also, we sometimes have the inability to be flexible enough to just accept that things do not always go the way that we had planned them to (or in the way that we may have seen them happening in our heads), nor happen at the time that we wanted them to. But, ironically, being patient and being flexible are also the greatest gifts we have as humans as well! For example, although we may really long for something to happen, which then doesn’t, we usually ultimately accept that it has not happened and just get on with things. In fact, it sometimes even goes further than this, as sometimes we say in hindsight afterwards, that we are actually relieved that some things did not turn out in the way that we had initially wanted them to and say things like: “It was a blessing in disguise”, or that: “You need to be careful about what you wish for”. A bit strange and contradictory, isn’t it? We just have to remind ourselves that we always need to be patient enough to wait for things to happen in their own way and at their own time, yet still be flexible enough to get on with other things in the meantime. We also usually will wait for something we want and will also adapt to not having it, even though we want it. In fact, as I have said, sometimes something happens in the meantime that is better than what we had at first planned! And just a last thought, other people, especially children, will always learn from our behaviours. Therefore, this means logically that if we do not show them that we are patient and flexible as often as we can, other people or children will then not be patient and flexible with us!
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours. 
SEN NEWS
It's been a bit of a quiet week for SEN News this past week. What I did find is the new Guidance issued by the DfE (Department for Education) entitled: 'Promoting children and young people's mental health and wellbeing' whose webpage states: "This document describes 8 principles of a whole school or college approach to promoting mental health and wellbeing which, if applied consistently and comprehensively, will help contribute towards protecting and promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Each principle is considered together with some examples from practice and a question to help the reader to reflect on the implications for practice in their own setting. The document also signposts to resources to support implementation. This document will be useful to anyone responsible for promoting and supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in schools and colleges, including:
NEWS ONLINE In terms of other SEN news, here are the articles that I found of interest this week: Covid ‘high alert’ warning as more than 100,000 pupils in England miss school Primary Sats tests in England ‘do not appear to harm children’s wellbeing’ Schools in England struggling to stay open amid soaring Covid cases
USEFUL INFORMATION
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. And this week I also want to highlight the TES SEN Show on 8/9 October 2021 at the Business Design Centre in London. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above, or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook).
P.P.S. You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page.
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 20th September 2021 
You never usually get something right the first time that you do it…
Many people feel that you need to get something right the first time that you do it, don’t they? Actually, I may be touching on a bit of a raw nerve here for some people without them realising it, as I have noticed over the years that often people like this (who usually call themselves ‘perfectionists’) think that what I am saying applies to somebody else and not to them! These types of people also often have unrealistic expectations of what they can achieve the first time that they try something, so they do not realise for themselves (although they are very good in pointing it out to others) that learning to get better at anything requires you to initially make mistakes, but to then keep trying again until you succeed. The irony is that, inwardly, we do understand this basic principle and, outwardly, always tell it to others, especially children, but then too often we seem to forget it ourselves and then are surprisingly disappointed if things do not go to plan the first time that we try to do something. I think that, unfortunately, people often carry around the voice of somebody else in their head, such as a parent or teacher when they were growing up, or someone else at a different time, who said that they had to get something right the first time that they did it, and they then listen to that voice more than the one in their own mind telling them that it is alright to not get something right the first time that you do it. Funnily enough, it is actually often quite good to make mistakes, because that is how we then learn (as long as they are not mistakes that we could or should have avoided if we had applied ourselves properly, or if we keep on making the same mistakes and never learn from them!) Let me end my thought this week by just saying that you should please reflect on what I am saying here and, if it resonates with you, ask yourself why that is?
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above,
or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page. 
LATEST SEND BRIEFINGS
It wouldn't be a SEN Update if I did not bring you a briefing from the Department for Education (DfE), would it! Well this week, to make up for last week/last month, I am bringing you not just one briefing but two briefings!! The first is an email I received this week from the DfE's SEND Division entitled: "Delivery of specialist 1:1 and group interventions for children and young people in education settings", which stated: "Dear Colleague, We know that COVID-19 has impacted on services and as a result many specialist services have adjusted their delivery models during their recovery. We have worked with education and health partners, including the Royal Colleges and the Association of Educational Psychologists, Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, Association of Colleges, the National Sensory Impairment Partnership, the National Network of Parent Carer Forums and the Council for Disabled Children, to develop this guidance which sets out the expectations for the delivery of specialist support for children and young people. We are clear that education settings should welcome all specialist staff and facilitate their work with children and young people. This guidance aims to address any misconceptions around what should be delivered and to provide clarity in three broad areas: ensuring full access to provision; what safety precautions should be considered; and the importance of working with families and carers. Please find a link to the document here. Many thanks, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Division" The second briefing came to me (again by email) over the summer and was entitled: "SEND tribunal: single route of redress national trial" and stated: "Dear Colleagues, On 20 July 2021, we confirmed that we would be continuing the extended powers given to the SEND Tribunal to hear appeals and make non-binding recommendations about health and social care aspects of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, provided those appeals also include education elements. These extended powers were being tested under a National Trial, which ended on 31 August 2021. We have now updated the guidance ‘SEND tribunal: single route of redress national trial’ to remove references to the National Trial and explain that the extended powers will continue, providing details on how appeals which include health and social care aspects (now known as extended appeals) work. This guidance is intended for all local authorities, health commissioning bodies and parents and young people in England. Many thanks, Special Educational Needs and Disability Division" 
LATEST NEWS ONLINE
In terms of news, here are the articles that I found of interest this week: Parents warn of tsunami of school-anxiety cases Covid teams can vaccinate pupils against parents’ wishes, schools told Pupils only need to isolate if they have symptoms of Covid-19 or if they test positive
USEFUL RESOURCES/INFORMATION
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Special Needs Jungle - Contact - Scope I would also highlight again the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. I understand that there are many educational items, news articles, or other useful resources on the web, so I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that you find that you think that others may find useful, so that I can direct people to them.
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 13th September 2021 
As we have just started the new academic year, with many people going back to school/college and work (whether that be in the home, or back to a physical building) I have decided to keep this week's SEN Update very short and not bring you any news, to give you a chance to focus on what you need to do. I will return to normal service next week!
Just to say first that over the summer I updated my 7-day email course entitled: 'How To Win A SEN Tribunal Appeal', so it now also advises on the best way to handle video hearings. So please subscribe again to it if you need it (don't worry if you did subscribe previously, it is a fresh course). But as normal, here's my thought this week: Every new year allows us to hit a reset button in our lives… Whether it be the start of a new year, chronologically or academically, we all have the chance to start again and do something differently from the way that we were doing it before. It’s like restarting your computer or phone again afresh. Some people like to call these: ‘New Year Resolutions’, whilst others say that they may be: ‘Turning over a new leaf’). Either way, you are basically changing yourself in some way at a given time. Personally, I try not to wait for particular times to start doing something differently if I think of something that can change my life, if I can, because I believe that if you think of something that can improve your life in some way, you should start to try and do from there and then, if you can. However, I realise that this is not always realistic for some people and that, sometimes, we need to build up to doing something differently over time, or wait for a particular time when the odds are on our side, or when the ‘planets seem to be in alignment’, as people also like to say. Wise people have always said that you should try to develop an insight into yourself and regularly reflect on what you do every day, every week, every month, or every year if you can, so that you can then make changes frequently if you need to. However, again this may seem unrealistic for some people, for the reasons I have given above. In any event, you need to factor in that other people also then need to accept that you are changing your outlook, or the way that you do things. Too often I am afraid that I see people trying to change themselves for the better, but then being dragged back to the way they were before, purely by the fact that other people do not want to or allow them to change, probably because they are afraid of how this may affect them unconciously. Funnily enough, the fact that we are not prepared to let people change sometimes says more about us than it does about the people who are trying to change. We have to question why we just cannot accept that somebody wants to do things differently sometimes. Finally, as a last thought here, please try and find time within the next week to reflect on things in your life and perhaps use the opportunity of a new academic year (and following a year and a half of many difficulties for everybody) to see if you can change things in your life for the better by hitting the ‘reset button’ in your life! With good wishes Douglas 
P.S. I understand that there are many educational items, news articles, or other useful resources on the web, so I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that you find that you think that others may find useful, so that I can direct people to them.
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 19th July 2021 
We all need to recharge our batteries once in a while...
Rest is very important and, although ideally for me, you should really rest at least once a week, I know that this doesn't always feel realistically possible for a lot of people. But imagine that you are a mobile phone battery, you still need to recharge yourself every night and then keep things topped up regularly to work properly - your mobile phone will not go on forever without being recharged! Everybody needs a break from time to time, to allow themselves time to rejuvenate properly. Even a change is as good as a rest they say. In fact, most of the time, you cannot just stop and start again instantaneously, but you need to let yourself unwind gradually, before being able to rest properly. It's like creating a regular time to wind down every night in a routine before being able to get a good night's sleep, Things like this just don't happen - you need to properly plan for them to happen. And remember, you are not as important or as indispensable as you think you are. The world will go on without you for a little while, believe me. Also, there's no good supposedly taking a holiday but then still thinking about work. You need to properly switch off to really get the benefit of a rest, otherwise it is not a true rest and you will continue to run a deficit. So "work hard and play hard" as people say. I wish you well for the summer break!
This is my last SEN Update for this academic year - I will write again when we start the new academic year 2021/22 in September.
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above,
or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page.
