Feather&Stone SEND

“Your patience, understanding, and dedication make such a huge difference every single day... We really appreciate the care, effort, and heart you put into helping _ feel safe, understood, and able to thrive”
Parent feedback 💗

A big win today!
Finally a family were issued with an EHCP and adequate funding for their child. Only 4 years after they initially applied 👀
6 weeks working with me and we now have an EHCP and funding to include all eduction and therapies for the child.
It’s important you have someone who knows what they’re talking about and not be afraid of quoting the law.

Very happy parents, happy school and most importantly, happy and well supported child ⭐️

If you need help applying for an EHCNA for your child. Chat to me 📩

Don’t forget the kids who are doing the extra work.

The kids whose days don’t end with the final bell, the kids whose breaks don’t follow a school calendar.

The kids who spend their afternoons being shuttled to speech, or PT, or OT.

The kids whose schedules include services and therapies, on top of everything else.

The kids who need extra help and support.

The kids who are struggling to overcome barriers—whether physical, mental, or emotional.

The kids who don’t follow the typical schedules, hit the expected milestones, take the traditional path.

The kids who might need different strategies and tools to help them learn.

These kids are working so hard, too.

They’re tired, too, even if their successes seem smaller or maybe even completely unnoticeable to most.

There likely aren’t any awards for them at the end of the year, or special recognition for how far they’ve come.

But take it from me—they are working SO dang hard.

Don’t forget to acknowledge their efforts.

Because what might be a small hurdle on the track for most kids, could be a Herculean task for a kid who has to try 10 times harder just to make it to the starting line.

These kids might not excel in traditional ways, but there’s nothing unexceptional about them.

Because they work harder for every win, and they don’t take a single one for granted.

So … the Schools White Paper — the one meant to deal with reforming the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system — has been delayed. 

It’s not really a surprise, is it?

Because this is what happens in SEND every day. For years.

We’ve all watched as SEND becomes visible when the cost balloons, the outrage builds, the pressure mounts. Then cuts are announced, services are squeezed, families who rely on statutory rights like an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) face endless uncertainty. Once the noise dies down, SEND quietly goes back into its box until someone else says: “Look how much we’re spending! We must do something.”

And where does that leave the families? Many have had to endure (yes, I’ll use that word) the possibility of losing their child’s EHCP, with no clear information about what will happen if that happens. They’ve had to swallow the headlines about “how much they cost,” about “over diagnosis,” about “bad parenting” because “we had none of this in my day” (in the same era when children were routinely smacked or locked away for being autistic or neurodivergent).

And all this time: promises. “We are listening,” they say. We — the SEND campaigners, the parents — ask: “Okay, but what are you going to *do*?”

The current government has had years in opposition to shape a rough plan for SEND. They have been in power for over a year and here we are — not an inch further than before. Not even a centimetre. Instead, what have families got? More worry. More scrutiny. More threats.

And now: a delay to the White Paper. The official spin: more time to listen, co-create, test proposals.  Good. In theory. But in practice: when will that listening result in meaningful change? When will the system stop treating parents as cost-centres instead of people with children and lives?

So, where is the apology from Bridget Phillipson? Where is the dignified recognition of the harm this broken system has caused? Where is a well-thought-out, fully costed, fully resourced plan for SEND families?

This delay is more than a missed deadline. It’s another marker of how SEND is still sidelined until it becomes inconvenient. Until it’s expensive. Until someone shouts loud enough. Until it suits a narrative of “we must cut this because of the cost burden.”

Parents and families deserve better. Our children deserve better. The system deserves a reset — and not just in words or consultations, but in action.

Emma
The Autistic SENCo
♾️

Roz Savage MP

👏

❤️

“What should I practice with my child over summer?” Is a question I get asked a lot.

I know it’s tempting to jump into next years content but nothing will be more beneficial than consolidating all they have learnt this past year.

