Clare
@clarec.bsky.social
Education and Employment lawyer at Southwark Law Centre
Mother of two, one with SLD
Cricket fan: Surrey, Glamorgan and England
Mother of two, one with SLD
Cricket fan: Surrey, Glamorgan and England
I was pretty cynical about the government’s listening exercise on send. But the more that is leaked, the more cynical it appears their whole approach is and was to disabled children and their families. It’s heartbreaking and cruel.
January 28, 2026 at 8:35 AM
I was pretty cynical about the government’s listening exercise on send. But the more that is leaked, the more cynical it appears their whole approach is and was to disabled children and their families. It’s heartbreaking and cruel.
If this is in the white paper the outrage will make the benefits debacle look a walk in the park. The best word for this is cruel. It’s unbelievably cruel to leave vulnerable children to be subject to bad decisions by local authorities and the only justification can be a need to save money.
This might be an Old Labour govt, in the worst possible way
January 27, 2026 at 9:06 PM
If this is in the white paper the outrage will make the benefits debacle look a walk in the park. The best word for this is cruel. It’s unbelievably cruel to leave vulnerable children to be subject to bad decisions by local authorities and the only justification can be a need to save money.
This might be an Old Labour govt, in the worst possible way
January 27, 2026 at 9:03 PM
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
An incredibly important report from Kings College on the impact of Temporary accommodation on the most vulnerable of children.
An incredibly important report from Kings College on the impact of Temporary accommodation on the most vulnerable of children.
Temporary accommodation in England is ‘torture’ for neurodivergent children, report finds
Exclusive: Parents said their children had become withdrawn or hypervigilant because of uncertainty, unsafe environments and removal of support
www.theguardian.com
January 27, 2026 at 2:07 PM
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
An incredibly important report from Kings College on the impact of Temporary accommodation on the most vulnerable of children.
An incredibly important report from Kings College on the impact of Temporary accommodation on the most vulnerable of children.
Reposted by Clare
Auschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
January 27, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Auschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
I read this & thought, the big issue (for Starmer at least) is that I don’t know what Starmer’s vision is. I think it’s keeping Labour in power with Starmer in charge and beyond that, I don’t have any idea. It’s not inspiring and it feels very similar to the Tories pre the last election.
With the odds of Burnham and his allies becoming outspoken critics in the run up to May’s local elections increasing, here are some of the areas where his vision for Britain could pose a challenge for Starmer
Read more: trib.al/3XBxkWK
Read more: trib.al/3XBxkWK
January 25, 2026 at 7:04 PM
I read this & thought, the big issue (for Starmer at least) is that I don’t know what Starmer’s vision is. I think it’s keeping Labour in power with Starmer in charge and beyond that, I don’t have any idea. It’s not inspiring and it feels very similar to the Tories pre the last election.
My daughter has a rare syndrome caused by a genetic mutation resulting in severe learning disabilities. Took two years to diagnose. She’s non-verbal, incontinent, developmentally delayed. How on earth would she have worked through the tiers in a mainstream school? No way to diagnose from birth.
From the i's well-briefed breakdown of SEND changes: our increasingly nuanced, complex understanding of psychology & child development reduced to four "tiers" with an ejector-seat fifth that will seemingly involve actual rights. Humanity carved up by bureaucracy: No-one will like this system
January 23, 2026 at 9:06 PM
My daughter has a rare syndrome caused by a genetic mutation resulting in severe learning disabilities. Took two years to diagnose. She’s non-verbal, incontinent, developmentally delayed. How on earth would she have worked through the tiers in a mainstream school? No way to diagnose from birth.
Reposted by Clare
It would be absolutely typical for Labour to lose the election by raising taxes enough to piss people off but not enough to actually fix public services.
January 23, 2026 at 3:07 PM
It would be absolutely typical for Labour to lose the election by raising taxes enough to piss people off but not enough to actually fix public services.
Reposted by Clare
This is BBC’s documentation of all 456 UK military deaths in Afghanistan www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-1062...
January 23, 2026 at 11:21 AM
This is BBC’s documentation of all 456 UK military deaths in Afghanistan www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-1062...