REVIEWS, REFORMS AND REPORTS
A bit unusually for me, I am going to try to cover three different things in the first section of this update. Delay to the SEND Review The first is that the cross-Government SEND Review proposals that were going to be published for consultation in summer 2021 have been delayed. The letter that I have seen from Permanent Secretary, Susan Acland-Hood, on behalf of the Government, to Meg Hiller. chair of the Commons Public Accounts committee, states the following things: "The pandemic has both unavoidably delayed the pace of the work of this important Review and, crucially, has materially altered the context for reform." "We only have one chance to get this right and have, after careful reflection, decided we should take more time to ensure our reform plans can deliver the systemic change needed." "We will be using this time to make certain our plans complement the wider work being done on recovery and school reform, and that they have the longevity needed to offer stability to the sector." "We will work at pace over the coming months, so we are in a strong position to publish bold proposals for public consultation." 'Left Behind' report The second thing that I ant to refer you to is the report entitled: 'Left Behind' published this week by the Disabled Children's Partnership. I can do no better than to point you to their website, which states: "The final survey of our parent panel, together with Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from councils and health trusts, shows that whilst the rest of the country slowly returns to normal, disabled children and their families are being left behind. On 16 July, we published Left Behind. It reports on our survey of nearly 300 parent carers in June 2021 alongside the findings from a series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests of local authorities and health service providers, showing how. The survey exposes the impact of the pandemic on the progress of disabled children and young people, and the ongoing issues of social isolation and poor mental health; and the FOIs how disabled children’s health and care services have been drastically reduced during the pandemic.
These worrying statistics therefore show that urgent action is needed to address the fact that support services are not reaching children fast enough – creating devastating health impacts." SEND Review again The third and last thing that I want to bring your attention to is a news article I read on the TES website this week entitled: 'SEND review looking to reduce parent need for EHC plans', which stated: "The Department for Education's top civil servant has said that the government's SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) review is focusing on ensuring more parents do not need to get an education, health and care plan (EHCP) in order to get what they need for their child. Permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood also ruled out getting rid of these plans when she appeared before MPs on the Commons Public Accounts committee this week. But she declined to say when the government's ongoing SEND review would be completed when asked if it would be published before the end of the financial year. An EHCP is a legal document that describes a child or young person's special educational, health and social care needs, and sets out how these will be met. They were introduced in 2014. Committee chair Meg Hiller described an EHCP as being a parents' "golden ticket" to ensure their children with additional needs get the funding they need throughout their education and she asked whether the system could be replaced as part of the government's ongoing SEND review. Ms Acland-Hood said that EHC plans would be kept in place, but she added: "I think the key focus is trying to make sure that for many many more parents they don't need to pursue an EHCP in order to get the things that they want." The latest government figures show that there were 325,618 pupils in schools with EHCPs in 2020-21 up from 294,758 a year earlier. Ms Acland-Hood suggested that there has been an issue with the balance of funding being provided to ensure needs are meet through EHCPs. She said: "The huge value that the EHCP gives to the parent and the pupil is certainty about what is going to be provided. "The risk is that that comes at the cost of resource to try to make earlier provision in the system before people have had to go through the process that leads to an EHCP. "We absolutely need a SEND review that addresses that fundamental conundrum." She was also questioned about when the review will be published. The ongoing review was launched by education secretary Gavin Williamson in September 2019. Last year, he told MPs on the Commons Education Select Committee that its findings would not be published until the early part of this year, having been delayed because of the Covid crisis. Ms Hillier said: "I wanted to ask you again about the SEND Review .The last time you were in front of us you told us you would expect it by the end of June. That date has been and gone, so where is the special educational needs and disabilities review?" Ms Acland-Hood said: "We have had some challenges with the SEND Review because of Covid over the past year but also more fundamentally as the chief inspector noted in her recent report we can see the system in which the SEND system needs to land changing quite fundamentally as a result of the pandemic." She said the department wanted to take "a little bit longer" to ensure that the review has taken account of the changing picture caused by the Covid pandemic." 
LOOKING AHEAD
As this academic year now draws to a close, we need to reflect again on it being the second year now in a row that children have had things very disrupted for them by Covid-19. I know that there is a real hope that things will be gradually getting back to some degree of normality soon, even though things seem still sometimes to not always be going to plan. I therefore really hope and pray that things will settle down by the beginning of next term. In the meantime, I guess it is best summed up for now by the Children's Commissioner, Rachel de Souza, who this week said in an article entitled: 'A joined-up vision for children’s support will improve the lives of children with SEND'': "The impact of the last year and a half on children’s lives has been enormous – not only bringing into focus the many generational problems facing young people, but multiplying and accelerating some of them. As we come out of the pandemic, this should be the moment to tackle them with best practice, new ideas and big ambitions. We owe it to children for the huge sacrifices they have made for us, despite them being at least risk of becoming ill. We must start with children and families placed at the heart of our thinking – designing systems around them so we can better achieve more integrated services that best meet their needs, and which give children the best opportunities to prepare for adulthood and live healthy and successful lives. In order to do this, we need reform, both of children’s social care and the SEND system, and this reform needs to make sense as a whole. I don’t underestimate the challenges, but I believe that we can bring about reform by focusing first on what we can achieve. The SEND review, the Care Review and the Integrated Care System white paper are all important elements for making strong and lasting change and give us an opportunity to tackle some of the long-standing problems that have held back some children. I don’t underestimate the challenges, but I believe that we can bring about reform by focusing first on what we can achieve There is no doubt that the Covid pandemic has put new stresses on many families and the systems that support vulnerable children. The pandemic’s impact on the SEND system has materially hugely changed the context that SEND local areas, schools and those supporting children and young people with SEND are now operating in. It is vitally important that the SEND review reflects that, and I do understand why the Government has said it needs more time to ensure that any proposals from the review take full account of the unexpected changes there have been over the last 18 months. I know children and their families, those who support them and those working in the SEND sector are impatient for change. I share that impatience, and I have made it one of my priorities as Children’s Commissioner to follow closely the progress of the SEND Review. I intend to continue that involvement, to offer my ideas and the expertise of my office, and to challenge the SEND Review team to make sure that this once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve the outcomes for children with SEND delivers the improvements the system needs." 
LATEST NEWS ONLINE
And in terms of news, here are the articles that I found of interest this week: Lockdown: 'Children behind in speech and understanding' 1.5m pupils out of school in England last week ‘Creativity crisis’ looms for English schools due to arts cuts, says Labour Funding halved on services for vulnerable children in England Schools in England shut early for summer as record numbers are forced to isolate
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get a digital copy of the magazine: Autism Eye which is very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with Autism. Keep safe until next term. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. I understand that there are many educational items, news articles, or other useful resources on the web, so I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that you find that you think that others may find useful, so that I can direct people to them.
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 12th July 2021 
Being busy is not always being productive...
A lot of people mistake being 'busy' for being 'productive'. They naturally think to themselves that if they put the hours in, they will then see the consequential productivity rewards come at the end of a task or job. But that does not always work in the reality of today's world, where we are now often dealing with the mindset of a knowledge worker, rather than the mindset of a manual worker. Let me explain. You measure a manual worker's productivity by the amount of manual work that they get through in a given time frame. Logic then dictates that, if they can do a certain number of tasks within a given timeframe, you can then easily measure if they are being more or less productive in the time allocated to them by calculating their output. However, somewhat counter-intuitively, this is almost the opposite way of measuring a knowledge worker's productivity. A knowledge worker is usually more creative and their creativity usually comes in moments of inspiration. Just sitting at a desk for a set period of time and feeling busy because they are speaking to people, dealing with emails or phonecalls, or organising what they have to do into lists, does not mean that they always 'do' and will have been necessarily productive for that same length of time. And, funnily enough, creativity often comes at moments that a knowledge worker is actually away from their desk (although they often then need to be at their desk to ultimately turn that theoretical creativity into something more practical and tangible). I have found that I am actually more productive when I have less to do, but am then able to just focus on the task that I want or need to do, without having any distractions to interrupt me. This then means that I can just get on and 'do' it. Ironically, when I work this way, it also allows me to do more things in less time (provided that I have also organised myself efficiently). But it is no good you just reading this, as you will not truly believe that what I am saying may be true. You need to also take a leap of faith and really try it for yourself in practise to see that it actually can work for you too. And if it doesn't work for you the first time, or even the first few times, don't just give up, keep trying after checking to see whether there is really a distraction that you hadn't noticed before standing in your way. It really works - honestly!
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above,
or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page. 
PLANS TO END COVID RESTRICTIONS IN EDUCATION SETTINGS
With the announcement at the beginning of the week about the Covid-19 restrictions being eased, the Government/Department for Education (DfE) has issued a raft of new guidance for educational settings I can do no better than to quote from an email that I subsequently received from the DfE's Special Educational Needs and Disability Division, which stated: "Dear colleagues, The lifting of Covid restrictions in education settings will take place in line with the general removal of restrictions for England at Step 4. Subject to a final review of the data next week, these legal restrictions will end on Monday 19 July. We are changing the controls that apply in early years, schools, colleges and higher education institutions to maintain a baseline of protective measures while maximising attendance and minimising disruption to children and young people’s education. When we move to Step 4 of the roadmap, we will be removing the need to keep children and young people in consistent groups (‘bubbles’) in schools, colleges and out-of-school settings and the need to reduce mixing in early years settings. To support this we have published new guidance for arrangements in education settings from Step 4, covering both the summer period and the following term, when children will return to school: · Guidance for special schools and other specialist settings · Actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak · Actions for FE colleges and providers during the coronavirus outbreak · Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus outbreak · Use of PPE in education, childcare and children’s social care Guidance for out-of-school settings, children’s social care, apprenticeships and parents will be updated over the next 2 days. From 16 August, the legal requirement to self-isolate for contacts of a positive case will end for everyone aged under 18, and for adults who have been fully vaccinated. This means that from the autumn term, only those who test positive will need to self-isolate. From Step 4, NHS test and trace will carry out contact tracing in all education settings rather than it being run by the school or college. Those identified as close contacts will be advised to take a PCR test, and only need to isolate if they test positive. Everyone must self-isolate if they have symptoms of Covid or a positive test result. More details on the announcement can be found here Covid restrictions in education settings to end at Step 4 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)" Hope that this helps. 
