Send Family Magic

19/10/2026

👉The next reform needs to focus on improving inclusion, alternative provision and the section 19 pathway..

We need to build partnerships between parents and schools, and the LA in relation to EBSA- emotional based school avoidance.. 🙏

🥸What do we do when our children are not too unwell to access some spaces and places..

When children can access space independently, they are able to do some things..

And yet they find school too hard to manage because of the environment or other factors that impact their neurological profile?

I strongly believe in mainstream education, I have fought hard for my own and others rights to education alongside peers..

I also believe in the need for support prior to an EHCP.. especially now with how hard they are to achieve and maintain for schools and families..

But without a new solution to this issue, that doesn’t medicalise barriers to school, we are left once again trying to fit children into boxes in which they don’t belong..

Sharing so others know it’s not only them wondering what the next best step is to take…

My focus for my family which seems to be working at the moment, is being honest, open to collaboration and willing to engage with any service there to support us..

For many I know that isn’t safe, and those are the families suffering blame and shame that is 100% avoidable.

17/10/2026

In all seriousness, what does it actually matter if a child wears trainers instead of shoes?

What does it matter if their socks are black or blue?
What does it matter if their top button is undone?
I remember being told off at school for wearing a tiny nose stud and for having an embroidered flower on my shirt because “school isn’t a fashion show.”

And you know what? They were right. School isn’t a fashion show.
But if that’s the case, why are we so obsessed with the exact colours, styles and appearance of a child’s uniform?

Why are we policing trainers, socks, buttons and blazers as though a child’s education depends on looking identical to everyone else?

For some SEND children, these aren’t fashion choices. They’re sensory needs, certain fabrics hurt. Certain shoes feel unbearable. Tight collars, restrictive waistbands and uncomfortable socks can make an already overwhelming school environment even harder to cope with.
And yet, we expect children to endure that discomfort just to meet a dress code.
But school isn’t a fashion show?

A child’s future will not be determined by the colour of their socks, the shoes on their feet or whether their top button is fastened.

But their ability to cope with school might be.

So perhaps it’s time we stopped asking why a child can’t follow the uniform policy and started asking why the uniform policy can’t accommodate the child.
Because school is for learning, not policing clothing.

And inclusion should never depend on whether a disabled child can tolerate the uniform.

Anyway just thought that was quite ironic.

Michaela

17/10/2026

Another bloody car issue..

AA to the rescue again..

This time just £290 for a new battery..

What with this, my washing machine breaking, my oven door falling off, my dishwasher not understanding its role in life… to wash stuff..

Does anyone else wonder what the f**k might happen next 😂😂😂

Thank god I was given a washing machine this month..

Because I am not sure how the Gov expect parents to manage, what with DLA refusals, benefit caps, f**kery hoops to jump through at every turn..

Especially as a lone parent, one income home..

My kid having barriers to attendance is definitely not something that feels manageable.

How do professionals get away with parent blame 😂

Oh yeah we just love being skint and having kids with us 24/7 😂😂

Hope your week was better..

11/10/2026

Anyone ND, bored and want to help a gal out?

I keep getting mixed info from my AI etc, and need a non AI answer, so I can feel more certain in next steps.

👉I need to find out what the actual
Publicly available regulations are, around WhatsApp and Personal device use in The Met Police in 2025.

The image is from A Met Police FOI, so public data..

But I have found other docs that differ slightly.

I’m just wondering what anyone else comes up with?

No pressure, I won’t take it as absolute, I’m just building a wider picture of what you might find.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

10/10/2026

What inspires you, gives you hope, in your work, learning, life, joy?

I am interested, because I am in need of inspiration, both on and offline

10/10/2026

Sunshine Support make me feel so disorganised 😂😂

They have won the “first Xmas ad I have seen award” 🥇

And honestly, as someone who loves to learn about SEND and what’s changing day to day, their posts often lead me to stuff I wasn’t aware of..

This session also looks like lots of fun..

So I am posting incase you are in area and fancy some Xmas joy 🧑‍🎄

10/10/2026

Last week, a family achieved something they have fought for, for over 4yrs..

A life time really..

Day in day out.. email after email, call after call, blood sweat and tears..

The Autistic joy for me was euphoric..
Their hard work and determination had led to a legal precedent..

But for them, any chance of pride was tainted by exhaustion..

As a family they have been permanently impacted by the suffering they have lived through..

For the child, the trauma of difference, isolation, boredom..

For the family around the child, they are traumatised by the admin, the confusion, the conflict, the necessity to beg and plead, the shame, the loss of self..

The parents and siblings of children left behind by the education system means within their home and lives..

They become a helpless bystander, unable to make things better, or take the pain away, their homes are noisy and their hearts are heavy..

So whilst this family won a life changing decision, one that will change their child’s future..

They are not winners..

It doesn’t have to be that way..
Those in power, trying to change the factual process, policy and law..

They are forgetting to first understand the problem..

The issue isn’t just the way the education system works right now, honestly, it’s always going to need fixing..

It’s a living and breathing service, like all others, it must be reactive and responsive to those who need it..

It’s like a field of corn, a farmer must tend to, in order to achieve a bountiful harvest..

The impact of everything changes how the farmer must respond in each moment..

The weather, the quality of the seed and earths, shoppers and social trends for certain food types, the age and affordability of the equipment required to keep up with demand, the big decisions and the management of disappointments if the crops just don’t do what is expected of them..

The farmer does need plans and process, but above all that, the farmer needs strong values, ones they live day in day out..

🌈Determination
🌈Instinct
🌈Experience and knowledge
🌈Focus on next steps
🌈Welcoming of difference
🌈Free thinking

No changes to SEND will work, while we leave those delivering it on the ground either deliberately or through lack of available training, without the core values required to nurture living things..

The real truth, is that whilst those in power all fight for parliamentary control, claiming to be the best candidate for the job..

The people dealing with the problems day to day are making choices in every single moment as to how they respond to families..

Cultures within Academy trusts are finding solutions and building their own narratives based on what they think is best for their business..

Smaller settings are so busy fire fighting, trying to nurture, often they miss the bigger picture, fail to cover all bases, lack the skills or time to deliver admin or tick boxes..

Nothing is joined up..

Some staff have ultimate power over the culture they create in their classrooms..

Whilst others function within a set of rules that tell them how to speak, move, teach and manage every single aspect of their role..

Children move between classes and schools, needing to become the farmers, they are the ones having to use their survival skills to navigate the day..

And for many little and big people..
That is all just too much to bare or accept..

❤️❤️❤️❤️

08/10/2026

08/10/2026

Not sure the Department of Education would agree that my 10yr online monologue regarding their broken system is inspiring…

But thanks Facebook
I’ll take the badge..🤣🤣🤣

🎉 Facebook recognised me for starting engaging conversations and producing inspiring content among my audience and peers!