Richard Nettleton
@nettletron66
Solicitor & Director @SENLegalLtd “If the highest aim of a Captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever”. All views expressed are my own.
“There are a dozen Kent council employees who each cost the Kent taxpayer more than £160,000” would be just as true, and just as useless in explaining why KCC’s finances are the way they are
What should be write about today asked someone at @Kent_Online. I dunno, maybe demonise parents who secured an EOTIS/EOTAS package via Tribunal without giving any balance to the article or explaining the legal framework… kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/one-…
At IPSEA, we're used to people making all sorts of rash statements about SEN and EHC plans, but even we have been surprised by the extent of misinformation we have seen shared and in the press recently. So let's clear some things up...🧵 1/5
Kate Cox did a phenomenal job in this interview and @IPSEAcharity should rightly be proud of her contribution and that she represents the organisation!
Super-proud of my @IPSEAcharity colleague Kate Cox explaining so clearly why children with SEND need a legal right to support with education.
Interested to see what part of the EHCP process Ministers may think we don’t need - is it where: - we identify all the child’s special educational needs? - we specify the provision reasonably required to meet those needs? - the child gets the right to attend a suitable school?
Message to government: make the education system work for children & young people with SEND - but don't take away their legal rights to support. Our rights-based framework for disabled children is something we should be proud of, not a target for cuts.
The SEND legal framework gives children & YP the right to an education that meets their individual needs. As talk of reform grows, this blog explains why rolling back these rights would ignore 40 years of progress - and why defending the law is vital: bit.ly/465DL4o
Gosh what a busy day at @AutismADHDShow - thank you to all the wonderful parents who come along to listen and to speak to us afterwards. It was lovely to meet you! 👋🏼
Finallly!!! Some positive news for once regarding SEN and the statutory override being extended!! schoolsweek.co.uk/send-deficits-…
It’s going to be a hot one this weekend 🥵 so while not cool off and come along and speak to me at the SEN Legal stand on Saturday? I hope to see you there!
Less than a month to go until @AutismADHDShow #London. Senior Solicitor & CEO Hayley Mason-Seager will be delivering a talk 'Navigating the SEN Maze' on 21st June and the @SENLegalltd team will be on hand at Stand E12 to answer your legal questions. Hope to see you there! #SEND
I urge all parents, charities, schools & professionals working in this area to get in contact with your MP’s as per my friends over at @SpcialNdsJungle’s post. We cannot keep quiet about these proposed reforms. We need to make noise now so the govt knows what they are up against.
The petition to save children’s rights is now over 100,000. There will be a debate in Parliament, so the next step is to contact MPs - write, call, visit - and tell them why EHCPs are important. Our friends at IPSEA have a template to help. ipsea.org.uk/write-to-your-…
Once again the SEND system is being threatened by the government. The problem is not with the law or the SEND Tribunal, the problem is enforcement. *Imagine* (a wild suggestion I know) a time where local authorities...wait for it, just followed the law? lawgazette.co.uk/news/governmen…
What I do think is very naughty, is the way these 'changes' to SEND are being 'drip fed' to the public. Leaked piecemeal. No transparency. The solution to the problem is not to remove what is a very clear legal system, but to force LAs to comply with the system already in place.
“A 98.3% SEND Tribunal failure rate tells DfE all it needs to know about how much local government cares about meeting children’s needs. But we care. And you care.” 👏👏
NEW POST: After the excitement of hitting 100K signatures, today we examine Spending Review education cash. It was revealed SEND plans will now come in a wider Schools White Paper this autumn. @TaniaLT @CaptainK77 share some thoughts specialneedsjungle.com/plans-send-del…
Under 1k to go! PUSH! Breathe… petition.parliament.uk/petitions/7110…
I completely appreciate the article by the law gazette is terrifying on the back of comments made about EHCP’s. However, while I cannot predict the future, what I can say with certainty is that removing the SEND Tribunal is not as simple as some commentators are claiming!
Another day, another LA Tribunal Officer acting in an unprofessional/reckless manner during an appeal by suggesting a parent contacting a school regarding its ability to meet need is “witness intimidation”. Plumbing new depths today!