CONSULTATION ON BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
The Department for Education (DfE) also sent out another email later this week through the SEND Division entitled: 'Consultation on Behaviour Management Strategies'. Again, I can do no better than to quote from the email, which stated: "Dear colleagues, Earlier this year, the Secretary of State announced that we will be consulting on revisions to both the behaviour and exclusions guidance later this year. To help inform guidance revisions we launched a call for evidence on behaviour management strategies, mobile phones, managed moves, and in-school units on 29 June 2021. The call for evidence will be open for a total of six weeks and will close on 10 August 2021. You can submit your views here: Behaviour management strategies, in-school units and managed moves - Department for Education - Citizen Space We would be grateful if you could disseminate this amongst your networks. We would like to add that this will not be the only point that we expect individuals to provide their views to us on these areas and intend to provide further time for the sector to provide evidence to us during the consultation period in autumn. We look forward to receiving your response. Many thanks, Special Educational Needs and Disability Division' From what I have read, not everyone agrees with how this may affect children and young people with SEN, so if this is something that concerns you, I encourage ou to respond. 
LATEST NEWS ONLINE
In terms of news, here are the articles that I found of interest this week: Huge surge in number of pupils sent home due to Covid UK Covid: rates of long Covid likely to increase significantly, particularly among young, warns Chris Whitty – as it happened Covid bubbles to be axed in England's schools Ofsted: Put SEND pupils 'at centre' of Covid recovery
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get a digital copy of the magazine: Autism Eye which is very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with Autism. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. I understand that there are many educational items, news articles, or other useful resources on the web, so I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that you find that you think that others may find useful, so that I can direct people to them.
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 5th July 2021 
Don't give somebody your advice unless you are specifically asked for it...
How often we become so eager and forthcoming to give our advice to someone about what they should do or say in any given situation, even though they have not specifically asked us for what we think! Yes, a person may be telling us about a problem that they have; and yes, it may seem that they are asking us what we think, but it is always far too easy for us to proffer our thoughts to them, even though they have not specifically asked us for them. The advice we may be offering them may, in fact, be good; but it is not enough for us to say it, they also need to be prepared to hear it. In fact, giving advice when you are not asked for it, can even sometimes be counterproductive, as if the other person is just telling us something because that they want to get it off their chest and unburden themselves, if you then offer them your advice without being asked for it, they my actually become upset with you, because they may feel that you have spoken out of turn. So they may sometimes get defensive and end up doing exactly the opposite of what you are saying! Also, even if you are fairly sure that they are, in fact, genuinely asking for your advice or your perspective, please be careful to always try to understand before you advise. Remember what I said previously about 'active listening'. Make sure you are really hearing what they are saying, not just projecting onto them what you think they have said, or what you would like them to have said. If you don't do all of this, you may find that, to them, you are actually not helping and then just making a bad situation even worse!
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above,
or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page. 
MORE SEN STATISTICS
The Department for Education (DfE) published more statistics this week on SEN, entitled: 'National statistics on special educational needs in England' (not to be confused with the statistics that they issued last week!) They cover the statistics on pupils with SEN, including information on educational attainment, destinations, absence, exclusions, and characteristics. The contents say they cover the following issues:
Of course, you can read them for yourself here if you want to, but I thought today that I would look at the third of these issues, the analysis of children with SEN' in more depth below. 
The relevant document is entitled: 'Special educational needs and disability: an analysis and summary of data sources' and says it provides data analysis and links to statistical release data sources on children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) or a disability.
The introduction states: 'This document provides a combination of analysis and links to the key data sources on children and young people with special educational needs and / or a disability (SEND). This is the eighth release in this format1 and follows on from the initial publication in November 2015. The table below lists the topics included in this publication with a link to the source data and whether time series and local authority (LA) level data is available. Commentary on the data trends and more detailed analysis can be found by clicking on the link in the publication title column. You may also wish to use this publication alongside benchmarking data tools, such as the Local Authority Interactive Tool (LAIT) and LG Inform. Further details are provided on page 24. This is a collated product from data published throughout the year. As such, trends across sections might not be directly comparable. More detail can be found in the text.' The contents section then adds that it covers:
Under: 'Prevalence and characteristics - Key trends', it states: 'The number of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) increased to 1.37 million pupils in 2020. The proportion of pupils with SEN has been decreasing since 2010 (21.1%), however it has increased for the last 3 years. The decline since 2010 in the percentage of children with SEN could be as a result of more accurate identification. This may have been as a consequence of the 2010 Ofsted Special Educational Needs and Disability review which found that a quarter of all children identified with SEN, and half of the children at School Action, did not have SEN. It is possible that the implementation of the SEND reforms in September 2014 has also led to more accurate identification which has led to the steep decline in the number with SEN in January 2015. The proportion of pupils with a statement of SEN/ Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan increased to 3.3% in 2020, following increases in 2019 and 2018 and a long period of stability since 2007. Pupils with an EHC plan made up 21% of all pupils with SEN in January 2020.' Under: "Type of need', it states: 'In January 2020, the most prevalent type of primary need identified among pupils with SEN was ‘Speech, language and communication needs’, with 21.9% of pupils having this recorded as their primary need. For pupils with EHC plans, ‘Autistic Spectrum Disorder’ was the most common primary type of need, with 30.1% of pupils with statements or EHC plans having this primary type of need. For pupils on SEN support, ‘Speech, language and communication needs’ was the most common type of need; 23.7% of pupils on SEN support had this recorded as their primary type of need.' Under: 'Types of school', it states: 'The percentage of pupils with a statement or EHC plan attending state-funded special schools increased year on year from January 2010 to January 2018 but has decreased since then. In January 2010, 38.2% of all pupils with statements attended state-funded special schools, and this has increased to 42.6% of all pupils with an EHC plan in January 2020. The percentage of pupils with a statement or EHC plan attending independent schools has increased significantly in recent years. In January 2010, 4.2% of all pupils with statements attended independent schools, and this has increased to 6.4% of all pupils with an EHC plan in January 2020. Under: 'Post-16 – attainment by age 19', it states: '30.0% of pupils identified with SEN in year 11 achieved Level 2 (equivalent to 5+ A*-C/ 9-4 at GCSE) including English and mathematics (GCSEs only) by age 19 in 2019/20, which is 44.6 percentage points lower than pupils without SEN (74.6%).' Under: 'Preparation for Adulthood/Post-16 learner participation', it states: 'Participation for 16 and 17 year olds 88.5% of 16-17 year olds with an EHC plan were in education and training in March 2020 compared with 93.2% of those without SEN. The percentage point gap in education and training participation of 16-17 year olds between those with an EHC plan and those without SEN has increased in recent years, from 3.3 percentage points in 2017 to 4.7 percentage points in 2020. Participation in Further Education In the 2019/20 academic year 17.5% of FE and skills participants aged 19 and over had a self- declared learning difficulty and/ or disability (LDD).' Under: 'Progression to higher education', it states: 'In 2018/19, 8.9% of pupils with a statement or EHC plan progressed to HE by age 19, compared to 20.6% of pupils with SEN support and 47.3% for pupils with no SEN. The progression rate for pupils with a statement or EHC plan increased in the latest year, whilst the rates fell for pupils with SEN support and pupils with no identified SEN.' Under:'Experience of the SEND system', it states: 'Total number of EHC plans maintained by local authorities There were 430,697 children and young people with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans maintained by local authorities as at January 2021. This is an increase of 40,588 (10%) from 390,109 as at January 2020. This is driven by increases across all age groups, with largest percentage increases in the 20-25 age group (17%). The total number of children and young people with statements or EHC plans has increased each year since 2010. Number of new EHC plans issued by local authorities There were 60,097 children and young people with new EHC plans made during the 2020 calendar year. This is an increase of 11% when compared to 2019.' Under: 'Timeliness of issuing statements and EHC plans', it states: 'In 2020, 58.0% of new EHC plans were issued within 20 weeks. This shows a decrease from 2019, when 60.4% of new EHC plans were issued within the 20 week time limit. This figure excludes exceptional cases where the local authority need not comply with the 20 week time limit if it is impractical to do so.' Under: 'Appeals registered with the SEND tribunal', it states: 'Parents/carers and young people can register an appeal with the SEND tribunal if, for example, there is a refusal to assess or they are unhappy about the contents of the plan. There were 7,385 appeals registered in 2019 (calendar year), which is equivalent to 1.8% of appealable decisions. This is an increase compared to the previous year when there were 6,023 appeals registered equivalent to 1.6% of appealable decisions. Of the 7,917 registered SEND appeals in 2019/20 (academic year), 29% were against ‘refusal to secure an Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessment’ or ‘refusal to re-assess’ and 60% were in relation to the content of EHC plans; these proportions are similar to 2018/19. The most common type of need identified in SEND appeals continues to be Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), accounting for 47% (3,722) of all SEND appeals; this reflects the most common primary type of need for all pupils with an EHC plan. The most common age for the child or young person for whom the appeal is registered is aged 5-16 (80%), followed by the post-16 age group (11%). The percentage in the post-16 age group increased between 2013/14 and 2015/16, following the extension of the right to appeal to this age group. This percentage has stayed broadly the same since 2015/16.' Interesting information... 
