Advertise on podcast: SEND in the Spotlight

Listeners take the starring role this week as we get answers to your queries from a group of people with a wealth of experience and expertise. They don't give out legal advice but they aim to help you determine your rights and what you are entitled to, for your child. Nuala McGovern welcomes back Carrie and David Grant, BAFTA award winning broadcasters and parents of four children with SEND. Eleanor Wright is a solicitor with SOS!SEN, a charity which helps parents and families of children with SEND to access their rights to an education. Kelly Mooney is an Assistant Head and SENCO of a state nursery and primary school rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted in 4 of the 5 categories. She has 25 years experience working with children with SEND. And in the spotlight this episode is 11 year old Amaya from Norfolk. Her mum Colette wanted to celebrate her daughter's environmental actions on the beach near her home. Email the podcast with your experience, or to suggest someone who should be in the spotlight - [email protected] Presenter: Nuala McGovern Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson Digital AP: Mahima Abedin Editor: Emma Pearce Produced by BBC Audio

What works to help children with SEND to go into school, and what should happen when they don't? Nuala McGovern speaks to Jayne Lowe, an Attendance and Behaviour Advisor to the government. She helped to write its official guidance, and is helping to get new Attendance and Behaviour Hubs off the ground. We're joined again by actors and SEND parents Kellie Bright and Anna Maxwell Martin, who campaigns on these issues. BBC Education reporter Hazel Shearing has all the facts and figures on attendance and fines. Plus we put 22 year old Nadia from Nottingham in the spotlight. She has mosaic Down Syndrome, and has made huge progress in getting to college independently. Email the podcast with your experience, or to suggest someone who should be in the spotlight - [email protected] Presenter: Nuala McGovern Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson Digital AP: Mahima Abedin Editor: Emma Pearce Produced by BBC Audio

Many parents feel they need to go to battle with their local authority in the attempt to get their children's special educational needs met. In this episode we hear directly from those working for local authorities to help us see the world through their eyes. Julie Ely, Assistant Director of Education, SEN and Admissions at Kensington and Chelsea Council in London, talks to Nuala McGovern about how that council approaches its SEND obligations. Rebecca - not her real name - tells us what it's like to be both a SEND mum and a SEND caseworker for a different local authority. We'll find out more about the challenges they face and how the pressures have changed as caseloads have increased. With the reality of limited resources, both financial and human, what is it like making decisions that will profoundly affect a child's future? And what suggestions do they have to improve the system from the inside? BBC education reporter Kate McGough joins us again to talk funding, delays and what the government is doing about both. And we put 17 year old Stephen in the spotlight, finding out why he won Contact's Proudest Moment award. Email the podcast with your experience, or to suggest someone who should be in the spotlight - [email protected] Presenter: Nuala McGovern Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson Digital Producer: Olivia Bolton Executive Editor: Karen Dalziel Produced by BBC Audio

Tom Rees is advising the Government on how to do inclusion well. Nuala McGovern speaks to him about chairing the Department for Education's Expert Advisory Group on Inclusion. Tom is a former primary teacher and headteacher, now CEO of Ormiston, one of the UK's biggest chain of academy schools, plus he's dad to a son who has Down's Syndrome. Also with us this week is Marsha Martin, founder and CEO of Black SEN Mamas - a network of over 7,000 families across the UK and beyond, and Kellie Bright, SEND mum and actor. We hear from Helen, a teacher and SENDCO who wants to talk about perhaps something unexpected - when mainstream inclusion works TOO well. In the spotlight this week is 7 year old Will from Doncaster, who's taught himself to swim. Get in touch with the podcast by emailing [email protected] Presenter: Nuala McGovern Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson Digital Producer: Olivia Bolton Executive Editor: Karen Dalziel Produced by BBC Audio

Christmas can be a time of great togetherness. It can also mean sensory overload and general overwhelm, plus changes to routine and health and care arrangements. Andy and Gaz from the AutismDadCast share how they plan to make it a bit more manageable this year. Also joining Nuala McGovern is Katie Ghose from Kids charity, which supports children with a wide range of disabilities. Katie offers her tips on what can help your family across the festive season - including the value of a half-wrapped gift. In the spotlight this week is Elvi, a young disabled woman for whom it is Christmas 365 days a year. We hear from Elvi and her mum Sam. And BBC education reporter Kate McGough is back with a SEND roundup of the year. Get in touch with the podcast by emailing [email protected] Presenter: Nuala McGovern Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson Digital Producer: Olivia Bolton Executive Editor: Karen Dalziel Produced by BBC Audio

It's just four letters, but getting an EHCP - Education Health and Care Plan - for children with special educational needs and disabilities can be a long and frustrating battle. In this episode we explain how to get one and what it means when you do. Joining Nuala McGovern are the actor and parent Anna Maxwell Martin and Jade, who over the past year has been through the process of obtaining an EHCP for her son. She'll tell us what she learned in what she calls 'the toughest year of her life'. BBC education reporter Hazel Shearing explains why the future of EHCPs is uncertain, and Alex Stafford from IPSEA - Independent Provider of Special Education Advice - takes us through each step in applying for an EHCP, including the challenges parents can mount when things don't go their way. Plus we put Mrs Robinson in the spotlight, as Alice and her two teenage sons show their appreciation for an amazing teacher. Get in touch with the podcast by emailing [email protected] Presenter: Nuala McGovern Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson Digital Producer: Olivia Bolton Executive Editor: Karen Dalziel Produced by BBC Audio

It's a defining moment in the SEND story. The government will publish its delayed Schools White Paper in the New Year, and is now conducting an extended listening exercise on the changes it could contain. School Standards Minister Georgia Gould joins Nuala McGovern to lay out the complexity of the work ahead, and answers criticism from parents, educators and workers in the sector. Also with Nuala in the SEND in the Spotlight studio, three parents who know the system from the inside out - actors Kellie Bright and Anna Maxwell Martin, plus Jason, who's been to tribunal three times to try and get his children the support they need. BBC Education reporter Kate McGough gives the lowdown on how we got here, and we put nine-year-old Henry, who's autistic, in the spotlight - he's been called the kindest boy in Burnley, and he's also one of the most entrepreneurial! Get in touch with the podcast by emailing [email protected] Presenter: Nuala McGovern Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson Digital Producer: Olivia Bolton Executive Editor: Karen Dalziel Produced by BBC Audio

The special educational needs system is widely considered to be broken. Put simply, demand is outstripping supply, and too many children are being left without the support they need or having to go to school far away from home. As the government embarks on an overhaul of the SEND system in England, in this podcast from BBC Woman’s Hour, Nuala McGovern asks: How can every child learn and thrive? Nuala will examine the facts about what’s already being offered, what’s wanted and what’s affordable. She’ll hear personal stories from families and supporters and seek accountability from the people and organisations with the power to fix the system. Featuring high-profile parents, including actors Anna Maxwell Martin and Kellie Bright, SEND in the Spotlight aims to reimagine the future of SEND. Share your story with us: [email protected] SEND in the Spotlight is a Woman’s Hour podcast. Episodes are published on Mondays on BBC Sounds. Note: In Scotland the system is called ASN, Additional Support Needs; In Wales it's ALN, Additional Learning Needs; In Northern Ireland it is known as the SEN register, that is the Special Educational Needs Register. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson Executive Editor: Karen Dalziel