@joolzie.bsky.social
Until the govt changes Michael Gove’s law that all new schools must be a free school or academy what else can councils do? They can’t open their own schools or force an unwilling academy to have a unit. they can only expand own SS’s or create satellites of LA special schools to get round law.
January 9, 2026 at 8:47 AM
Until the govt changes Michael Gove’s law that all new schools must be a free school or academy what else can councils do? They can’t open their own schools or force an unwilling academy to have a unit. they can only expand own SS’s or create satellites of LA special schools to get round law.
Assumes special schools know what works, have people highly trained in evidence based strategies, have spare capacity, and mainstream staff have time training and supervision. None of this currently exists. Plenty of state special schools exclude or rely on restraint due own lack expertise.
January 9, 2026 at 8:35 AM
Assumes special schools know what works, have people highly trained in evidence based strategies, have spare capacity, and mainstream staff have time training and supervision. None of this currently exists. Plenty of state special schools exclude or rely on restraint due own lack expertise.
There is zero chance the govt will put this out just before the local elections at peak candidate door-knocking time.
January 8, 2026 at 5:23 PM
There is zero chance the govt will put this out just before the local elections at peak candidate door-knocking time.
I’ve assumed we are placating Trump while buying time to build up our / EU defence / security not to be reliant on USA. I think history will be more favourable to Starmer once we know what was going on behind the scenes. At least I hope so as nothing else makes sense.
January 3, 2026 at 1:05 PM
I’ve assumed we are placating Trump while buying time to build up our / EU defence / security not to be reliant on USA. I think history will be more favourable to Starmer once we know what was going on behind the scenes. At least I hope so as nothing else makes sense.
Thanks. It seems accepted ‘fact’ a huge cost saving but as many ‘private’ providers are not-for-profits this seems unlikely. My experience is private I get good value/service/highly qualified staff (as I can vote with feet) but state was complacent, ineffective, defensive and open fewer hrs/weeks.
December 15, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Thanks. It seems accepted ‘fact’ a huge cost saving but as many ‘private’ providers are not-for-profits this seems unlikely. My experience is private I get good value/service/highly qualified staff (as I can vote with feet) but state was complacent, ineffective, defensive and open fewer hrs/weeks.
Constant headlines comparing independent and state special school place costs eg Observer £61,500 v £23,900. Does £24k inc capital costs? Pension costs? Central LA /NHS staff costs? What about outcomes or parent satisfaction or exclusion rates? Is there any detailed cost:benefit analysis of sectors?
December 15, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Constant headlines comparing independent and state special school place costs eg Observer £61,500 v £23,900. Does £24k inc capital costs? Pension costs? Central LA /NHS staff costs? What about outcomes or parent satisfaction or exclusion rates? Is there any detailed cost:benefit analysis of sectors?
‘It costs on average £61,500 to place a child in an independent special school for a year, compared with £23,900 for a state special school’. Does £23900 include capital costs or just running costs?
December 15, 2025 at 7:57 PM
‘It costs on average £61,500 to place a child in an independent special school for a year, compared with £23,900 for a state special school’. Does £23900 include capital costs or just running costs?
So how does that alter the argument about the relative costs of private v LA Sen provision. Do the LA place costs that are frequently compared as an argument against indi or Eotas provision include capital costs?
December 15, 2025 at 11:46 AM
So how does that alter the argument about the relative costs of private v LA Sen provision. Do the LA place costs that are frequently compared as an argument against indi or Eotas provision include capital costs?
5. Identify complex cases & provide central large pot of money to fund fulltime robust intervention packages from early years that keep parents in work. Pool money from educ, care, health, childcare, DWP into one pot. This would stop appeals for cases obvious need and the current incentive to delay
December 1, 2025 at 10:47 AM
5. Identify complex cases & provide central large pot of money to fund fulltime robust intervention packages from early years that keep parents in work. Pool money from educ, care, health, childcare, DWP into one pot. This would stop appeals for cases obvious need and the current incentive to delay
My plan be 1. Use evidence of what works and stop funding the gimmicky ineffective stuff even if it costs more. 2 Start tracking life skill, language and employment outcomes for specialist provision. 3. Abolish Sen quangos and give £ to frontline. 4. Fund behaviour experts and parent training…
December 1, 2025 at 10:42 AM
My plan be 1. Use evidence of what works and stop funding the gimmicky ineffective stuff even if it costs more. 2 Start tracking life skill, language and employment outcomes for specialist provision. 3. Abolish Sen quangos and give £ to frontline. 4. Fund behaviour experts and parent training…
What I have in the EHCP works. But I’ve had 4 tribunals by age 18. All our high quality Sen provision has been small private providers-highly trained, data driven, effective, caring. I wouldn’t waste money on anything in NHS or LA services. None of them achieved anything or even tried very hard.
November 30, 2025 at 9:36 PM
What I have in the EHCP works. But I’ve had 4 tribunals by age 18. All our high quality Sen provision has been small private providers-highly trained, data driven, effective, caring. I wouldn’t waste money on anything in NHS or LA services. None of them achieved anything or even tried very hard.
But repeat claim state cheaper like for like with no evidence. Are special schools well funded at£25k? No. Class sizes rising & high exclusions into private. Do they have good outcomes? Are they serving same cohort? Open as many hours/weeks? Own and pay premises costs? Is it fair cost comparison?
November 30, 2025 at 9:55 AM
But repeat claim state cheaper like for like with no evidence. Are special schools well funded at£25k? No. Class sizes rising & high exclusions into private. Do they have good outcomes? Are they serving same cohort? Open as many hours/weeks? Own and pay premises costs? Is it fair cost comparison?