LATEST NEWS ONLINE
And here are the news articles that I found of interest this week: Pressure from MPs on rise in pupils sent home Williamson wants to scrap bubbles to keep pupils in school ‘Children are not guinea pigs’: parents and teachers on plans to stop self-isolation in England Recovery plan for pupils in England is ‘feeble’, former catch-up tsar says
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get a digital copy of the magazine: Autism Eye which is very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with Autism. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. I understand that there are many educational items, news articles, or other useful resources on the web, so I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that you find that you think that others may find useful, so that I can direct people to them.
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 28th June 2021 
I think that we probably need to learn to communicate properly again..
True communication, unfortunately, seems to be a bit of a dying art these days. Ironic isn't it, when the world that we now are currently living in has given us so many new forms of communication, like email, social media, etc. I sometime feel that people seem now to be drowning in so much communication 'noise' that they probably currently find it incredibly hard and time-consuming to actually find the 'signal' that they truly want to hear. Communication is also a two-way thing. Unfortunately, too many people see it (probably subconsciously) as a one-way thing, by truly believing that another person is going to be more interested in listening to what they have to say, than what the other person is saying to them. Really listening to someone (people often call it 'active listening') is more than just letting someone say to you what they want to say and then telling them what you want to say to them, especially if you actually have really been spending your time formulating in your mind what you want to say whilst they have been speaking and therefore not listening to them properly at all! Also, be careful not to always respond too quickly to something that someone else is saying to you - please be very wary of this, as they may, in fact, be going in a completely different direction than you at first thought and so then be ending up in a completely different place to where you think they were at first going. So what you were thinking about saying in response to them would be wrong anyway. And let me leave you with just one final thought today - remember that we have two ears and one mouth for a reason - it shows that we should be listening twice as much as we should be speaking!
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above,
or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page. 
ANNUAL SEN STATISTICS
As you may know, it is about this time of year (a bit later I think this year) that the Department for Education (DfE) publishes its national statistics on SEN. It is again entitled: 'Special educational needs in England' and says in its introduction: "This publication combines information from the school census, school level annual school census, general hospital school census and alternative provision census on pupils with special educational needs (SEN). The publication includes breakdowns by type of SEN provision (either SEN support or EHC plan), type of SEN, age, national curriculum year group, gender, ethnicity, English as a first language and free school meal eligibility. While schools were only open for vulnerable children and the children of key workers on census day, schools were asked to record pupils on roll as if in normal circumstances.' It helpfully highlights two headline facts and figures for 2020/21 as:
and adds:
There are 5 files you can then download, as follows:
Or you can download:
There are also separate individual sections on:
If this is something of interest to you, you can read everything here. 
SUMMER SCHOOLS
Again, Vicky Ford, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, has this week written: 'An Open Letter to Leaders Of Special And Alternative Provision Schools' about summer schools , which says: '"Dear Colleagues, As we approach the end of one of the most challenging and extraordinary academic years in recent history, I wanted to write to you to extend my thanks for your continued dedication. The dedication and adaptability which you and your staff members have shown in uncertain circumstances never fails to amaze me. It has been invaluable in enabling some of the most vulnerable children and young people in special settings and AP across England to attend and re-engage in education, spending as much time in school as possible. As we look ahead to the summer holiday, I am sure that many of you will all be looking forward to the opportunity for a well-deserved rest. I wish you all the best and hope that you and yours have a pleasant time wherever you choose to spend it. I am, however, conscious that many of you are already thinking about how the children and young people that attend your settings can be best supported throughout the summer holiday. I want to use this opportunity therefore to remind you of two key areas of support which the government is offering this summer to pupils in your settings and ask for your cooperation: 1. Summer schools - Firstly, I would like to draw your attention to the £200m of funding which is available for secondary schools to deliver face-to-face summer schools this year to support children with their mental health and wellbeing and to catch up on missed face-to-face learning. For pupils in your settings (special schools, AP or special units in mainstream schools) funding is £1791 per pupil (3x the standard rate) for a two-week summer school (or £179.10 per day). This is in recognition of the importance and increased costs of providing high-quality support for pupils with additional or complex needs and ensuring that they can access the same opportunities as their peers in mainstream settings. Funding for your settings has now been calculated on the basis of 50% of your year 11 cohort, in recognition that your settings generally have few year 7 pupils. For any special settings or AP whose year 7 cohort is larger than their year 11 cohort, those schools’ initial funding allocations will stand. If you haven’t yet decided whether your setting will be running a summer school, I recommend visiting the GOV.UK page, where you can find published guidance and the funding allocation for your setting. The guidance also includes links to potential sources of support in planning and delivering a summer school. You can then confirm whether you will be running a summer school and secure your funding allocation here by 30 June. 2. Holiday Activities and Food – Secondly, I want to remind you of the Holiday Activities and Food programme which will be running once again this summer. We have made up to £220 million available to local authorities to coordinate free holiday provision, providing nutritious food, as well as activities like arts and crafts, sport, and music. The programme offers free places to children in receipt of free school meals in every local authority in England. Local authorities have flexibility to expand the reach of their programme beyond children who are eligible for free school meals, by using their funding to provide subsidised holiday club places. This may include children who are considered by the local authority as vulnerable or in need of this provision. Please contact your local authority for further information and consider advertising this to children and young people in your settings. I myself saw first-hand how local partnerships helped to deliver these excellent schemes last summer. Finally, I would again like to express my appreciation for your continued support, patience and dedication whilst we navigate through these challenging times. Yours sincerely, Vicky Ford MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families" 
ATEST NEWS ONLINE
In terms of the other news, here are a few articles that I found of interest: Is the DfE deliberately ignoring pupils with SEND? Quarter of a million children in England missed school last week due to Covid Our defences are not ready for this tsunami SEND referrals
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get a digital copy of the magazine: Autism Eye which is very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with Autism. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. I understand that there are many educational items, news articles, or other useful resources on the web, so I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that you find that you think that others may find useful, so that I can direct people to them.
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
Created with Quiz Maker
Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 21st June 2021 
Your first reaction is always emotional…
Your first reaction to anything is always an emotional response - it is just human nature, we cannot hide our true initial feelings about anything when we are caught off-guard and not expecting something to happen. We need to realise that this is the same for every one. Some people's initial reactions to things (even just after a few milliseconds), especially when they are upset or angry, is often to try to be a bit 'passive/aggressive' and therefore try to look as though they are fine with things that have happened or been said. However, even though their response might at first seem alright to you or others, their body language, or the deeper and true meaning behind their words, usually gives them away; if you look close enough and pay proper attention to things. If you are really good, you will then be able to see their true and immediate reaction, even if it is very fleeting (called a 'micro-expression'), before they try to cover-up how they truly feel, using the words that they say. And remember, on some rare occasions, you come across people who may be 'passive/passive', but more often you will come across people who seem 'aggressive/aggressive'! But the real reason for me wanting to tell you all of this, is to try and highlight for you that it is our own reactions to things immediately that are also our emotional ones. We can try as best we can to hide them from others, but we should note how we immediately respond to things. We then might find ourselves blaming somebody else for something, only to realise a few seconds later that it was actually our fault, or we may find ourselves criticising somebody or something else, when really we should be the one being criticised, or what we are criticising is just plain wrong! Interesting isn't it? It is fascinating how much insight we can have about others, but how we often don't develop that same level of insight into ourselves and our own reactions to things. So go on, try and catch your own true first reaction to something emotionally - you may be surprised at what you find!
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above,
or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page. 
