The SENDcast

Too many children with SEND are missing out on school residential trips every year - and it needs to change. Nicholas Hands, CEO of Boundless Outdoors, joins Dale to discuss how we can make residentials and outdoor learning truly inclusive for every child. Together, they explore why so many children with SEND are excluded from residential trips - often not through deliberate decision, but through...

If you missed the Tes SEND Show - or were there but couldn't make every session - this is worth a listen.   This is a special episode recorded live at the show, where Dale was joined by Simon Airey, an autistic teacher, speaker and neurodiversity consultant, and the founder of Neuroaffirming With Simon.   Simon makes the case that there's no wrong way to play . He talks about lining up 37 Radox sh...

Attendance is not the problem. It's the signal. And until schools start treating it that way, children with EBSA will keep falling through the gaps. In this episode, Dale is joined by Jack Mallaby, Assistant Headteacher and SENCO at Chiltern Way Academy, a specialist autism provision, to discuss emotionally based school avoidance - and why the answer is never more pressure. Together, they explore:...

If you missed the Tes SEND Show last week - or were there but couldn't make every session - this is worth a listen.   This is a special episode recorded live at the show, where Dale was joined by Samantha, founder of Journey With Me and an independent SEND advisor with over 20 years' experience working across early years and primary settings.   Sam was at the show delivering a session on emotional...

Behaviour policies were never designed to be a log of misery. But for too many children, that's exactly what they've become. In this episode, Dale is joined by Adam Hayes, Managing Director of Therapeutic Thinking, to discuss  behaviour policies - and what it would actually take to make them work for every child. Adam brings extensive experience across social care and education, and a refreshingly...

Burnout isn't one big thing. It's lots of smaller things, building and building - until even the smallest demand tips you over the edge. Joe Fautley, project coordinator at the Council for Disabled Children and neurodiversity advocate, returns to the podcast to discuss burnout, communication, and what it takes to build inclusive environments for autistic learners. Joe speaks from lived experience....

Today, Dale is joined by Terry Bolton - known as Telboy - a UK-based music producer, independent hip-hop artist, and parent of neurodivergent children, diagnosed with Tourette's and ADHD in his mid-30s to discuss Late Diagnosis, Loud Music and Parenting Neurodivergent Kids. Terry brings an honest, funny, and at times deeply personal perspective to a conversation that covers late diagnosis, sensory...

The SEND reforms have generated a lot of conversation - but one perspective has been missing from the debate. What does it mean for trusts? In this episode, Dale is joined by Helen Bray, Director of Inclusion at St Francis CMAT, and Simon Tanner, Director of School Improvement for SEND at Authentic Education, for a wide-ranging and at times refreshingly candid conversation about what the proposed...

In this episode, Dale is joined by Emma Muir, social media marketer, author, and education communication strategist, to discuss late diagnosis and whether being neurodivergent is a superpower. Emma received her ADHD diagnosis at 45, on a day when she was also told she had severely fractured her back and her mother was being rushed to hospital. Dale and Emma explore what it really means to receive...

Schools have sensory rooms, sensory audits, and sensory-informed environments – but what about home? For many neurodivergent children, the place they're supposed to feel safest is quietly making things worse. Today, Dale is joined by Natasha Grays, founder of The Sensory Haven, to discuss sensory support at home and how it supports regulation, learning, and sleep. Natasha explains why so many fami...

Coping is not the same as wellbeing – and for too many neurodivergent children in our schools, the two are being confused. Charlotte MacDougall, a neurodivergent specialist, joins Dale to discuss how we need to rethink wellbeing for neurodivergent children in school. Charlotte argues that much of what schools offer as wellbeing support amounts to sticking plasters – well-meaning interventions that...

Play is often the first thing to disappear as children move through school – but for many neurodivergent children, it may be the most powerful learning tool we have. Ange Anderson, Therapeutic SEND Advisor, joins Dale to discuss how play schemas can help adults better understand behaviour, communication, and wellbeing. Together, Dale and Ange explore: – Why play-based learning is so often misunder...

AI is everywhere right now - but how useful is it really for families navigating the SEND system, and how do you know when to trust it? In this episode, Dale is joined by Ben Cosh, founder and CEO of Silva, to discuss  AI in SEND : what it can do, what it can't, and why families shouldn't have to wait years for help. Ben built Silva after living through the reality of year-long NHS waiting lists,...