Reposted by Clare
The entire Harry Brook timeline has been a mess ⤵️
NZ Confidential: How Brook's tangled timeline leaves ECB in a bind
By covering up the off-field antics of England's white-ball captain, the board has exacerbated its post-Ashes fallout
www.espncricinfo.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:15 AM
The entire Harry Brook timeline has been a mess ⤵️
Reposted by Clare
This is a very moving, brave piece whch starkly puts the wretched state of support for families with disabled children into vital focus
'One awful statistic that stands out is that in 2016/17 almost 97 per cent of new DLA claims were processed within 40 days. In 2023/24 it was just 3.5 per cent'
'One awful statistic that stands out is that in 2016/17 almost 97 per cent of new DLA claims were processed within 40 days. In 2023/24 it was just 3.5 per cent'
Starting the year reflecting on what I've learnt so far being a parent carer to our youngest daughter and the staggering lack of empathy and unfairness we (and so many other families) have experienced:
inews.co.uk/inews-lifest... - @theipaper.com
inews.co.uk/inews-lifest... - @theipaper.com
My daughter has a disability - the lack of empathy in Britain is mind-blowing
In the year since Holly's diagnosis, we have experienced incredible kindness, frustrating delays and awful indifference
inews.co.uk
January 20, 2026 at 12:04 PM
This is a very moving, brave piece whch starkly puts the wretched state of support for families with disabled children into vital focus
'One awful statistic that stands out is that in 2016/17 almost 97 per cent of new DLA claims were processed within 40 days. In 2023/24 it was just 3.5 per cent'
'One awful statistic that stands out is that in 2016/17 almost 97 per cent of new DLA claims were processed within 40 days. In 2023/24 it was just 3.5 per cent'
Reposted by Clare
NEW POST Why the Government’s “SEND conversation” fell flat with parents: It’s failing to learn from voices of past experience www.specialneedsjungle.com/why-governme...
Why the Government’s “SEND conversation” fell flat with parents: It’s failing to learn from voices of past experience - Special Needs Jungle
Why the Government’s “SEND conversation” fell flat with parents: It’s failing to learn from voices of past experience
www.specialneedsjungle.com
January 19, 2026 at 7:37 AM
NEW POST Why the Government’s “SEND conversation” fell flat with parents: It’s failing to learn from voices of past experience www.specialneedsjungle.com/why-governme...
Reposted by Clare
On SNJ Today: £200 million to boost SEND training across education. It's good news, as long as there are enough teachers left to do it... www.specialneedsjungle.com/2... #Disability #SaveOurChildrensRights
January 16, 2026 at 7:45 PM
On SNJ Today: £200 million to boost SEND training across education. It's good news, as long as there are enough teachers left to do it... www.specialneedsjungle.com/2... #Disability #SaveOurChildrensRights
Reposted by Clare
Latest from me on (free!) Substack: on the eve of drastic change, whether the govt likes it or not, the SEND debate is getting nastier... we're back to the national sport of seeing people's needs, and branding them cheats maybeimamazed.substack.com/p/whether-th...
Whether the government likes it or not, the Special Needs debate is full of a familar nastiness
It's already happened to immigrants, people on benefits and disabled adults: amid a cloud of prejudice and "overdiagnosis" talk, SEND children and their families seem to be next
maybeimamazed.substack.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:24 AM
Latest from me on (free!) Substack: on the eve of drastic change, whether the govt likes it or not, the SEND debate is getting nastier... we're back to the national sport of seeing people's needs, and branding them cheats maybeimamazed.substack.com/p/whether-th...
Reposted by Clare
Councils in England and Wales spend more than £150m per year fighting parents seeking special needs support for their children - despite losing over 99% of cases.
www.lbc.co.uk/article/coun...
www.lbc.co.uk/article/coun...
Councils spend £150m fighting SEND parents in court - despite losing 99% of cases | LBC
Councils in England and Wales are shelling out over £150m per year fighting parents seeking special needs support for their children - despite losing over 99% of cases.
www.lbc.co.uk
January 15, 2026 at 7:56 AM
Councils in England and Wales spend more than £150m per year fighting parents seeking special needs support for their children - despite losing over 99% of cases.
www.lbc.co.uk/article/coun...
www.lbc.co.uk/article/coun...
Reposted by Clare
London’s murder rate has fallen to its lowest level since 2014, making the capital one of the safest cities in the world
Alexa Phillips explains
Read more: trib.al/xW7iwra
Alexa Phillips explains
Read more: trib.al/xW7iwra
January 12, 2026 at 5:17 PM
London’s murder rate has fallen to its lowest level since 2014, making the capital one of the safest cities in the world
Alexa Phillips explains
Read more: trib.al/xW7iwra
Alexa Phillips explains
Read more: trib.al/xW7iwra
Reposted by Clare
Trump’s Venezuela operation echoes the CIA’s Chile playbook ft.trib.al/cyPmB8H | opinion
Trump’s Venezuela operation echoes the CIA’s Chile playbook
The US move against Maduro has eerie parallels to the coup that ousted Salvador Allende in 1973
ft.trib.al
January 7, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Trump’s Venezuela operation echoes the CIA’s Chile playbook ft.trib.al/cyPmB8H | opinion
I made the mistake of reading the comments below this article. As parent of a child with severe learning disabilities, it was horrific. Most people simply want to remove the right to access education for children like her.