SEND REVIEW
Ofsted and the CQC (Care Quality Commission) jointly launched a report this week entitled: 'SEND: old issues, new issues, next steps'. It looks at a number of issues, including whether children and young people with SEND and their families have been helped by the changes to the SEND framework brought in by the Children and Families Act 2014. The 'executive summary' states" "Children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), their families and those who work with them have faced significant challenges during the pandemic. The extent to which education, health and care providers in different local areas rose to these challenges to meet children and young people’s needs led to hugely varied experiences. Yet, few of the negative experiences that many children and young people with SEND and their families had during this time are new. There are long-standing issues in the SEND system. The pandemic has highlighted and intensified these issues. It has also deepened the effects that they have on children and young people with SEND. In 2009, in the final report of his inquiry, Brian Lamb called for a ‘radical overhaul’ of the SEND system. The report called for greater ambition for children and young people with SEND. It cited a culture of low expectations and a system that too often failed to deliver what children and their families really needed. The Children and Families Act 2014[ and the subsequent ‘SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years’, also published in 2014, set out some key principles. A very important one was that children, young people and their families should play a much more central part in making decisions about the way in which needs could best be met. This is known as ‘co-production’. Alongside this, there was a strong emphasis on education, health and social care services working closely together to meet children and young people’s needs, rather than as separate entities. It was intended that children’s needs would be identified earlier and that support would continue until the age of 25 where necessary. Ofsted’s area SEND inspection evidence suggests that many local areas have struggled to implement these reforms successfully. From their introduction in 2016 through to March 2020, we routinely found local areas that were not properly implementing the requirements laid out in the code of practice and related legislation. Common weaknesses included:
Many local areas were not clear about who is – or should be – held accountable for services and provision. Problems with the identification and assessment of children and young people’s needs also continued to be prevalent. Successive area SEND inspection reports have commented on a continuing lack of ambition for pupils with SEND. Attendance at school for this group remained below national averages and exclusions were often high. There seemed to be greater opportunities for further education, supported employment, and training for young people with SEND in many areas. However, only a tiny minority ended up in sustained employment. Over time, the number of children and young people identified as having SEND has grown, in all types of settings. Most are educated in mainstream settings, although numbers in state-funded special schools are increasing each year. How well children’s needs are identified varies from one local area to the next, and one setting to another. Sometimes, needs are missed or are not identified accurately. For example, speech, language and communication needs may be identified as moderate learning difficulties. Underachievement, sometimes due to a poorly designed or taught curriculum, is sometimes wrongly labelled as ‘SEND’. Pupils who are not taught to read well in the early stages of their primary education are particularly susceptible to being wrongly identified as having SEND because they cannot access the curriculum. As numbers of pupils with SEND have increased, various stakeholders have questioned the sustainability and sufficiency of funding. Given this context, we know that many children and young people with SEND and their families were already experiencing flaws in the services that they were receiving before the first national lockdown began in March 2020. There were also many existing concerns about their outcomes. The effects of the pandemic and the related lockdowns served to exacerbate these issues enormously. Through our research visits to local areas, schools, early years settings, children’s services providers and further education and skills providers in the autumn term 2020, we found that children and young people with SEND were often not receiving education. Some important healthcare, such as physiotherapy, had also ceased. This left children and young people immobile and sometimes in pain. A lack of speech and language therapy, or communication devices not being available, left them unable to communicate properly. Social care and health-funded respite provision for families had also not been available. Parents and carers told us of their frustration and exhaustion, and sometimes of their despair. A few had found that the relative calm of being at home through the first lockdown had been beneficial for their children. However, this was more unusual. Many children and young people, including those with complex needs, did not attend school or college during the first national lockdown. Some did not have a place in school because they did not have an EHC plan. Some did have a place, but did not attend because their parents were too anxious to send them in. Others could not attend because schools said that their health or personal care needs could not be met. Some received remote education and coped well with this; others did not. When schools and colleges opened fully to all pupils in September 2020, not all those with SENDreturned. Those who did return were sometimes given a narrower curriculum than usual. By the time of the third national lockdown in spring 2021, we heard even greater concerns from parents and carers in the 4 local areas we visited than we had in 2020. For many, life had become more difficult over time. Children and young people, particularly those who had moved to a new school or college in September 2020, were feeling isolated and lonely. The issues that were raised in the autumn term visits to local areas – a lack of health and care provision, inconsistent provision from schools, long waiting times for assessments – continued. Many parents expressed concerns about the now-evident impact of these issues on their children and on their own physical and mental health. Throughout the pandemic, local areas have had to adapt their ways of working frequently and significantly to continue to provide services for children and young people with SEND. The success with which they adapted appeared to be closely related to the quality of their work with families before the pandemic. It also depended on the extent to which they had implemented the 2014 reforms in a way that created the right relationships, systems and structures. Some areas quickly managed to adapt; others struggled. Nevertheless, families clearly appreciated the support and care given to them by individual professionals. Even where systems seemed to be overwhelmed by the challenges of the pandemic, families praised some individuals from education, health, social care or wider children’s services for the great efforts they had put into supporting them. However, although there were areas where professionals managed to adapt well and where different parts of the system worked together effectively, it is evident that children and young people with SEND are now even more vulnerable than they were before. Missing out on education – in some cases, missing vast amounts – means that these children and young people will be further behind their peers. Missed support for physical health, communication needs and mental health has had a seriously detrimental, and in some cases potentially permanent, impact. Some children and young people with SEND have been out of sight of safeguarding professionals. Preparation for adulthood, including for education, employment and training, has been adversely affected. Delays in identifying needs have meant that some children and young people’s needs may not have been properly assessed or even noticed. As recovery from the pandemic begins, we cannot underestimate the importance of good-quality universal services for children and young people with SEND across education, health and wider children’s services, alongside more specialist health or social care support where needed. The availability and effectiveness of these universal services can prevent a child or young person from needing something additional or different. A child or young person should never be labelled as having SEND because of a poor-quality curriculum or ineffective teaching, or weaknesses in universal health or care services. This was something that we saw too frequently in 2010 and, worryingly, something we still too often find. Further reform to the SEND system has become even more urgent than it was before the pandemic." You can read the full report here. (Or you can watch the accompanying video here). 
SOCIAL CARE REVIEW
There was also another report issued this week entitled: 'Case for Change' which was issued by 'The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care in England', whose tagline says it is: 'a once in a generation opportunity to transform the children’s social care system and provide children with loving, safe and stable families.' The best summary that I found was on the National Children's Bureau's website, on a page entitled: 'Children’s social care review makes for ‘depressing reading’, which stated: "Too many previous reviews, reports and researchers have made the same points. We know what’s wrong with the system, what we need is the political will and urgency to change it. The ‘Case for Change’ makes for depressing reading. It is unacceptable that so many children and families are being let down and denied the support that could allow them to enjoy healthy and stable lives. Too many previous reviews, reports and research have made the same points. We know what’s wrong with the system, what we need is the political will and urgency to change it and invest in children’s futures. The Independent Review has again underlined how children’s social care is increasingly focused on investigating serious cases and putting children into care, rather than supporting struggling families to prevent harm from happening in the first place. This isn’t simply the result of a more risk-averse system. It is inescapably linked to the devastating erosion of central Government funding for children’s services over the past decade. There is also an important acknowledgement that children from poorer backgrounds, disabled children, and those from black and ethnic minority communities are often hardest hit by the cuts in early intervention. NCB fully supports the Review’s call for a more effective and compassionate response to families facing conditions of adversity. We cannot avoid tackling thorny issues like poverty and discrimination if we are going to reduce the number of children coming into care, and avoid the spiralling costs of child protection. A co-ordinated strategy from across Government is urgently needed that looks at children’s lives in the round, and brings together work in social care, education, health and SEND. But first we need proper investment in early help and early intervention at this year’s Spending Review. The Review’s analysis is comprehensive, strong and thoughtful – we hope the recommendations will be equally so and acted on swiftly." You can read the full report here. 
LATEST NEWS ONLINE
Not much in the news I'm afraid this week, but here are a few articles that I found of interest: Parents of children with special needs tell Ofsted of Covid despair Care services too focused on investigating families in crisis, says review The ‘catch-up plan’ for schools needs to start with the Department for Education
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get a digital copy of the magazine: Autism Eye which is very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with Autism. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. I understand that there are many educational items, news articles, or other useful resources on the web, so I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that you find that you think that others may find useful, so that I can direct people to them.
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
Created with Quiz Maker
Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 14th June 2021 
Give people the chance to learn from a mistake…
We often say, where children are concerned, that if they make a mistake, we should usually not make a big deal out of it, but rather realise that this was an accident and let them learn from it (or us use it as a way to teach them how they can learn from it). We also know not to do something for them, otherwise they will never learn. Yet how many times do we do this in our personal lives with adults? Too often we are too quick to judge and condemn someone when they just make a mistake. We say to ourselves or others, things like: "They should have known better" or "They are always like that". We sometimes even imagine that they have done it deliberately and not even think that it could have just been a mistake. How often do we really try to put ourselves in their shoes and see things from their perspective? They may have said or done something which they genuinely thought would work and now, not only do they have to face the consequences and disappointment arising out of their actions, but they now also have you judging them for not being good enough! Not only is that twice the amount of hurt or shame, it also means that you will have potentially taken away from them a valuable learning opportunity, as people usually become instinctively defensive when they feel like they are being criticised and, not only then try to justify their actions to you or themselves, but also become more entrenched in believing what they did or said was reasonable and find even harder to then admit that it was a mistake, to you or themselves. And it probably was also a mistake that you would have wanted to learn from, if you had been in their place. So, next time something like this happens to someone around you (adult or child), try not to be too quick to judge them and give them the chance to correct their mistake. It is what you would want somebody to do for you if the roles were reversed.
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above,
or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page. 
