By Julian Rose I want to share the journey that led me from quietly trusting the financial systems behind children’s services to actively challenging them. It’s a story about what happens when public funding shrinks, private profit steps in, and vulnerable children fall through the cracks. More importantly, it’s about how that realisation sparked the Read More
Author: L.How
Stop Branding School Culture. Start Hearing It.
By Dr Jon Morris In recent years, we’ve seen a growing trend of reducing culture to neat, one-word slogans to sum up school culture like learning culture, power culture, strong culture, or effective culture. We’ve even seen leadership consultants and school improvement experts offering silver-bullet solutions—the one thing supposedly missing from a school’s culture. While Read More
The Call for Compassionate Leadership
By Anne Kyle I had the job many people aspire to. An executive leadership role in education, earning over £90,000 a year. A large regional reputation. A proven record of transforming vulnerable schools, leading large teams, and changing lives… …and yet, I walked away. Not because I couldn’t do it. Not because I stopped caring. Read More
What Makes a Sweary SENCo? Volume 1
10 Witty (but Worryingly Honest) reasons which highlight our current challenges. Each week, I ask SENCos in my Facebook Group what has made them become a Sweary SENCO. Here is an analysis and overview of the common themes and issues from the last 5 weeks. (please note that all the names have been changed on Read More
Dyslexia: Pupil Voice For Effective Support
by Margaret Rooke Children with dyslexia need to believe they can and will succeed. This will help them with learning, behaviour, motivation, school attendance, relationships, feelings of self-worth and so much more. Incorporating pupil voice within their support is a key factor in achieving this. Leaving school with their self-belief intact is so important when Read More
Pupil Mental Health: 5 Issues We’re Facing Now
As an educator, one thing that continues to concern me is pupil mental health. It’s become a growing issue in schools, and there’s no magic wand to fix it and there is no money to throw at the problem. Children are struggling, and if we don’t pay attention to the warning signs, we risk letting Read More
Education Support’s Teacher Wellbeing Index 2024
Positive Young Minds and The Sweary SENCo are proud to support Education Support in their work for teacher wellbeing and mental health. Here is the press release for their latest Teacher Wellbeing Index: This year’s Teacher Wellbeing Index includes new insights on the impact of pupil and parent behaviour on staff morale and wellbeing. Staff Read More
Reasonable Adjustments For Our Pupils With Autism
The back to basics approach by Rebecca Clapcott (Awesome Archie Non-Profit). Over the last 4 years of supporting local mainstream schools to be neuro-inclusive, we have received one repeatedly asked question. “We simply don’t have enough funding, so how can we effectively support our pupils with Autism?” I share this to reassure you. If you Read More
The Menopause Has Got Me!
I rarely share my personal ‘stuff’ but… Please read on for a tongue in cheek account of what is going on for me at the moment. This year has been a massive challenge for various reasons but also because there was an underlying factor I wasn’t aware of, which exacerbated everything. This issue creeps up Read More
SENCo CPD: A lot about a little or a little about a lot?
To be a good Primary SENCo do you need to know a lot about a little or a little about a lot? Rachel Mackay shares her insights in this blog for the new term. SENCo CPD comes in many different forms, and you don’t always have to go on a course to learn more. This Read More