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Special Needs Jungle, In Conversation

Special Needs Jungle, In Conversation

By Special Needs Jungle

Join Special Needs Jungle's Renata Blower, Tania Tirraoro and team, in conversations about current issues and interesting aspects around special educational needs and disabilities. The team will be chatting with a variety of voices from the world of SEND, explaining, exploring and educating on everything you need to know. The programme is also available in vision on YouTube.
Theme credit: Luca Tirraoro
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SNJ In Conversation: Race, discrimination, exclusion and intersectionality in SEND

Special Needs Jungle, In ConversationAug 06, 2020

00:00
51:43
SNJ in Conversation with Dame Christine Lenehan
Sep 27, 202346:33
What are Labour ‘s plans for SEND? We speak to Helen Hayes MP
Aug 15, 202347:08
SNJ in Conversation with Carrie Grant: Supporting children at the intersection of SEND, Race and Gender Identity
May 11, 202352:04
SNJ in Conversation with public lawyer, Steve Broach: SEND Law in 2023
Mar 13, 202353:19
SNJ in Conversation with Will Quince MP, Children & Families Minister
Jun 23, 202243:58
Growing Up Disabled, with Siena Castellon and George Fielding

Growing Up Disabled, with Siena Castellon and George Fielding

On this episode of SNJ in Conversation, young disability campaigners, Siena Castellon and George Fielding talk to Special Needs Jungle's Renata Blower, discussing their lives, their achievements, what it was like growing up with a disability and the challenges that has presented. They offer advice for other young people - and their parents. Find the main post for this podcast on the SNJ website https://wp.me/p3S8eh-7y4

Dec 17, 202153:39
How is Ofsted supporting & evaluating SEND provision during the pandemic?
Nov 23, 202001:01:01
The Teaching Assistant What's their role & how can schools use them effectively?

The Teaching Assistant What's their role & how can schools use them effectively?

The teaching assistant is vital to enable many children with SEND to be in mainstream schools. But often teachers have had no training in using them to the best effect, and with no minimum standards, quality training for TAs can be hard to find. SNJ's Tania chats with Assistant Professor Rob Webster of UCL's Institute of Education, and Bren Prendergast, specialist teacher and trainer, about research into TAs and what needs to happen to improve training

Don't forget to take the SNJ SEND Autumn Survey about your child's provision, whether they're in school and 


Theme tune by Luca Tirraoro


Oct 15, 202042:05
SEND LAW AND EOTAS - PART 2: What's happening with SEND Law right now? And why you mustn't confuse EOTAS with home education.
Oct 02, 202036:29
SNJ in Conversation: SEND law now and EOTAS
Oct 01, 202032:50
SNJ In Conversation: SEND training for SENCOs and school leaders with Anne Heavey and Hannah Moloney

SNJ In Conversation: SEND training for SENCOs and school leaders with Anne Heavey and Hannah Moloney

On this episode of SNJ In Conversation, Tania Tirraoro chats to Anne Heavey, Director of Whole School SEND, and Hannah Moloney, expert SENCO and Dyslexia specialist, who've all created a resource for school leaders to improve their SEND knowledge. The discussion includes a brief history of SEND and why training in the UK is so far behind that in some other countries. Find the article that goes along with this video at https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/snj-in-conversation/

Aug 23, 202039:54
SNJ In Conversation: The online Oak Academy and how it's developing its SEND offer
Aug 13, 202029:53
SNJ In Conversation: Race, discrimination, exclusion and intersectionality in SEND
Aug 06, 202051:43
SNJ In Conversation with Dame Christine Lenehan, Director of the Council for Disabled Children

SNJ In Conversation with Dame Christine Lenehan, Director of the Council for Disabled Children

Tania and Renata from SNJ chat with Dame Christine Lenehan, Director of the Council for Disabled Children about children's social care, what the pandemic has revealed, and what needs to change. 

You can find the original post for this episode here on Special Needs Jungle 

The CDC describes itself as, "the umbrella body for the disabled children's sector bringing together professionals, practitioners and policy-makers." In other words, it's the lynchpin of the SEND sector and is, in turn, part of the National Children's Bureau.  Special Needs Jungle is also a member of the CDC.

Christine has been involved with supporting disabled children for 40 years, including authoring a number of Government reviews. So, if there is someone who knows everything there is to know about the history of SEND, it is Christine. Renata and I caught up with her via Zoom, for a wide-ranging discussion covering children's social care, the SEND reforms, what's gone wrong and what the CDC is doing to try to fix things.

Jun 28, 202045:24
How can disabled children's education still be protected during Coronavirus?


How can disabled children's education still be protected during Coronavirus?


Public Law Barrister, Steve Broach, chats with Renata Blower and Tania Tirraoro of Special Needs Jungle about the Coronavirus Act legislative changes to SEND law and what families of children with special educational needs and disabilities remain entitled to to help support them whether they are back in school or still trying to learn online at home

May 31, 202050:04
SNJ In Conversation: Awesome and Autistic in a post-pandemic world
May 27, 202034:17
Coronavirus and children's 
mental health, 
issues explored & 
top tips to help
May 17, 202036:21