Grimsby pupils design new special needs hub at Healing Academy
Healing Academy educates more than 800 children aged between 11 and 16 and is run by Harbour Learning Trust. The trust said it had consulted children on the design, testing materials and the logo for the new centre.Children from Healing Academy and Cambridge Park Academy, a special school, formed working parties to develop the concept. Stephen Logan, the principal at Healing Academy, described it as an "exciting step". "This is not just a new provision, it's a gateway to brighter futures, and we can't wait to see the incredible opportunities it will bring," he said.Councillor Margaret Cracknell, the portfolio holder for children and education at North East Lincolnshire Council said it was "wonderful" to see children taking part in the project and praised the school for doing "a tremendous job".Hive@Healing is due to open in September. Details of the admission criteria for SEND pupils can be found on the school's website.Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
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BBC News
14 hours ago
- BBC News
Northamptonshire council fined after child's Send provision delay
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Metro
4 days ago
- Metro
The school special needs crisis that will impact every one of us
When her son was five, Kirsty McNulty knew he wasn't 'the same as the other little boys in his class.' 'He had very obsessive behaviours where he'd become fixated on certain things,' Kirsty, 35, tells Metro. 'At one point, it was Disney villains – he asked me if he could have his hand cut off and replaced with a hook so he would be the same as Captain Hook.' Diagnosed with autism at a young age, Eli, who is now 14, spent many months out of school in Colne as his mum has battled for him to get appropriate special educational needs and disability (SEND) support. 'Because Eli was judged to be conforming at primary school and meeting his academic targets, we didn't get any help. We coped at home – although barely,' she says. Kirsty's son, who also has ADHD and mild learning disabilities, managed to mask enough at school to make it through the day, but would have huge meltdowns at home. 'He was so dysregulated that he often became violent,' she remembers. 'I'd have to send my mum a text message simply saying 'SOS' when I couldn't manage him, and she would come around to try and help.' Kirsty warned teachers and professionals about what was happening at home, even videoing Eli so 'they could see how serious the situation had become,' but to no avail. 'I begged various services for support but was repeatedly told that I wasn't a safeguarding risk so there was no support available. 'I felt awful, like I was failing him, and had to start taking anti-depressants to manage my own mental health,' she admits. When Eli went to high school, things got worse. 'His friends from primary school began to make new friends, and he started getting involved in more and more risky behaviour to try and fit in with different groups,' Kirsty explains. 'We had visits at home from the police and the fire service, and Eli's mental health got worse and worse. 'School rapidly went from saying he didn't need help to saying they couldn't meet his needs.' Kirsty believes that if her son had one-to-one support or adaptions while in lessons, Eli would have coped better. Instead, at 11, he was admitted to hospital because of his mental health. While the family's story may sound shocking, it's a scenario all too familiar for many with SEND children up and down the UK, who say they are being failed by the education system. 'It's really common for parents not to get the right support,' Anna Bird, Chief Executive of the charity Contact and Disabled Children's Partnership's CEO, tells Metro. One gamechanger is an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) – a legally binding document which brought into play in 2014, outlining the special education needs of a child. If schools fail to deliver the agreed plans, there are serious consequences. However, not only are these hard to come by, but there are also fears they may be scrapped in the Government's upcoming Schools White Paper – leading to widespread panic among SEND families. The alarm comes after the Educating Secretary Bridget Phillipson claimed that the current SEND system, which the government inherited from the Tories, needed a huge overhaul, and she refused to rule out putting an end to EHCPs. Although Phillipson stated that they would work with parents on a new system, the reality is, the families impacted would rather have something in place, than nothing at all. 'They [families] are worried they are going to lose the small amount of help they get at the moment,' Jane Harris, CEO of Speech and Language UK, tells Metro, adding that even though EHCPs aren't perfect, they're currently the 'only actual way to guarantee support.' 'The reasons they aren't [always] implemented isn't usually because of the legal framework, but because schools don't have enough funding, time, or training and expertise. You can't fix [those problems] by taking away the legal rights they do have.' In response to the Education Secretary's words, the Disabled Children's Partnership has recently launched an action plan as part of their Fight for Ordinary campaign setting out a blueprint for reforming the SEND system in England. 'The system has to be reformed, and we're pleased to hear the government has committed to do that,' says Anna. 'But they have got to get it right.' The DCP is calling for the government to address five key areas so that SEND children enjoy the same 'ordinary' things their peers take for granted. Training for school staff, additional specialist support, adequate funding, and systems in place to measure progress are among the recommendations, as is legally guaranteed support for all children who need it, not only those with EHCPs. The organisation warns that if these needs aren't met, the economical impact will be felt across the UK – and not just within SEND families, as inadequate early years support already costs England alone over £16 billion annually, according to research from LSE. 'Children who aren't supported during school are less likely to succeed at school. They'll then find it harder to get work. That'll create problems for the economy later down the line,' explains Anna. As it stands 170,000 children in England are missing at least half of their classes in 2024, while three out of four parents of children with SEND have already been forced to give up work or cut their hours – causing another potential blow to the economy. 'On average, they [families] are losing about £21,000 a year in lost income,' Bird says. 'That's a huge impact and makes a huge difference in how they can look after their children.' 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Although his mother's first request for an ECHP assessment was rejected, her second was accepted and the school adjusted Tobias' routines, made teachers aware of his needs and the simple things he struggled with, and was given an autism mentor. With smaller class sizes, specialist intervention, and a routine that suited him, Tobias thrived. He's now in his third year of medical school and on his way to becoming a doctor within the NHS. It's no wonder he feels 'scrapping EHCPs is a terrible idea.' Tobias explains: 'While the government might want to reduce the number because of their cost, they should be working at the underlying problem – children aren't treated as people. They are just numbers in a system.' To reform the SEND system is clearly going to cost money. In the 2024 autumn budget, Labour announced an increased education spending of £11.2b from 2023/24 by 2025/26, with £1b earmarked for SEND. It's suspected more will be needed to follow recommendations set out by the DCP. 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BBC News
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Award for Bradford breast surgery tattoo artist's work
The founder of a charity which offers breast cancer patients nipple tattoos after reconstructive surgery has been given a national award. Lucy Thompson, who runs the Nipple Innovation Project (NiP) in Cullingworth, Bradford, has received a British Citizen Award (BCA).The awards, dubbed the People's Honours, are for people who make an outstanding contribution to Thompson, who was among 27 people receive the accolade at the Palace of Westminster on 24 July, said: "It's the ultimate affirmation." The 35-year-old has been a tattoo artist for more than 12 years and set up the charity in 2018. "I run it on a volunteer basis," she said."We work very, very hard in and amongst our daily work and life commitments, to reach more people. "To have recognition, and an award, for all the hard work that we've done collectively over the past nearly eight years is just the ultimate reassurance that we're on the right track." About 300 patients are treated for breast cancer in Bradford each year, with the majority retaining their areola, the area of skin around the nipple, can be tattooed to improve its appearance after year the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust announced a partnership with Ms Thompson's mother-of-one now helps train other medical tattoo artists around the country through her charity. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