Whatever line the govt takes, if you want to sample the great cloud of misapprehension and false argument swirling around changes to the SEND system, check out this Times editorial - a prime example of "overdiagnosis" as the bollocksome catch-all explanation for abs. everything archive.is/PZU8b
January 5, 2026 at 4:04 PM
I made the mistake of reading the comments below this article. As parent of a child with severe learning disabilities, it was horrific. Most people simply want to remove the right to access education for children like her.
Reposted by Clare
Starmer says "I will not shy away from this", as he shies away from this
January 3, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Starmer says "I will not shy away from this", as he shies away from this
This is what worries me so much. Children can have severe needs because of any number of reasons as well as send.
I have my own child who has complex needs. But will they be “severe” under the new scheme. Enough people already say to me that because she’s mobile, she’s not actually disabled.
I have my own child who has complex needs. But will they be “severe” under the new scheme. Enough people already say to me that because she’s mobile, she’s not actually disabled.
2/2 from today's Times. NB there's no clear line between "severe" & "moderate", not least when it comes to autism.
January 2, 2026 at 7:08 PM
This is what worries me so much. Children can have severe needs because of any number of reasons as well as send.
I have my own child who has complex needs. But will they be “severe” under the new scheme. Enough people already say to me that because she’s mobile, she’s not actually disabled.
I have my own child who has complex needs. But will they be “severe” under the new scheme. Enough people already say to me that because she’s mobile, she’s not actually disabled.
Reposted by Clare
Our campaign group, #SaveOurChildrensRights is leading this fight and we’re ready- if the government want another benefits fiasco, bring it on. We’re strong, determined SEND parents and aLLM are welcome. Are you with us? Article: archive.is/ARzQU
Socr.org.uk
Socr.org.uk
January 2, 2026 at 8:49 AM
Our campaign group, #SaveOurChildrensRights is leading this fight and we’re ready- if the government want another benefits fiasco, bring it on. We’re strong, determined SEND parents and aLLM are welcome. Are you with us? Article: archive.is/ARzQU
Socr.org.uk
Socr.org.uk
Reposted by Clare
With impeccable timing, the Maybe I'm Amazed Substack is back, and it's free maybeimamazed.substack.com/p/and-so-it-...
And so it begins: 2026 will be the year of a huge Special Needs battle, and this is why
Amid briefings, whispers and rumours, off we go: in an increasingly toxic atmosphere, basic educational rights look set to be one of this year's biggest issues
maybeimamazed.substack.com
January 2, 2026 at 6:21 PM
With impeccable timing, the Maybe I'm Amazed Substack is back, and it's free maybeimamazed.substack.com/p/and-so-it-...
Confident prediction that this is also what will happen with the proposed SEND reforms.
What on earth is the point of caving on the farms inheritance tax stuff now? This government is determined to extract the maximum of political pain for the minimum of political gain
December 23, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Confident prediction that this is also what will happen with the proposed SEND reforms.
Wow. This would be extreme for the Tories but from Labour? Proposing making dismissals easier? Who are they now? They don’t seem to bear any resemblance to the Labour Party of the 90s (or before). I don’t see this helping them to retain their core voters.
www.thetimes.com/article/b26a...
www.thetimes.com/article/b26a...
Gut Angela Rayner’s workers’ rights bill, urges group that backed Keir Starmer
Labour Together, which led the prime minister’s leadership bid, calls the Employment Rights Bill a safety blanket and cites Tony Blair as an inspiration
www.thetimes.com
December 19, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Wow. This would be extreme for the Tories but from Labour? Proposing making dismissals easier? Who are they now? They don’t seem to bear any resemblance to the Labour Party of the 90s (or before). I don’t see this helping them to retain their core voters.
www.thetimes.com/article/b26a...
www.thetimes.com/article/b26a...
Reposted by Clare
Beware fast-track justice. This is what it does
The mum is bounced around, getting no help or answers, then just enters a guilty plea for her distressed autistic teenage son to get it over with
www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/a...
The mum is bounced around, getting no help or answers, then just enters a guilty plea for her distressed autistic teenage son to get it over with
www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/a...
Harsh justice: Autistic teen convicted of not insuring moped he didn't use
The boy’s mother told the court she is “deeply disappointed” at his treatment
www.standard.co.uk
December 13, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Beware fast-track justice. This is what it does
The mum is bounced around, getting no help or answers, then just enters a guilty plea for her distressed autistic teenage son to get it over with
www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/a...
The mum is bounced around, getting no help or answers, then just enters a guilty plea for her distressed autistic teenage son to get it over with
www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/a...