You can never go wrong with consolidating topics and over learning!
A great way to do this is by demonstrating conceptual understanding, breaking something down into its smallest parts then representing it in different forms.

Get practical with it. Sure you need to write it down but also get out in the garden, find the correct number of stones you need and physically make it. Paint it, draw it, act it out!

Here’s a quick example:

Heading off to @glastofest with the two #cherubs today, so here’s a little post about the joys of #SEN parenting. Recorded at The @backyardcomedyclub for Mary Bourke: Who Cares? on @bbcradio4. #comedy #standupcomedy #autism #audhd #ehcp #parenting #parents

Phonics, phonics, phonics!

Up to your eyes in split diagraphs, triagraphs, pheonemes and graphemes?!
So are dyslexic pupils.

As most of us know, phonics doesn’t work so well for those with dyslexia.
It’s hard to remember all those parts to a word and what they all mean when you’re just trying to recall and remember the word in the first place.

I prefer to focus on the stuff they need to know rather than the jargon. Split diagraphs are tricky but it’s helpful to know 2 letters can make one sound.
Here’s a way it could be done - finding letters and pictures in magazines and making real life connections to names of people you know and things you know about.
Could they call it a split diagraph if I asked what one was? Maybe not.
But do they know now that 2 letters can make 1 sound? Yes they do.
Can they have a go at reading and writing those words now? Yes they can.

Can you guess which classic book this a picture of?

You can be sure to knock the love of reading out of a child by asking them to answer 30 questions on a text every day.

Children can show they comprehend in so many different ways and creating art it one of them.
Starting with a blank page and adding detail about a setting as you go demonstrates understanding of settings, character descriptions and authors intent.

🕷️

Supporting every child with the soft touch of understanding and a strong foundation of knowledge.

SEND Consultancy for home, school and bespoke tutoring.

Each child is an individual and it's time we taught them with that in mind.
The bespoke tutoring I offer is not photocopied straight from a text book. I take the time to get to know your child and their strengths.
Strengths? Yes, by utilising strengths I can tap into what your child is good at and passionate about from there we can focus on weaker areas.
Each tutoring session is completely bespoke and utilises my vast classroom experience and specialist teacher expertise.

So what do I offer?
- 1:1 tutoring with a plan made by me and agreed by you
- Small group tutoring of 2/3 children with similar needs
- Play based tutoring for EYFS or children working within the early years goals
- Small steps tutoring for neurodiverse learners who are working on The Engagement Model
- 1:1 tutoring for 11+ examinations for neurodiverse pupils who need explicit teaching of how to read, interpret and answer
- Dyslexia and Dyscalculia support

Reach out to me with your specific circumstances and we can make a plan which suits your child and their learning style.

Hey!
Glad you're here!
If you're looking for SEND support and consultancy for your child then look no further.

Who am I?
I'm a Specialist Teacher with almost 10 years of classroom experience working across a variety of schools, specialist, mainstream and independent. I'm also a qualified and practising SENCO.

How can I help?
Navigating an EHCNA process? Not sure how to word it? Not getting much help from school? I can help you with that.

Is the whole process become a complete mind-boggling experience and you can't untangle the web of jargon and acronyms to make sense of it all? I can help you with that.

Feeling a disconnect between home and school and would like some independent advice and recommendations? I can help you with that.

Recently been inundated with specialist reports that mean nothing in terms in terms of every day practice? Need someone to read through the nonsense and lay it out for you in an actionable plan? I can help you with that.

Want some help advocating for your child? Someone to take the time to understand absolutely everything about them and their journey so far and help you feel empowered and knowledgeable enough to advocate for them? I can help you with that.

Need someone with contacts who can recommend you to a variety of the best specialists in the area that aren't just out for a quick cash grab via zoom? I can help you with that.

Does your child need a bespoke learning approach through tutoring? I can help you with that.

Drop me a message, I look forward to working with you and getting the very best for your child.