THINGS USUALLY COME IN THREES (MORE GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE)
Things usually come in threes, don't they? Well, it's time for more Government guidance/information and this time it is three things at once! I received an email this week from the SEND Division at the Department of Education (DfE), entitled: 'Summer Schools, Transition to employment toolkit & new NSPCC/DfE helpline', which said: "Dear colleagues, There are three things that we would like to draw your attention to this [week]: Summer schools: updated funding allocations and guidance As part of the wider recovery package to support children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing and to support recovery from the impact of missed face-to-face learning, £200m of funding is available for secondary schools to deliver summer schools this year. Over 80% of eligible mainstream schools have now signed up to the programme. To maximise the funding available for special schools and alternative provision settings, we have now calculated their funding allocations on the basis of 50% of their year 11 cohort being offered a two-week summer school, in recognition that these settings generally have few year 7 pupils. For any special schools or alternative provision settings whose year 7 cohort is larger than their year 11 cohort, those schools’ initial funding allocations will stand. Today, we published a form at https://form.education.gov.uk/service/summer-schools-programme, asking schools to confirm their arrangements for their summer school by 30 June. Schools that did not complete the initial sign-up form can still join the programme by completing the June confirmation form. Subject to overall take-up, schools may be able to claim funding to cover additional places and can request this in the June confirmation form. Those schools will be notified quickly of any additional funding, but should plan to deliver their summer school within their published maximum allocation in the meantime. The guidance on summer schools reflects the change to SEND/alternative provision funding. It also confirms the conditions of funding, has an expanded section on academic, enrichment and mental health resources and provides a link to the DfE summer schools webinar which includes input from headteachers and other experts. If you have any questions, please contact us at learning.recovery@education.gov.uk. Transition to employment toolkit launched by Ambitious about Autism and the Autism Education Trust Ambitious about Autism and The Autism Education Trust have today launched a new employment toolkit to support autistic young people into the job market. The Transition to employment toolkit is free to download and aims to prevent autistic young people falling out of education, employment or training when they leave school. The toolkit is not just for young autistic people to use, but also for careers professionals and employers, to help them better understand the needs and skills of young autistic people and support them into further education or work. Sections of the toolkit can be easily downloaded and edited and are designed to be used flexibly. Launch of new NSPCC/DfE helpline for children and young people subjected to unwanted sexual behaviour in an education setting A new UK wide dedicated helpline has been set up by the NSPCC and the Department for Education to support those who may have been subjected to unwanted sexual behaviour or abuse whilst in an education setting. The helpline is equipped to cover personal incidents or concerns for others, and for both recent and historical events. DfE has set-up two social media resource packs on Dropbox containing assets to promote the helpline, one to target children and young people, and another for adults. We ask that education settings, along with wider sector organisations, use these resources on their own channels, and also cascade to their community networks. All amplification would be extremely valued, and ultimately help reach someone who vitally needs this support. Many thanks, Special Educational Needs and Disability Division" 
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON TRIBUNAL HEARINGS (REPORT)
I know that this will not interest/affect everybody, but if it does interest/affect you, I wanted to bring it to your attention, as it is very interesting. The Legal Education Foundation has just produced a report this week entitled: “Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on tribunals: The experience of tribunal judges“ which was commissioned by the Senior President of Tribunals to understand the impact of COVID-19, identify opportunities for improvement and guide future developments. (If you don't know, The Legal Education Foundation is an independent grantmaking foundation that focuses on the role of legal education in helping people understand and use the law as a tool for change, as they know there are many people who cannot obtain justice in relation to everyday problems). The report examines the impact of remote hearings under COVID -19 and sets out 35 recommendations to guide their use as the tribunals move toward recovery and their website says: "The grant-giving charity The Legal Education Foundation has today published research that sheds light on the experience of tribunal judges as they adapted to the use of remote hearings in the early months of the pandemic. The report: “Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on tribunals: The experience of tribunal judges“ was commissioned by the Senior President of Tribunals to understand the impact of COVID-19, identify opportunities for improvement and guide future developments. ... The survey on which the report is based captured the experiences of over 1500 tribunal judicial office holders who were asked to reflect on the remote hearings they had taken part in between March and July 2020. The 35 recommendations presented in the report set out immediate practical and longer- term steps to improve the experience of judicial office holders and to ensure that remote hearings are deployed in a manner that secures safe, effective and efficient access to justice. ... The research gathered the views of judicial office holders on a range of topics including: i.) their satisfaction with the support and guidance they were offered; ii.) their views on the technology that was used, iii.) their perceptions of the impact of remote hearings on the practical and emotional barriers to participation experienced by appellants; iv.) the effect of proceeding remotely on their ability to identify and make adjustments for vulnerable appellants; v.) the influence of remote hearings on the structure of hearings and vi.) any changes to their decision-making process that had occurred in response to proceeding with hearings remotely. The survey also explores the impact of remote hearings on the well-being and morale of judicial office holders. ... The report’s recommendations include:
You can read the full report here. 
LATEST NEWS ONLINE
Again, here are other news articles that I found this week: Is sleep a ‘magic pill’ for teen wellness in a mental health crisis? Girls asked for nudes by up to 11 boys a night, Ofsted finds Unions call for return of masks to secondary classrooms in England After a year at home, children with disabilities deserve priority vaccination ‘Tutors change daily’: headteachers call for schools to control England Covid catchup money
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get a digital copy of the magazine: Autism Eye which is very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with Autism. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. I understand that there are many educational items, news articles, or other useful resources on the web, so I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that you find that you think that others may find useful, so that I can direct people to them.
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
Created with Quiz Maker
Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 7th June 2021 
Be prepared to change your mind…
Sometimes you think that you understand something, but then somebody comes along and presents a different view of the same thing. Human temptation is normally to think that you are right, so that the other person must therefore be wrong. But you must resist this temptation and be prepared to look at things again from a different perspective. You will then usually find, as counter-intuitive as it seems, that both you and the other person may be right. This happened to me this week. In my update last week (below) entitled: 'Don't let is sound like criticism', I presented an argument that we should always be careful not to say something to someone else that sounds like criticism. However, although I thought that I had given it a lot of thought to it before I wrote it, I soon received an email from a reader pointing out to me that criticism can also be constructive and that, in fact, my accompanying cartoon made him think that it is the recipient of criticism who is more at fault than the critic. Of course, this is also correct (although I mainly chose the cartoon because I thought it was funny!) Like the famous quote says: 'When the facts change, I change my mind, what do you do?'
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above,
or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page. 
'CATCH-UP' FUNDING/VACCINATIONS FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE
You'd have thought that with a shorter week because of the Bank Holiday and it also being half-term last week, that there wouldn't be too much for me to report for you this week? Wrong! There has been so much in the news in the past few days that I have again dedicated the first section of this SEN Update to a number of new articles about the issues of 'catch-up' funding/school recovery plans and also the issue of providing a Covid-19 vaccine now to children and young people. Rather than me telling you what has been happening, I will just provide the relevant links here below (I think the headline titles also speak for themselves): 'Catch-up' funding/school recovery plans: What students really want from school catch-up Teaching unions criticise plan to extend school day in England Pupils in England to be offered 100m hours of tuition in Covid catch-up plan Covid catch-up plan for England pupils ‘pitiful compared with other countries School catch-up tsar resigns over lack of funding Are school catch-up plans scuppered by resignation? Providing a Covid-19 vaccine to children and young people: India Covid variant spreading in England’s schools, data shows UK approves Pfizer jab for 12 to 15-year-olds The pros and cons of giving Covid vaccines to UK children School leaders say pupils should be vaccinated as matter of priority 
LONELY IN LOCKDOWN REPORT BY SIBS
I usually use these weekly updates to highlight for you the main things that I have found In the news in the past week, which may affect children and young people with SEN. However, once in a while, I see something else which is related that I also want to highlight for you, which I save to bring to you later. Well, today is one of those weeks, as today I want to highlight the organisation: 'Sibs', which provides a voice and support for siblings of children and young people with SEN, Sibs recently issued a report entitled: 'Lonely Lockdown. Life for siblings of disabled children in the UK', whose title I think also speaks for itself. It highlights the impact the latest lockdown has had on the health and wellbeing of siblings of disabled children. The relevant page on Sib's website says: 'Children and young people growing up with a disabled brother or sister often get less attention from parents and have more worries and responsibilities than their peers. Lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic has created further isolation and challenges for this group of children and young people. Our last survey in May 2020 told us that life had been tough for siblings, and ten months on, we wanted to understand how this latest lockdown had impacted on siblings' health and wellbeing. Many siblings have also become young carers for the first time. "Lonely Lockdown" is a collaboration with UCL family researcher Dr Georgia Pavlopoulou. Sincere thanks to all parents who took the time to share their views with us. Key statistics revealed:
To read the full Lonely Lockdown report go here: Interesting. 
LATEST NEWS ONLINE
And here are the other news articles that I found of interest this week: A sacrificed generation’: psychological scars of Covid on young may have lasting impact Covid: Pupils fell behind again in second lockdown Labour flags concern over outsourcing of England catch-up tuition Tory group demands rethink on recovery plan for English schools Covid has eroded progress by disadvantaged pupils in England, finds study
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get a digital copy of the magazine: Autism Eye which is very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with Autism. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S. I understand that there are many educational items, news articles, or other useful resources on the web, so I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that you find that you think that others may find useful, so that I can direct people to them.
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
Created with Quiz Maker
Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 1st June 2021 
Don't let it sound like criticism...
It's very easy to criticise, isn't it? Sometimes, even if we really mean well when we say something, the other person who we are speaking to, may feel as though they or another person you have referred to, are still being criticised, directly or indirectly. I have actually noticed that a lot of criticism is delivered in an unconscious way much of the time. The person speaking does not think that they are being critical, but the person that they are speaking to, hears it that way, rightly or wrongly. In fact, I could spend a lot of time here discussing the intricacies of interpretation (I am a solicitor, aren't I!), but the simple truth is that, no matter that you may say something with no intention of meaning it to sound critical, another person may not take it that way and believe that you are criticising them or another. They may even take it worse than if they thought that you had criticised them directly, as they may then think even worse of you, because they may feel that you have tried to criticise in an indirect (at best) or underhand (at worst) way. As such, in my humble opinion, you should always first think before saying anything and, if you do choose to say something, you should then choose your words very carefully, knowing that they may be misinterpreted or misconstrued. And remember the wise saying: "If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn..."
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above,
or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page. 
YOU'RE SOMETIMES TOO YOUNG
For some years now there has been ongoing debate about whether summer-born children should be allowed to delay the year of their admission to primary/infants school. This week, the Department for Education released a report entitled: 'Delayed school admissions for summer born pupils (2020)', which comprised of surveys of local authorities and of parents and carers of summer-born children requesting delayed admission to reception. The report's summary states: "This report provides findings from 2 surveys designed to understand:
This research provides an update to research published in 2018 and 2019, providing trends in the number of requests received since 2016. Guidance on school admissions for summer born pupils is available." You can read the full report here. 
