Neurospicy

10/08/2026

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10/08/2026

21/07/2026

📚 A new Education Secretary. A new opportunity?

Lucy Powell MP has now become Education Secretary.

I've spent some time looking into her background, particularly her connection to SEND.

Here's what I've found:

• She isn't new to education. She has previously been Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Shadow Minister for Childcare and Early Years.

• She sat on the Education Select Committee during its major inquiry into the SEND system, so she has already heard extensive evidence about the challenges families face.

• She has consistently supported early intervention, school readiness and maintained nursery schools, recognising the importance of identifying and supporting children early.

• She has spoken about improving accountability across education and making the system work better for children.

What I haven't found is a strong public record of her taking a position on the issues many SEND families are most concerned about, such as EHCP rights, tribunal access, EOTAS or other statutory protections.

That means, for me, there is both uncertainty and opportunity.

Lucy Powell already knows the evidence. She knows the current system is under immense pressure. The question now is whether she will truly listen to children, families, schools and professionals before making decisions that could affect the legal rights of some of the most vulnerable children in our education system.

Families shouldn't have to keep proving there is a crisis. The evidence already exists.

I genuinely hope her first step is to listen.

I'll be following her decisions closely and sharing updates as we learn more.

19/07/2026

This August, join us in Colchester for a fun-filled family day out with FREE entry! 😍

Expect an inflatable village including bouncy castles, ice cream vans, licensed bar, exciting games, a variety of food stalls and sweet treats, face painting, entertainment, a Car Show and everything else you'd want from a fantastic summer fete - plus the return of the Fun Day Dog Show! There will be plenty for all ages to do, see, and enjoy 🥳

RSVP here: https://bit.ly/4pgpQzW 🎉

18/07/2026

I’m beginning to work with more families with EOTAS packages and although this isn’t new to me it is a fascinating part of alternative provision for children and young people.

I am currently reading Open consultation SEND reform: education otherwise than at school – what parents and carers of children and young people need to know EOTAS (also know as EOTIS -in school)

Here are my initial thoughts.

One statistic immediately stood out to me: over 90% of children receiving EOTAS are over the age of 11.

Are children’s needs becoming more complex? Or are schools becoming less able to meet those needs as academic demands increase, social expectations become more complex and the transition to secondary approaches? Understanding why so many children reach crisis point during late primary education should be central to any reform.

Earlier support

The consultation highlights earlier identification and support. While this is welcome, it is not a new principle.

The SEND Code of Practice has, for many years, promoted:

* early identification,
* graduated response,
* Assess, Plan, Do, Review,
* early intervention.

The issue has never really been the absence of guidance. It has been the consistency with which it is implemented. Reform needs to address *why* existing statutory expectations are not consistently being delivered before introducing further guidance.

Better quality provision

Improving the quality of EOTAS provision is difficult to disagree with.

However, the consultation raises an important question without yet answering it.

If national standards are introduced:

* Who will develop them?
* Who will inspect them?
* Who will assess whether providers meet them?
* What qualifications or expertise will those people have?
* What training will they receive?

National standards are only meaningful if those responsible for applying them have specialist knowledge of SEND and of EOTAS itself.

Local authority oversight

The proposal for greater local authority oversight concerns me.

Local authorities already carry statutory responsibility for Education, Health and Care Plans. Many families experience lengthy delays, poor-quality plans and have to pursue mediation or tribunal to secure appropriate provision.

If local authorities are already struggling to fulfil their existing statutory responsibilities, it is reasonable to ask what additional capacity, expertise and accountability will accompany these new responsibilities.

Without addressing those issues first, simply increasing local authority oversight may not improve outcomes.

Schools overseeing EOTAS

This is perhaps the proposal I find most challenging.

EOTAS exists precisely because, for that individual child or young person, education in school is not suitable. That is its legal purpose.

If schools become responsible for overseeing EOTAS, several questions arise.

* What training will school leaders receive?
* How will independence be maintained?
* How will conflicts of interest be managed?

Schools are knowledgable in educating children within school environments. EOTAS is fundamentally different. Oversight therefore requires expertise that extends beyond school-based practice.

There is also a question of trust.

Families often arrive at EOTAS following placement breakdown, significant distress or lengthy disputes with education providers. In any oversight model parents must have confidence and trust that decisions are being made solely in their child’s best interests, rather than from an underlying assumption that returning to school is always the preferred outcome.

Independence may therefore be an essential feature of any future oversight arrangements.

I think there is one concerning overarching point that runs through all of these observations:

The consultation focuses heavily on *who* should oversee EOTAS, but says relatively little about *how* those individuals or organisations will develop the specialist expertise required to make informed decisions about highly individualised provision.

That, to me, is one of the biggest unanswered questions in the consultation. It isn’t enough to assign responsibility; the system also needs to ensure that those holding responsibility have the knowledge, training and independence to exercise it effectively.

Otherwise it feels very much a case of ‘here we go again…’

Emma
The Autistic SENCo
♾️

15/07/2026

"You're too much."

It's a phrase many neurodivergent people know all too well.

Too talkative.

Too detailed.

Too passionate.

Too emotional.

Too many questions.

Too many ideas.

Too much enthusiasm.

Too much effort.

At some point, many of us learn that the things we're criticised for are often the very things we're trying hardest to get right.

We add context because we don't want to be misunderstood.

We ask questions because we genuinely want to understand.

We notice patterns that others miss.

We care deeply about fairness.

We throw ourselves into helping because if we're going to do something, we want to do it well.

And yet those same qualities can sometimes be interpreted as intensity, overthinking or "being a bit much."

The reality is that different brains communicate differently.

A detailed explanation isn't always anxiety.

A lot of questions aren't always criticism.

Passion isn't aggression.

Wanting things to be fair isn't being difficult.

Of course, everyone has different communication preferences and different capacity. That's true too.

But there's a world of difference between saying, "This communication style doesn't work well for me," and leaving someone feeling that they are simply "too much."

Too many neurodivergent people grow up believing they need to make themselves smaller.

Speak less.

Explain less.

Care less.

Help less.

Take up less space.

Maybe the goal isn't to become less.

Maybe it's to find the people who don't mistake your depth for a flaw.

Different isn't "too much."

Different is just... different.