Compass

03/10/2026

Draft documents set out examples of what might be seen as ‘reasonable’ and ‘unreasonable’ adjustments for pupils with SEND, as part of the government’s drive to increase inclusion in mainstream schools

23/09/2026

Can you help us reach your local councillors? 📣

We're inviting councillors to join our free webinar ‘Understanding SEN law: what every councillor needs to know’ on 20 October.

Councillors play an important role in the decisions that affect children and young people with SEND. This webinar will help them better understand the SEND legal framework and the challenges many families of children and young people face in securing support.

We're also asking councillors to complete a short survey before the webinar to help us better understand their knowledge of SEND law. The survey closes on 2 October.

We've created a template email on our website to make it quick and easy to get in touch.

Find out more: https://www.ipsea.org.uk/encourage-your-local-councillors-to-attend-our-send-law-webinar

21/09/2026

⭐️ WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK! ⭐️

Please see our flyer below for details of this weeks events!

For more information visit our website:

➡️ https://reachingfamilies.org.uk

Or email us:

➡️ [email protected]

18/09/2026

Parents and carers 📣

Join us for our Introduction to SEND law training on 23 September, delivered by a member of our legal team virtually via Zoom.

Thanks to a donation from The National Lottery Community Fund Awards for All, we are pleased to offer this training to parents, carers and young people who are unable to access a full cost place at an IPSEA parent/carer training event. Please note, a £10 deposit will be payable at the time of booking, and this will be refunded to you once you have attended the training.

To find out more, and to book a place, visit: https://www.ipsea.org.uk/Pages/Events/Category/upcoming-training-events-for-parents-and-carers

17/09/2026

11/09/2026

Upcoming SEND law training for parents and carers this September and October📣

Join us for one of our virtual training sessions delivered by a member of our legal team. Our training is designed to help families of children and young people with SEND secure the education their child is entitled to by law.

Thanks to a donation from The Peter Harrison Foundation, we are pleased to offer our Introduction to SEND law training to parents, carers and young people in the South East of England (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and West Sussex) who are unable to access a full cost place at an IPSEA training event. A £10 deposit will be payable at the time of booking, and this will be refunded to you once you have attended the training.

Book your place today: https://www.ipsea.org.uk/Pages/Events/Category/upcoming-training-events-for-parents-and-carers

01/09/2026

Parents and carers 📣

Join us for our 'SEND law and young people (post-16)' training day on 8 September.

The training is delivered live via Zoom, and is designed specifically for parents/carers of children who are approaching or above compulsory school age (post-16).

Find out more and book: https://www.ipsea.org.uk/Event/send-law-and-young-people-post-16-8-september

28/08/2026

☀️ BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: BRAND NEW TO SUNSHINE! ☀️

We have been BURSTING to announce this one.

The incredible Cathy Wassell, founder and CEO of Autistic Girls Network and founder of The Haven, is joining Sunshine Support for a brand-new webinar:

An Introduction to Alexithymia 💛

And if you're currently thinking…

“Alexi-WHAT?!”

…that's exactly why we need this webinar.

Alexithymia is widely misunderstood and, for many families, could be a missing link in understanding their child.

💛“What are you feeling?”
💛“What's wrong?”
💛“Are you anxious?”
💛“Why are you upset?”

Imagine being asked those questions when you genuinely DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER.

Alexithymia can affect someone's ability to recognise, distinguish and describe their own emotions. And when we don't understand that, we can completely misunderstand what we're seeing.

💛 The child who seems absolutely fine… until suddenly they're overwhelmed.
💛 The teenager who answers “I don't know” every time you ask what's wrong.
💛 The emotions chart that simply DOESN'T help.
💛 The person who recognises distress only once it's become enormous.
💛 The adult who has spent decades wondering why everyone else seems to understand their feelings more easily.

Cathy will help us explore alexithymia, interoception, emotional regulation and the neurodivergent brain, and crucially, what this understanding means for how we support children AND adults.

Cathy isn't interested in awareness for awareness's sake. She's on a mission for TRUE understanding.

Because our children need it.

And quite frankly, so do many of us adults. 💛

🔥 We have a feeling this one is going to be VERY popular, so please don't wait until we're posting “last few spaces” to decide you wanted to come!

🎟️ BOOK NOW:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-introduction-to-alexithymia-tickets-1998435266679

25/08/2026

Wow!