PARENT'S SURVEY
Although I drew attention last week to a news article about it, this week I want to highlight another report, the parent's survey conducted by the 'Disabled Children’s Partnership', entitled: 'No End In Sight'. The summary on their website says: "On 14 May, we published the findings of the third survey of our “Parent Panel” on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their families. Our report reveals that, despite the easing of lockdown restrictions, a high proportion of disabled children and their families are still experiencing severe levels of social isolation. Although there has been some improvement for families in terms of accessing support via school or the health service, the difference between current and pre-pandemic levels of support is vast. More than half of families are unable to access therapies vital for their disability. Sixty percent are experiencing delays and challenges with accessing the health service appointments they need. These figures in isolation are concerning, but to an even greater extent alarming when considered in context. A large proportion of families with disabled children have multiple diagnosis culminating in multiple appointments with a variety of services. Lack of support and its impact on parents’ mental wellbeing has been well documented in our two previous survey reports. This survey confirms that anxiety, stress and mental wellbeing levels experienced by our panel are significantly worse than the general population. Consecutive surveys demonstrate that this is an ongoing problem for families rather than a short-term response to the events of the pandemic. The lack of access to multiple services across education and health has been detrimental to the mental health of parents as carers, with their disabled children and wider family persistently isolated. Disabled children and their families are at risk of developing additional long-term health problems, ultimately culminating in adverse outcomes for their future goals and aspirations." You can read the full report here. 
LATEST NEWS ONLINE
And here are the other news articles that I found of interest this week: Abuse helpline takes hundreds of calls, says NSPCC Teachers 'struggle to deal with classroom sexual abuse' DfE had no plan for dealing with a pandemic, says critical report by MPs Ministers urged to release data on Covid variants in English schools Longer school hours won’t plug Covid learning gaps, says Cambridge academic
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get a digital copy of the magazine: Autism Eye which is very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with Autism. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
P.S I understand that there are many educational items, news articles, or other useful resources on the web, so I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that you find that you think that others may find useful, so that I can direct people to them.
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 24th May 2021 
Give yourself time to panic…
That probably seems a bit of a strange thing for me to say, but please bear with me and hopefully things will make sense to you when I have finished! We are all human and things do not always go the way we have planned them to. This may be because of a genuine mistake that we or someone else has made, that could or should have been foreseen, or it may be because of a genuine accident, that nobody could have foreseen. But it is no good at these times for someone (even yourself) to tell you not to panic - that is a completely unnatural reaction or instinct for most people. So, unless you are very experienced and have been through the same or a similar situation before; or are that character in a movie or TV show you saw once, that is always very cool in a crisis, you will panic. (N.B. please note that this is not usually real life and just comes from somebody's imagination as a scriptwriter). But, although we usually panic when something goes wrong, it is about how we then deal with that panic that is important. As I say, there is no good saying don't panic, as we respond with 'fight', 'flight' or 'freeze'. Human nature usually dictates that when we panic, we try to do something quickly to try and stop things before they get any worse. But that often actually makes things harder to come back from than they were before (remember the phrase: 'Be careful what you wish for'). In my view, the best way of handing a crisis is just to accept that you are going to panic and therefore be realistic and give yourself the time to panic. As a result, this additional time (it doesn't have to be for very long) will then give you the space to calm yourself, to look at things as objectively as possible and then to work out the best thing for you to do to resolve the situation as best you can. In fact, that extra time may even be enough time for the crisis to resolve itself naturally. Also, remember to narrow your vision, so that you only focus and concentrate on the thing or things that you need to do and, if you determine that things are going to take more time to sort out, explain what is happening to other people so that they know what you are going through and how long it may take. You may be surprised at how understanding people may be. It's always better also if you can share your crisis with somebody else since, as many people often say, a problem shared is a problem halved. To sum it up, when something bad or unforeseen happens to you, give yourself time to panic and to focus on the problem, then work out what you need to do, then do it!
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above,
or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page. 
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Things were a bit quieter again on the SEN front in the news this week, although there was a bit of discussion/criticism of a few things, which gives food for thought. Although I will direct you as usual below to some other stories in the news online that I found of interest, I thought that I would first also highlight a few of these things here, which I think are also worth taking the time to read: Ofqual: bias against disadvantaged and SEN pupils ‘common’ in assessments Give struggling pupils four years to retake GCSEs, says catch-up tsar Focus on preschools during Covid recovery, UK ministers urged Teachers' grades biased to more 'agreeable' pupils Gavin Williamson to face legal challenges over claims children denied Right to Education during lockdown 
THE AUTISM SHOW
One of the things I used to do when writing these SEN Updates termly/half-termly, was to try and look ahead to forthcoming SEN events. Although, during the past year or so, most 'in-person' events have gone 'online' (usually successfully), with all the Covid-19 related news, I think that I may have overlooked a few things. If so, please accept my genuine apologies. But, in this week's update, I thought that I would draw your attention again to the forthcoming 'The Autism Show' webinar week that is taking place on 14th – 19th June 2021, which says on their website: 'Welcome to The Autism Show: Webinar Week An online learning series: In partnership with the National Autistic Society. The Autism Show has gone digital again to offer you over 30 hours of new online learning, designed to make a positive difference to the autistic children and adults you care for, support or teach. Over six days in June, you will have the opportunity to watch a huge range of webinars live streamed from across the UK and beyond. Our webinars will provide you with the latest autism news and views, practical strategies and approaches, and direct insights from adults on the spectrum. You’ll be able to learn from the experiences of other attendees and have the opportunity to quiz the speakers for personalised advice via the in-webinar chat box. Your ticket also includes 30 day access to stream recordings of all the week’s webinars, so you don’t need to worry about missing any and can watch when it’s most convenient to you. Plus, you can watch a whole host of additional pre-recorded webinars from a selection of autism specialist suppliers. In this, our 11th year, we are particularly excited by our world renowned speaker line-up which includes Dr Temple Grandin, Dr Peter Vermeulen, Carol Gray and Dr Wenn Lawson.' You can find out more and book tickets here: The Autism Show. 
LATEST NEWS ONLINE
And here are the other news articles that I found of interest: Why Ofsted is wrong about TA support for SEND pupils SEND education in crisis as Ofsted and Observer highlight provision and budget shortfalls of over £0.5 billion Ofsted: 9 in 10 parents say their child’s school handled Covid well ASCL comments on Ofsted Parents Survey for 2021 No 10 ‘tried to block’ data on spread of new Covid variant in English schools
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get a digital copy of the magazine: Autism Eye which is very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with Autism. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas. 
P.S I understand that there are many educational items, news articles, or other useful resources on the web, so I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that you find that you think that others may find useful, so that I can direct people to them.
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 17th May 2021 
Don’t offer your advice unless you’re specifically asked for it…
Unfortunately, how often does someone tell us about a problem that they are having, or we find ourselves discussing something that has caught our attention in the news, do we start to offer our perspective or advice, without being asked for it. This often makes a difficult situation much worse than it has to be; for example, because the other person was just wanting to get something off their chest and confide in us, or because the difficult situation that we have identified is actually a very complicated one and our simplistic and often ill-thought out answer is way off the mark, as it only sees things from one perspective. Things are not always what they seem, or just because you haven't seen something, doesn't mean that it hasn't happened. Or you can be interpreted as taking sides if there is an argument, which might well curry favour with the person you seem to be siding with, but may then lose you all credibility with the person on the other side of the argument, or other people who are watching from the sidelines. There will be a perception of 'bias'. I see this all the time I'm afraid, from my position as a lawyer, as there is often not just one 'right' and one 'wrong' in a given situation, but many people on opposite asides of an issue can be both right and wrong on many things (and sometimes even the same thing) at the same time! But, what I really want to highlight for you today, is the need for you not to feel that you have to offer your advice in every situation, unless you are specifically asked for it. Even then, you need to still first look at things from as many different perspectives as you can, before saying anything. In fact, the less you say sometimes, the better, as the more you say, the more it can be interpreted differently to how you meant it, especially if what you say is taken out of context, or another meaning projected onto it. So, as I say, be careful and only offer your advice if you are specifically asked for it.
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above,
or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page. 
SEND REPORTS
I am going to cheat a little this week, by slipping two things into the first section of this update! One is new, but one is about a month old, but is still worth highlighting. The new thing is a press release issued by Ofsted, entitled: 'Some pupils with SEND missing out on specialist support': "A new research report shows that some pupils with SEND in mainstream schools are not getting enough help to support their learning and development. Some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in mainstream schools are not getting enough help to support their learning and development, even when external services are involved, according to a new research report by Ofsted. Read the Supporting SEND report. Published today, the study finds that specialist support from multi-agency services often complements the support offered by schools. Although families and school staff value this external support, it is not always timely or implemented appropriately. Many of the schools and families participating in the research had experienced long wait times and high levels of bureaucracy in the education, health and care (EHC) plan process. In some instances, families were commissioning or paying for additional services themselves. This suggests that the playing field is not level for pupils from poorer backgrounds. Through different case studies, the research identifies important issues that influence how in-school support, therapies and other multi-agency services are provided for pupils with SEND. The findings include the following." The other (not so new) thing that I want to refer to is the report entitled: "Forgotten. Left behind. Overlooked." where the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) recently reported on experiences of young people with SEND. The best summary I have found is on nasen's website, which reads: "The All Party Parliamentary group for SEND have issued their report into the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on educational transitions for young people with SEND. The group collated input from oral evidence meetings and written evidence around young people’s mental health and wellbeing and learning. It is quite challenging reading and has shone a spotlight on some of the inequalities within the education system and how Covid-19 amplified these and left young people with SEND feeling like an ‘afterthought’. The key findings are:
You can read the full report for yourself here. 
