The SENDcast

Dale Pickles
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  • Education
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The SENDcast is a weekly podcast focusing on Special Educational Needs, it is an amazing way to keep up to date with all the different areas within SEN, best practices and to improve your knowledge around SEND.

  1. 1d ago

    Tes SEND Show Live podcast with Kate Browning - making good progress

    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 Kate Browning, School Improvement Consultant at School Improvement for SEND.   Kate was at the show delivering a session on measuring progress for pupils with SEND. She looks at the qualitative and quantitative approaches school leaders can use to monitor progress and review adaptations and support with confidence, especially for pupils working below expected standards.   Kate and Dale explore why so many schools skip straight from "plan" to "do" in the assess, plan, do, review cycle, and why spending more time on the assess stage pays off. Kate suggests flipping how review meetings are used: 75% of the conversation on assessing and reviewing, and only 25% on planning. The question should be "what does this child need?", not "what interventions have we got available?"   They discuss looking at progress holistically. Sometimes a child's lack of progress in maths has nothing to do with maths, and executive function, home life or the context of a particular lesson could be the real barrier. Kate stresses that no teacher should feel alone in working this out. It needs a team around the child.   The conversation also covers keeping aspirations high. As Kate puts it, we need to know a child's starting point but not leave them there. Progress isn't just about end-of-key-stage results, but about whether a young person leaves school ready for the next step and believing they can succeed.   Kate's top tips from her session: slow down before you speed up, give the assess and review parts of the graduated approach as much attention as the planning, and use a "basket of measures" – both qualitative and quantitative – to build a holistic picture of progress. About Kate Browning Kate Browning has spent over 25 years helping schools improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND. She has worked as a SENCo, a SEN advisory teacher, a local authority school improvement officer for SEND, and interim education development officer for nasen, where she wrote guidance and delivered national training on the SEND Code of Practice. Kate is now an independent consultant at School Improvement for SEND and an associate lecturer at the University of Northampton. She supports schools, trusts, universities and local authorities through consultancy, training, reviews and written guidance, teaches the National Award for SEN Coordination and the SENCO NPQ, and facilitates SENCo networks in Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Coventry. She has also served as Chair of Governors and SEND Governor at a large junior school. Her approach is collaborative, focused on helping others make lasting improvements. About the Tes SEND Show The Tes SEND Show is the UK's largest event dedicated to special educational needs and disabilities, bringing together teachers, SENCOs, school leaders, therapists and parents for two days of CPD, seminars and exhibitors. This series brings you short summaries of some of the 2026 seminar programme, recorded on site in our pop-up podcast studio. A new episode lands every Tuesday for eight weeks. https://tessendshow.co.uk/ https://thesendcast.com/tes-send-show-special-episodes/  B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

  2. 6d ago

    Neurodivergent and Not Attending with Dr Joanna Grace

    42% of the non-attendance of autistic children at school is school refusal. And that figure is almost identical across countries that punish non-attendance and countries that respond to it with support. So what does that tell us? Dr Joanna Grace, sensory engagement and inclusion specialist, TEDx speaker, PhD academic, author, and founder of The Sensory Projects, returns to the studio to discuss the links and patterns between being neurodivergent and school non-attendance. Together, they explore why: – the language we use – school refusal, school avoidance – places the problem in the child rather than in the environment. – the punitive approach to attendance – fines, threats, exclusions from school trips – has no long-term effect and actively causes harm. – 100% attendance is a measure of whether a school is accessible, not a method of making it so. – autistic and neurodivergent children who do attend school are not necessarily okay – and why those who achieve 100% attendance can still be profoundly harmed by the experience. – engagement and belonging must come before attendance – not the other way around. – the education system, designed for the workforce of the Industrial Revolution, is not designed for the children sitting in it today. "There's way more flexibility in the adult world than there is in any school." — Dr Joanna Grace About Dr Joanna Grace Joanna Grace is a sensory engagement and inclusion specialist, doctoral researcher, author, trainer, TEDx speaker and Founder of The Sensory Projects. She has worked with people with learning disabilities and neurodivergent conditions aged from 0–100 in a range of settings and contexts. Through all she does Joanna is seeking to contribute to a future where people are understood in spite of their differences. B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

