16/12/2025
A reflection on SEN funding, diagnoses — and the system we’re asking children to survive or theive within.
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the UK government’s announcement to invest more money into SEN provision within mainstream schools, including increased access to multidisciplinary teams.
And to be clear —
collaboration matters.
Early input matters.
Joined-up thinking matters.
But I want to gently name something that often goes unsaid, especially for parents holding hope that this will finally make things easier for their child.
👉 Even with more professionals involved, many children will still struggle.
Because the core issue is not simply a lack of diagnosis, funding, or services.
The deeper issue is the system children are being asked to function within.
Mainstream education is under immense pressure:
• tightly packed curricula
• constant assessment and comparison
• rapid transitions and short lessons
• limited time for regulation, recovery, or emotional processing
For children with sensitive or vulnerable nervous systems , whether diagnosed, awaiting assessment, or never labelled at all - this environment can keep them in a near-constant state of stress.
And a dysregulated nervous system cannot learn, connect, or thrive to its full potential.
This is true in both public and private education.
Funding may buy smaller classes or additional interventions, but it cannot override a nervous system that feels unsafe.
I know this both professionally and personally.
I have worked in education since 1998 , as a primary teacher, specialist teacher, autism outreach teacher, holistic therapist, and family support practitioner. I’ve supported hundreds of children, parents, and schools across Derbyshire and beyond.
I am also neurodivergent myself, undiagnosed until my 50s, having had a “successful” career within this very system.
I didn’t cope because the system was kind.
I coped because my parents and my lived experience, taught me how to protect my regulation, my self-worth and my belief that I was enough.
I thrived as a teacher because I carried this understanding into my work. I sought to empower children, families, and staff by creating conditions where regulation came first, by practising what I preached. (Sometimes that meant singing before work, or having a boogie before home.)
I wasn’t always popular.
I spoke up when I saw poor practice.
I challenged systems that harmed rather than helped.
But I also advocated, mentored, inspired, and trained — always with compassion. I built my own resilience to cope with toxicity in the workplace, within education, and at times in my wider community — because this is who I am.
A passionate, yet compassionate professional.
I will always work with the person in front of me, not the label they may carry.
I will always honour their unique light.
Because that is what I believe makes the biggest difference.
Not labels alone.
Not reports alone.
Not even well-intentioned funding announcements.
Children need to feel safe, be given time, have attuned adults and environments that understand one simple truth:
👉 Behaviour is communication ,not failure.
So if you are a parent reading this and thinking,
“We have the support… but my child is still struggling,”
please hear this:
It does not mean the support hasn’t worked.
It does not mean something is wrong with your child.
It may simply mean the system is still asking too much of their nervous system.
And this is where real change begins, not with fixing children, but with truly understanding what they are being asked to cope with.
So here’s a gentle invitation
If this resonates, you’re very welcome to comment, share your thoughts, or message me privately. These conversations matter.
I also offer free discovery calls for parents who want a calm, knowledgeable space to think things through: whether that’s around school, regulation, SEN processes, diagnoses, or simply what next. I also offer holistic treatments to help your body and mind regulate , becuase YOU are essential and key in helping your child thrive.
My work is always bespoke,many families come to me because I bridge education, nervous system regulation, family support, and lived experience — often acting as a kind of multidisciplinary team in one steady place.
No pressure.
No fixing.
Just a 100% human connection, understanding, clarity with next steps that feel possible.
💛
Lena
