Family Pathway

23/04/2026

Behaviour isn’t the problem. It’s the signal.

Next week at the National Neurodiversity Shows Cardiff 2026, I’ll be talking about behaviour, belonging, and the pipeline we don’t talk about, how unmet need becomes exclusion, absence, and long-term disconnection.

If we keep responding with punishment instead of understanding, nothing changes.

We will explore what it means to start build systems that actually see, hear, and hold young people properly.

22/04/2026

The following will encourage a better understanding of why parents are choosing elective home education and flexi-schooling, and provide insight into what home-educating and flexi-schooling parents would find useful.

The intention of this work is to provide evidence to help MPs, Peers, LAs, and education settings understand why families are increasingly choosing elective home education or flexi-schooling, understand current experience of existing processes, and to shine a light on best practice from within the communities where people are seeing their children thrive and embrace a lifelong love of learning.

Home educating parents can complete this survey https://lnkd.in/eDVJbNnc to inform this study about:

● Why they chose to home educate or flexi-school

● What support they would find helpful and what support they would find unhelpful

● Examples of their experiences they would like to share

The survey is anonymous – your name and contact details will NOT be asked as part of the survey. However, if you wish to share your experiences publicly, as part of raising awareness of the report around the time of publication, you can opt into this by leaving an email address at the end of the survey.

The research is being carried out by researchers from the Open University: Mari Greenfield, Amber Fensham-Smith and Chelle Oldham. The research will be part of a report, which is being written by a group including:

● Anne Buckland - Director of PR, HE parent & HE community organiser

● Sean Cheasley - Previous teacher, HE parent & HE community organiser

● Lord Nigel Crisp - Cross-bench Peer, former Chief Executive of the NHS, convenor of the group

● Juliet English - Former social worker, Co-Founder of Streams Education & HE consultant

● David Harvey - Former teacher and Inclusion Support Service Manager for Hampshire, founder member & former Chair of the Association of Elective Home Education Professionals (AEHEP)

● Lord Johnnie Hampton - Cross-bench Peer & teacher,

● Rachel Gourley - Head teacher & member of UK Flexi-schooling Leadership Council.

● Mari Greenfield - Post-doctoral research fellow, lecturer & HE parent.

● Penny Watermeyer - Teacher, editor for ‘Hidden Voices Speak’ & HE parent

This research project has been reviewed by, and received a favourable opinion from The Open University Human Research Ethics Committee – HREC reference number: 2026-1367-2.

12/04/2026

Inclusion shouldn’t depend on luck. But right now, it does.

Fewer than 2% of pupils are identified with specific learning difficulties — yet estimates suggest it’s closer to 5–10%.

That gap isn’t about need.

It’s about who gets recognised.

Where a child lives, their background, and access to advocacy still shapes whether they’re seen — and supported.

So yes… it’s a postcode lottery.

But more than that, it’s a system problem.

Worth a read 👇

Boys were twice as likely as girls to be identified with specific learning difficulties

10/04/2026

Everyone’s talking about smart design…
but for me, it always comes back to relational practice.

Spaces don’t work because they’re high-tech.
They work when they actually respond to people.
If a space increases overwhelm, confusion, or dependency —
it’s not well designed. Full stop.

Real innovation isn’t the building —
it’s how the environment shows up for the person in it.

09/04/2026

This is the pipeline we don’t talk about.

Behind “challenging behaviour” are patterns of unmet need, exclusion, vulnerability and missed opportunities for early support.

The data isn’t surprising — but it should be uncomfortable.

If we are serious about change, we need to shift from control to understanding, and from reaction to prevention.

📊 Centre for Young Lives

09/04/2026

Why are some children repeatedly labelled as “challenging”…
while others quietly disappear?

I’ll be speaking at the National Neurodiversity Shows, Cardiff City Stadium (30th April) about:

Behaviour, Belonging and the Pipeline We Don’t Talk About

This one matters. Looking forward to the conversation.

07/04/2026

Really proud to share that our latest article has been published in the Children in Wales Spring Magazine 🌱

📍 You’ll find us on page 64:
“Beyond voice: what meaningful participation looks like for neurodivergent young people in Wales”

https://isu.pub/3PxcECB

This piece gets into something that’s often misunderstood —
participation isn’t just about being “heard”
# it’s about being understood, supported, and able to engage in ways that actually work

We explore:

why traditional models of participation don’t work for many neurodivergent young people
the role of trust, relationships, and processing time
what meaningful, person-centred participation actually looks like in practice

If we’re serious about inclusion, we’ve got to move beyond tokenistic voice and start designing systems that genuinely enable young people to take part.

Have a read and let me know your thoughts 💬

05/04/2026

01/04/2026

27/03/2026

Really valued my time on Wednesday at the Children in Wales conference.

Professor Laura Lundy’s work on children’s participation was a proper reminder that “voice of the child” isn’t enough on its own.

If children aren’t given the space, support, audience, and real influence—it’s not participation, it’s a tick-box.

One line that stayed with me:
Children cannot be kept safe if they are not heard—and cannot be heard where they are not safe.

Definitely left reflecting on how often systems capture voice… but don’t act on it.

Real participation means real change.

22/03/2026

This upcoming event on autistic thriving at school looks great - see info below.

Who is this event for?
This event is free to attend and open to everyone - autistic children and young people, their parents and carers, teachers and school staff, healthcare professionals, and researchers. No prior knowledge is needed; all are welcome.

As part of Reading University's centenary celebrations, they are hosting a free public hybrid (in person and online) event on the evening of the 6th May on the theme of Autistic Thriving at School and Beyond. Please this event that aims to bring together autistic children and young people, their families, students, professionals and researchers to explore what supports autistic children to flourish in education and everyday life.

https://Inkd.in/e-7y3SRD

21/03/2026

As we come to the end of #𝐍𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤, I’ve been thinking a lot about what inclusion actually feels like in practice.

Policies and paperwork set the intention.
But inclusion is felt in the day-to-day experiences of young people.

I visited this week — and you could feel it the moment you walked in.

A sense of calm.
Understanding.
An environment that genuinely makes space for young people to be who they are.

What stood out most was the holistic understanding of need.
Not labels. Not assumptions. Just a deep awareness that every learner experiences the world differently — and that the environment needs to respond to that.

It says a lot about a school when spaces like a sensory room and a sensory garden are prioritised — and not hidden away, but embedded as part of everyday practice.

Accessible to learners aged 11–19 who need space to regulate, reset, and re-engage.

Because inclusion isn’t about keeping young people in the classroom at all costs.

It’s about giving them the tools to access it.

To build agency.
To develop self-regulation.
To feel safe enough to engage.

That’s what inclusion feels like.

Not performative.
Not tokenistic.
Just thoughtful, intentional, and human.