Autistic burnout is talked about on social media, but how many of us truly understand what it looks like - and what it takes to recover from it? Sarah Griffiths, children's author, meditation teacher, and parent advocate, joins Dale to discuss  autistic burnout and the story of her daughter Eva. Sarah shares, with honesty and warmth, how Eva - autistic and ADHD, and a skilled masker for years - co...

Trauma-informed practice is one of those phrases everyone nods along to – but how many of us truly understand what it means, or what it actually looks like in practice? Dr. Asha Patel, founder and CEO of Innovating Minds, joins Dale to discuss what we really mean by trauma-informed practice. "Trauma-informed practice is a way of being. It's not a switch that you can switch on and off." — Dr. Asha...

The SEND reforms have generated a lot of discussion – but one significant gap has gone largely unnoticed. Where do specific learning difficulties fit in? Dale is joined by Louise Selby, a dyslexia specialist, and Janet Goring, an SpLD specialist, for a lively and at times eye-opening conversation about what the shift from four broad areas of need to five areas of development could mean for childre...

There are 1.3 million children in this country with developmental language disorder. Most of them are sitting quietly in classrooms going unnoticed. Today, Dale is joined by Jane Harris, Chief Executive of Speech and Language UK, to discuss  DLD, the SEND reforms , and what it really means to ensure no child is left behind. They discuss: - Why children with DLD are six to ten times more likely to...

We will never have true inclusion in our schools while neurodivergent teachers remain hidden. In this episode, Dale is joined by Chris Benson, founder of Headfirst Consulting and ND Chat, to discuss the neurodivergent teachers in our schools – and why it's a conversation that the profession shouldn't ignore. Chris was one of the first serving headteachers to publicly disclose his own ADHD diagnosi...

If a school's inclusion strategy depends solely on its SENCO, it simply isn't sustainable – and it isn't working. In this episode, Dale is joined by Lisa Pinkerton, Head of Education at Widgit Software and former primary school deputy headteacher, to discuss why every school needs a SENCO on its senior leadership team. Together, Dale and Lisa explore why the SENCO's circle of influence is so often...

When you see a child glued to a screen, it's easy to make assumptions. But for neurodivergent children, screen use is rarely what it looks like from the outside. In this episode, Dale is joined by Dr. Daniel Weisberg a consultant clinical psychologist to discuss neurodivergent children, young people, and screen use. Together, Dale and Daniel explore six key reasons why screens function very differ...

For some children and young people, the traditional school system has already failed them - sometimes more than once. What they need isn't a better curriculum. It's someone who will meet them where they are. In this episode, Dale is joined by Ed Robbins, CEO of Fresh Start in Education to discuss 'Leadership in Social Impact Education'. Fresh Start works one-to-one with young people in their homes...

This is a special episode in which Dale is joined by Beverley Walters, Programme Director of the Tes SEND Show, and Jane Friswell, SEND Consultant and parent advocate, to discuss why listeners should attend the Tes SEND Show taking place on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th October at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. Now in its 34th year, the show is the flagship event in the SEND calen...

When schools stop doing things *to* students and start doing things *with* them, everything changes. Dale is joined by Claire Cannon a national inclusion consultant at Indigo Owl Coaching and Consultancy and Alice Phillips, a Year 11 student currently taking her GCSEs and a neurodiversity advocate with Tourette's. Together, they explore what student self-advocacy really means - and why so many sch...

For many neurodivergent children, reading isn't just difficult - it's frightening. And without the right support, that fear can follow them well into adulthood. In this episode, Dale is joined by Vicki Edgar, Director at Fonetti and co-founder of the National Read Aloud Challenge, to discuss 'Removing the Fear of Reading'. Vicki was diagnosed with dyslexia at seven and brings a deeply personal per...

Neurodiverse girls are often loyal, perceptive, and generous - qualities that are real strengths, but that can also make them vulnerable when it comes to navigating romantic relationships. In this episode, Dale is joined by Kim McCabe, founder of Rights for Girls CIC, to discuss 'What do neurodiverse girls need to know about romance?'. Kim is the author of From Daughter to Woman, a parenting guide...