UPDATED COVID-19 GUIDANCE
I received another email this week from the SEND Division at the Department of Education (DfE), entitled: 'Updated Guidance for SEND and Specialist Settings', which said: "Dear colleagues, Guidance updates Following the Prime Minister’s statement yesterday regarding the further easing of lockdown restrictions from the 17 May, we have updated our SEND and specialist settings - additional operational guidance: COVID-19. This guidance should be read alongside the main pieces of guidance for schools and post-16: Schools COVID-19 operational guidance and Further education COVID-19 operational guidance, which have also been updated to reflect the upcoming changes. Also updated yesterday was the guidance for Early years and childcare providers, Out of school settings and higher education providers The key changes within the SEND guidance are:
Please see the guidance on the COVID-19 response – Spring 2021 (Roadmap) for additional information. PPE Portal All Special Schools in England are eligible to access the personal protective equipment (PPE) portal provided by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The PPE portal allows eligible providers to order free PPE on a weekly basis for their Coronavirus (COVID-19) PPE requirements. Since January 2020, all special schools will have received an email asking them to register with the PPE portal. Those who have not registered will shortly receive another email invitation from ppeportal.queries@unipart.com. This email invitation will be sent to the email address which your setting used to register with the DfE Get Information About Schools Database. This is the only email address which is eligible to register. Please ensure that you have checked your junk folder. If you have not received the email invitation or would like to change your registered email address, please contact the Customer Service team at 0800 876 6802 who will be able to help support you in registering with the portal. All other settings should refer to the safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care settings guidance to understand how they can access PPE to meet their Covid needs. Many thanks Special Educational Needs and Disability Division" 
LATEST NEWS ONLINE
And here are the other news articles that I found of interest: Pupils in England ‘waiting up to five years for special needs plan’ Helping pupils in England catch up on lost learning will cost £13.5bn – report Councils in England facing funding gaps plan to cut special needs support
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get a digital copy of the magazine: Autism Eye which is very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with Autism. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas. 
P.S I understand that there are many educational items, news articles, or other useful resources on the web, so I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that you find that you think that others may find useful, so that I can direct people to them.
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
Created with Quiz Maker
Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 10th May 2021 
You can’t be good at everything...
Try as we might, we can never be good at everything we put our hand to. There will always be people who are better or worse than us at things and, so too, there will always be things that we are better or worse at than others. We just have to accept this fact, as to do otherwise will just infuriate us, since we will constantly be trying our best to achieve something all the time, but will then find, to our disappointment (and sometimes anger or despair), that somebody has got there before or after us. You will therefore always drive yourself crazy if you think like this - there is no clearer path to madness. So, through a process in life of 'hit and miss' we gradually need to work out what our strengths and weaknesses are and then play to our strengths and minimise our weaknesses. This doesn't mean that we should not still enjoy doing the things we may not be so good at, especially if they bring us pleasure, but we should recognise that we will probably not excel at them and then concentrate our time on things that we can do better. And the irony of all of this is often that, when other people tell us we cannot do something just because they may have seen us try and fail, perhaps a few times, it is sometimes the moment when we then become more determined to prove them wrong and usually ultimately succeed at the things they said we could never do! And a further irony is that we can then use the principles that we learn through these trials and tribulations of achieving this, to be successful at something else!! Yet, despite this, the initial principle usually remains the same - you cannot be good at everything and it is easier if we eventually accept this.
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above,
or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page. 
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK
Thankfully, there was a fair bit of information I saw that I thought I would bring to people's attention this week. In fact, ironically, there was more this week than I could highlight in my first two sections, so I have put more links in the third section under 'Latest News Online'. In this first section, I want to highlight mental health again. I saw that it is 'Mental Health Awareness' this week. We are all very aware of the impact the pandemic this past year or so has had on the mental health of our children and young people. I then realised that, after looking, I had overlooked noting that 'Children's Mental Health Awareness' week was at the beginning of February! However, after some further research, I came across the website for the 'Mental Health Foundation' and there found a number of useful bits of information about 'Mental Health Awareness Week 2021', which the year's theme is 'Connect with Nature'. I found my way to a webpage where you can download a 'Connect with Nature School Pack', which says: "Connecting with nature in a great way you can help young people improve and maintain their mental health and wellbeing. Our ‘Mental Health in the Pandemic’ study found that going for walks outside was one of our top coping strategies and 45% of us said that being in green spaces was vital for looking after our mental health. The Mental Health Foundation’s Peer Education Project is a Secondary School-based project that gives older pupils the tools to deliver mental health lessons to younger pupils. The project has worked with pupils and staff from participating Secondary Schools to create the Connect with Nature School Pack, which is available for all schools across the UK. This school pack will provide the materials and resources needed to support pupils to connect with nature in a meaningful way. The pack is designed to be used in secondary schools, but it has lots of useful information for primary schools too. It is available in English and Welsh. The pack includes:
Hope this helps. 
AREA SEND INSPECTIONS AND OUTCOMES
This week Ofsted also published their official statistics on 'Main findings: area SEND inspections and outcomes in England as at 31 March 2021'. Obviously, you can click on the link if you want to read everything for yourself (there are a number of charts), but they also provide a helpful summary of things, which says: "This is the main findings report for the area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspections and outcomes in England 2021 release. The following are also available:
This release contains:
lmpact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) On 17 March 2020, all routine Ofsted inspections were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, we suspended area SEND inspections and re-visits to local areas that had been required to produce a written statement of action (WSoA). We have included all reports published by 31 March 2021 in this release. Between October 2020 and March 2021, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out a series of interim area SEND visits, visiting 10 local areas across the country. Participating local areas will remain anonymous, but learning has been shared in several thematic national reports. Main findings Since 2016, Ofsted and the CQC have carried out joint inspections of SEND arrangements in 116 of the 151 local areas across England. Just over half (59 out of 116) of the areas inspected have been required to produce and submit a WSoA to Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI). This is an indication of significant weaknesses in the local areas’ SEND arrangements. The proportion of local areas required to produce a WSoA varies across the country. At a regional level, the proportion of local areas with a WSoA ranges from 1 in 4 in London, to more than 4 out of 5 in the East of England. Inspection outcomes have not varied much in the last 3 years. Relatively similar proportions of local areas have been required to produce a WSoA each year, from just over half to under two thirds. Twenty-one local areas have received a re-visit. Inspectors determined that 9 local areas were making sufficient progress in addressing all the significant weaknesses identified during their initial inspection." 
LATEST NEWS ONLINE
And here are the news articles that I found of interest: Call for masks to remain compulsory in England’s schools Popularity at school linked to age position in class – study Secondary school pupils no longer advised to wear masks in class, Williamson confirms Autism more common in children in England than previously thought – study Pupils should keep wearing masks into the summer, Sage told ministers Covid: Poor pupils fall further behind in maths Infection rates dropping in schools: What does the latest data show
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get a digital copy of the magazine: Autism Eye which is very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with Autism. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
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Douglas Silas,
Specialist SEN Solicitor 4th May 2021 
You can't finish something until you start it...
We too often (and too easily) fantasise in our minds about how good something is going to be after we finish it, that we sometimes actually forget to start it in the first place! We then find when we eventually do, that it is by then too late to do everything that we wanted to, or in the way that we wanted to do it, so we then find ourselves with our backs up against the wall, trying to meet a deadline. Actually, I'm not against deadlines - in fact, I think that deadlines are good things. Setting yourself self-imposed deadlines is also important if you really want to get something done. I remember reading once a quote from somebody successful saying that they did not need more time, they needed a deadline! In fact, setting yourself a deadline is especially good where you tell another person (or other people) publicly about it. This is because you are then ultimately accountable to them and so will do whatever you can not to let them down. People say that it's very easy to let yourself down, but it's much harder to let another person down. To meet deadlines properly, you always need to start something as early as possible, workout properly what you have to do, create a timeline and then try and stick to it. You then constantly need to prioritise and re-prioritise, as things usually never go the way you planned. So always build in a little extra time for yourself to do things. Finally, you should always break big tasks down into lots of little ones and do them (successfully) one at a time. You will be amazed later to then look back and see how much you have achieved by doing things in this way, expending much less effort than you had at first thought the overall job would take. But like so many things - you will have to first try to do things in this way and be prepared to fail a few times but be willing to learn from your mistakes, before you will see that it actually works Go on, try it!
In this week's SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
I know how busy everyone always is, so please feel free just to read the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours.
Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss one, you can get my SEN Updates personally by completing your email details above,
or by following me on one of the social media platforms I use (i.e. Twitter/Facebook). You can also share this SEN Update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons, usually to the right or at the bottom of this page. 
YOU CAN END UP IN A DIFFERENT PLACE TO WHERE YOU STARTED
When I started writing this first section, I was intending to share with you an article I had seen on the Council for Disabled Children's website. However, whilst then trying to find the original source of the writing, I found myself reading a number of things on the Department for Education's 'blog' called: 'The Education Hub', with recently published articles entitled: We're making school uniforms more affordable - here's what you need to know Everything you need to know about summer schools What you need to know about Primary School National Offer Day So, I have first provided the above links to the articles, which you may find useful. 
BUT YOU CAN AWAYS GO BACK AGAIN
As I say, I was at first going to share with you an article I had seen on the Council for Disabled Children's website, entitled: 'Minister Ford Publishes Blog on Her Visit to Special Schools and the Impact of the Pandemic on Children and Families',. It reports on the writings from Vicky Ford MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, about her visits to Special Schools during the pandemic. But just because it didn't make it to the first section, I'm still including it here, so you can still read it for yourself if you want to. 
LATEST NEWS ONLINE
There was actually quite a lot of news of interest this week. Here are the news articles that I found useful: Lockdowns hurt child speech and language skills - report Autistic teens face 'barbaric' treatment, parents tell MPs NSPCC child abuse helpline has record call numbers in pandemic Labour says catch-up scheme ‘failing’ as tuition reaches only 1% of pupils in England Ministers urged to ‘come clean’ over pupil funding changes in England Schools struggling to access tutoring programme for disadvantaged children
Again, aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would also remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get a digital copy of the magazine: Autism Eye which is very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with Autism. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas 
How useful do you find my SEN Updates?
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