  3. Oct 27

    Tes SEND Show live podcast with Katie Greenwood - Rethinking SEMH

    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 Katie Greenwood, Head of Therapeutic Services at Thrive Education Partnership, a multi-academy trust specialising in SEND.   Katie was at the show delivering a session on SEMH. Drawing on a decade of work in forensic mental health settings, she looks at how schools can move beyond behaviour management and surface-level strategies, and why behaviour can reflect a nervous system under stress rather than defiance.   Katie and Dale explore why trauma-informed practice should really just be called good practice. It isn't only for children who have experienced significant trauma – it's about understanding how all of us respond to stress, and how our brain and nervous system work together to keep us safe. As Katie puts it, a child who seems unwilling may in fact be unable. And while "behaviour is communication" is a useful phrase, the real question is: communication of what? It should prompt curiosity, not a fixed conclusion.   They talk about the difference between being safe and feeling safe. Katie describes the nervous system as an "internal lighthouse", constantly scanning for cues of safety and danger, which is why simply telling a child "it is safe" doesn't work. She also explains that the word trauma literally means wound: the same tap on the shoulder can barely register for one person and really hurt another.   The conversation also covers belonging – built from connectivity, voice, agency, presence and safety – and how small "micro moments" of being seen can make a real difference, even in a class of 30. Katie explains why rupture and repair matters so much in relationships, teaching children that they are still worth caring about after a difficult moment.   Katie's top tips from her session: use a "power pause" to give yourself time and space before reacting, and always ask how the child is actually experiencing what we put in place – and ask the child too. About Katie Greenwood Katie Greenwood is Head of Therapeutic Services at Thrive Education Partnership. She is a dramatherapist, EMDR therapist, sensorimotor psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and trainer with over 20 years' experience supporting adults, children and young people with complex emotional and mental health needs. Katie has worked in schools, Pupil Referral Units, prisons, Young Offender Institutions and secure mental health hospitals, including as a Lead Dramatherapist in forensic mental health. She has lectured at the Universities of Birmingham, Nottingham and Leicester, and is a Partner Assessor for the Health and Care Professions Council. Her work centres on trauma-informed and relational practice, using creativity, play and embodied experience to support emotional safety and regulation. She is currently completing a PhD on trauma-related dissociation. About the Tes SEND Show The Tes SEND Show is the UK's largest event dedicated to special educational needs and disabilities, bringing together teachers, SENCOs, school leaders, therapists and parents for two days of CPD, seminars and exhibitors. This series brings you short summaries of some of the 2026 seminar programme, recorded on site in our pop-up podcast studio. A new episode lands every Tuesday for eight weeks. https://tessendshow.co.uk/ https://thesendcast.com/tes-send-show-special-episodes/  B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

  4. Oct 22

    Making Residentials Truly Inclusive: Supporting Children with SEND in Outdoor Learning with Nicholas Hands

    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 assumptions, poor planning, and a culture of saying no without even asking the question. Nicholas is refreshingly clear: the activity adaptation is almost always the easy part. It's the funding, the staffing ratios, and the paperwork that create the real barriers. They also discuss the transformative power of the outdoor environment itself - why it acts as a leveller, why children who struggle in the classroom often thrive outside it, and why the child nobody notices suddenly gets to shine when everyone is facing the same challenge together.   "You can remember the school trip you went on. You can't remember second period French." Nicholas Hands   About Nicholas Hands Nick Hands is the CEO of Boundless Outdoors, an outdoor education centre in Malvern dedicated to making the great outdoors accessible to all. With a background in adventure and expeditions — including kayaking some of the hardest whitewater rivers in the world and climbing 20,000ft peaks in Nepal — Nick is a firm believer that anything is possible outdoors. In 2013, Nick fronted a bid to take on the Malvern Outdoor Centre and turn it around. Over the years, he and his team have transformed it from a loss-making operation into a thriving centre turning over £1.6m, accommodating more than 10,000 children a year. A central focus has been modernising provision to make it as inclusive as possible — most recently through a new £1m purpose-built dining and catering facility. B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

  5. Oct 20

    Tes SEND Show live podcast with Simon Airey - Neurodivergent Play

    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 shower gels in height order, and a child happily waving sticks around the playground on his own, to show why solo play can be so regulating: there are no demands. He and Dale discuss observing without judgement, asking "what are you noticing?" instead of "why are you doing that?", and adding to a child's play rather than trying to change it. Simon's top tips: always observe first, keep resources open-ended, and let children show you what play looks like for them. About Simon Airey Simon Airey is an autistic teacher, speaker and consultant, and the founder of Neuroaffirming With Simon. He works to bridge the gap between parents and teachers in supporting children, with a focus on neuroaffirming practice, play-based learning and practical classroom inclusion. Drawing on his classroom experience and lived insight, Simon helps schools and local authorities adopt approaches that work for both children and staff. About the Tes SEND Show The Tes SEND Show is the UK's largest event dedicated to special educational needs and disabilities, bringing together teachers, SENCOs, school leaders, therapists and parents for two days of CPD, seminars and exhibitors. This series brings you short summaries of some of the 2026 seminar programme, recorded on site in our pop-up podcast studio. A new episode lands every Tuesday for eight weeks. https://tessendshow.co.uk/ https://thesendcast.com/tes-send-show-special-episodes/  B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

