Yes there is OFSTED – yes there are SATs and League tables – but what really matters to you and your team when it comes to children and their inclusion in your school community?

We all know times of vulnerability, however we defend ourselves from these feelings with our thoughts and behaviour. Some of us try to be hard or tough with all around them, others hurt ourselves with words or actions. Vulnerability is not always obvious and certainly hard to navigate around someone you really care about. Errors in thinking in face of such vulnerability can easily occur as a direct result of painful, traumatic experiences especially those experienced in the early years of life. Building on the ideas of Karen Treisman we have created a compass to help with navigating this complex terrain.

‘Final gratitude to Suffolk. To the younger boys, the lost ones, who never seem to find their way home.’  – Midwinter by Fiona Melrose

Writing as a boy who grew up in Suffolk and who never lost his home even though he moved some way away – these words are striking. I learned much about love, family, faith and belonging in Suffolk – lessons never forgotten.

Should we try and get rid of anxiety? Freud noticed the protective function of anxiety as an indication of danger. He distinguished it from shock, the encounter with a violence or sexuality that we had not been prepared for.

Should we really be asking: What function does anxiety have?

Local Authorities across the UK are rocking out of control with too many EHCP requests to be processed. EHCP is the over used currency for extra special provision in mainstream or special education and everyone knows it… including deeply concerned parents and carers. The currency is rapidly losing value.  Maintaining quality, hitting targets having sufficient personnel to process – the whole system is badly creaking.  Ask anyone in any Local Authority concerned with special educational needs. All of this is a terrible distraction from the real business of supporting inclusive education. 

What does it really take for a headteacher to fully believe in inclusion?

I asked a very inclusive headteacher who is too modest to be named – but she runs one of the most inclusive Primaries in the UK – dubbed outstanding for inclusive practice from none other than Richard Reiser.

How To Make Your Aging Parents Feel Comfortable With Carers

(GUEST POST)

In time, your parents will need to face the reality that they can’t perform what their young bodies could usually do, and this could make them feel unstable and uneasy. With the help of a carer, it would certainly make things easier for you and for your parents to adjust. Sometimes, however, they might feel uncomfortable with the carer. Here’s how to make your aging parents feel comfortable with carers:

How Life Coaching Can Help Young Teens Get Back On Track

 (GUEST POST)

 The world that teenagers live in today is much more complicated than many years back. There seems to be so much pressure from everywhere around them to live seemingly perfect lives. If you don’t wear the latest fashionable clothing, you get bullied. If you don’t drive the nicest car, you can’t get the girls. If your social media posts don’t show that you wake up looking like a superstar, or that you are on a beach holiday, you don’t fit in.

How often do we feel stuck when trying to include a child or young person? This gets more pressing when their behaviour really presses everyone’s buttons! So often we will reach out to experts – advisors, therapists, psychologists and other service land people. They of course are full of great advice…

What we still in 2019 forget to do is – ask our best and ever-present resource – free at the point of delivery – ask the children!