1. State special schools are underfunded with rising class sizes /high exclusions. 2. Where is evidence state outcomes are as good for much less money? 3. Many ‘privates’ aren’t owned by equity companies they are not for profits. Maybe some places cost more for good reason? Why not investigate?
November 29, 2025 at 2:34 PM
1. State special schools are underfunded with rising class sizes /high exclusions. 2. Where is evidence state outcomes are as good for much less money? 3. Many ‘privates’ aren’t owned by equity companies they are not for profits. Maybe some places cost more for good reason? Why not investigate?
There should be an event only to discuss high needs who require specialist provision. Almost all the commentary has been on ‘borderline’ group and arguing if their needs can or cannot be met in mainstream and been no focus on those who will always need specialist and what can be improved.
November 20, 2025 at 11:01 AM
There should be an event only to discuss high needs who require specialist provision. Almost all the commentary has been on ‘borderline’ group and arguing if their needs can or cannot be met in mainstream and been no focus on those who will always need specialist and what can be improved.
Any special school charging £10k will have soaring staff:child ratios and low quality provision. They will be in council owned building while the independent special schools will have building/rent costs. So not fair comparison. Where is data showing £10k places effective and not just warehousing?
November 14, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Any special school charging £10k will have soaring staff:child ratios and low quality provision. They will be in council owned building while the independent special schools will have building/rent costs. So not fair comparison. Where is data showing £10k places effective and not just warehousing?
They could include projected transport costs when deciding where to site new special schools rather than pick a cheap already council owned plot in the countryside eg a village outside Selby. It’s not parents fault if councils choose remote sites and don’t factor in costs after it’s built.
October 31, 2025 at 10:29 AM
They could include projected transport costs when deciding where to site new special schools rather than pick a cheap already council owned plot in the countryside eg a village outside Selby. It’s not parents fault if councils choose remote sites and don’t factor in costs after it’s built.
So what if they have a disabled child who is a British citizen. The parents are deported as they can’t work enough and provide care, but the ‘home’ country won’t let the disabled child immigrate? Or will we see parents putting children into state care so they can keep earning above the threshold?
October 21, 2025 at 11:33 PM
So what if they have a disabled child who is a British citizen. The parents are deported as they can’t work enough and provide care, but the ‘home’ country won’t let the disabled child immigrate? Or will we see parents putting children into state care so they can keep earning above the threshold?
This makes no sense. You’ve criticised ABA as providing only short term outcomes when huge body research shows opposite. You recommend DTT, precision teaching and positive reinforcement without explaining this all comes from ABA. Do you even know what ABA is?
October 4, 2025 at 3:41 PM
This makes no sense. You’ve criticised ABA as providing only short term outcomes when huge body research shows opposite. You recommend DTT, precision teaching and positive reinforcement without explaining this all comes from ABA. Do you even know what ABA is?
When they were elected Obama and advisers assessed them as ‘lightweight’ politicians. It was just our media that ran with that narrative.
August 20, 2025 at 6:37 PM
When they were elected Obama and advisers assessed them as ‘lightweight’ politicians. It was just our media that ran with that narrative.
The south east has the lowest council taxes against the highest wages so that would be fairer.
August 18, 2025 at 9:28 PM
The south east has the lowest council taxes against the highest wages so that would be fairer.
Fast track centralised Sen funding for high needs from birth with contributions from NHS and care and you would immediately incentivise councils to intervene early (to access extra £) rather than current gatekeeping. Tribunals should be borderline cases not the blatantly obvious high need cases.
July 24, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Fast track centralised Sen funding for high needs from birth with contributions from NHS and care and you would immediately incentivise councils to intervene early (to access extra £) rather than current gatekeeping. Tribunals should be borderline cases not the blatantly obvious high need cases.
Why does the govt assume state funded special schools /units achieve good outcomes or value for money or use approaches that work? If that were true people wouldn’t be winning tribunals to get out of them. Many are just daycare.
July 23, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Why does the govt assume state funded special schools /units achieve good outcomes or value for money or use approaches that work? If that were true people wouldn’t be winning tribunals to get out of them. Many are just daycare.
And some children have some needs met in one sector (eg mainstream) and some in another (eg special or specialist AP). And sometimes specialist AP staff provide 1:1 for a child in a mainstream school. And within even special schools there is good and poor provision/outcomes.
July 18, 2025 at 1:17 PM
And some children have some needs met in one sector (eg mainstream) and some in another (eg special or specialist AP). And sometimes specialist AP staff provide 1:1 for a child in a mainstream school. And within even special schools there is good and poor provision/outcomes.
inevitable result Gove removing councils ability in 2010 to open own schools where demand is. Schools converting cupboards and going over capacity years ago. Lots of planned special schools are stuck waiting for free school or academy sponsors to come on board. Tribunals have put children somewhere.
July 11, 2025 at 9:40 AM
inevitable result Gove removing councils ability in 2010 to open own schools where demand is. Schools converting cupboards and going over capacity years ago. Lots of planned special schools are stuck waiting for free school or academy sponsors to come on board. Tribunals have put children somewhere.
Are there any changes to MIG for those whose benefits are tapped for care contributions? I’m not sure halving the health element makes much difference to this group - more on councils. Aside from being hailed as group most protected there’s been zero coverage of impact.
July 1, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Are there any changes to MIG for those whose benefits are tapped for care contributions? I’m not sure halving the health element makes much difference to this group - more on councils. Aside from being hailed as group most protected there’s been zero coverage of impact.