  6. Oct 15

    From Pressure to Safety: Rethinking EBSA with Jack Mallaby

    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: - Why bums on seats is not the same as safety, engagement, or belonging. - Why celebrating 100% attendance without considering why a child achieved it misses the point entirely. - How a relational approach - relationship before curriculum - reduces incidents, builds trust, and saves time in the long run. - Why reasonable adjustments are rarely as complicated as schools fear, and why giving a little gets you so much more back. - Why consequences should replace punishments - and what a genuinely reflective conversation looks like in practice. - Why collaboration between schools, families, and young people is not optional: parents are the experts on their own children. "The attendance is the effect. It's what you're seeing as a result of something. It's a flag saying something's going on - but schools often don't see it as a flag." Jack Mallaby About Jack Mallaby Jack Mallaby is an Assistant Headteacher and SENCo working within a specialist autism provision. He previously led Learning Support and SEND in a large mainstream secondary school, giving him experience across both mainstream and specialist settings. Jack's work focuses on inclusive SEND strategy, EBSA, autism, SEMH, attendance, safeguarding, behaviour, curriculum access and EHCP processes. He works closely with families, schools, therapists, health professionals, local authorities, social care teams and commissioners to develop practical, person-centred support. He is particularly interested in moving EBSA conversations away from blame or compliance and towards understanding, safety, relationship, reasonable adjustments and sustainable re-engagement with education. B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

  7. Oct 13

    Tes SEND Show live podcast with Samantha Asher - Emotional Regulation

    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 regulation through the lens of neurodivergence, and the conversation covers a lot of ground from that session and beyond.   Dale and Sam explore why co-regulation must always come before self-regulation, how neurodivergence presents so differently in girls and boys - and why girls are identified so much later as a result - and why understanding fight, flight, freeze, and fawn matters for anyone supporting neurodivergent children.   They also have a fascinating conversation about neurodivergent play: why no play is wrong, what schema play tells us about how children are developing, and why a child who lines up cars or spins wheels rather than building a track is still fully engaged - and deserves to be met where they are, not redirected to where we think they should be.   Sam also shares the thinking behind her brand name, Journey With Me - and why her role, as she sees it, is not to pull children towards a fixed destination, but to join them on their own path. About Samantha Asher Samantha Asher has over 20 years, experience of working with children across the early years and primary education sectors. She previously led an early years team, that was dedicated to supporting children across the Early Years, and Key Stage One with characteristics of emerging SEND. Samantha Asher is the founder of Journey with me, an independent SEND support service, offering support to Early Years and Primary settings. Her work is rooted in a strengths-based approach, that is dedicated to supporting every child, based on their own unique profile. Samantha is committed to delivering high quality, flexible support that considers the needs of the children, families and the wider school community. Samantha works closely with educators, understanding the realities and pressures of school life, and is committed to offering practical, manageable and effective strategies. She believes that building strong relationships are at the heart of inclusion and is dedicated to helping practitioners feel confident and supported, enabling every learner to thrive! About the Tes SEND Show The Tes SEND Show is the UK's largest event dedicated to special educational needs and disabilities, bringing together teachers, SENCOs, school leaders, therapists and parents for two days of CPD, seminars and exhibitors. This series brings you short summaries of some of the 2026 seminar programme, recorded on site in our pop-up podcast studio. A new episode lands every Tuesday for eight weeks. https://tessendshow.co.uk/ https://thesendcast.com/tes-send-show-special-episodes/  B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

  8. Oct 8

    Ensuring behaviour policy closes the gap with Adam Hayes

    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 honest perspective on why so many schools are still punishing children for having an unmet need rather than helping them address it. Together, they explore:  - Why behaviour policies too often focus entirely on deficit - what children aren't doing - rather than building a shared understanding of what we value and why. - What a behaviour curriculum actually is, and why it's the missing piece that turns a policy from a document on a shelf into something that's lived and breathed across a school. - Why children should be taught why a rule exists, not just expected to follow it. - Why every interaction is an intervention, and why children need to feel liked, loved, respected, or safe before behaviour change can happen. - The problem with rewarding 100% attendance. - Why we need bold children who ask why — and what we lose when we train that instinct out of them.  "Experiences lead to feelings, and feelings create behaviours. If my intervention wouldn't work in the staff room, why do I think it will work in the classroom?" Adam Hayes A candid, thought-provoking, and at times genuinely funny conversation that will make you look at behaviour very differently. About Adam Hayes Adam has extensive experience in both Social Care and Education, both mainstream and SEND, having worked across the full range of ages and stages of education. He joined Therapeutic Thinking Ltd. from his role with Hertfordshire County Council. During his time with Hertfordshire Adam held a range of roles including Area Manager for Integrated Services for Learning, County Inclusion Lead, and Behaviour Advisor and Hertfordshire Therapeutic Thinking County Lead. Adam has a solution-focused approach which ensures that young people are at the centre of all that he does. This child centred work has been positively recognised by the stakeholders he works with. Adam has become the managing director of Therapeutic Thinking and as such is taking this positive, well considered approach forward and sharing it more widely with Local Authorities, Trusts and standalone schools. B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk  Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast  Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk  Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

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About

The SENDcast is a weekly podcast focusing on Special Educational Needs, it is an amazing way to keep up to date with all the different areas within SEN, best practices and to improve your knowledge around SEND.

Information

  • Creator
    Dale Pickles
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    358
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © B Squared Ltd.
  • Show Website
    The SENDcast

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