[senco-forum] Select Committee Report

I've had a skim through the whole lot (Select Committee Report on SEN).  Good 
reference for statistics. Don't think the Gov. will take much notice of the  
recommendations -- some excellent -- some good -- some bonkers - and some  
downright dangerous.

And, as usual, there is much talk about greater partnership with parents --  
but the one publicly funded, national, locally based, network of  statutory 
organisations charged with promoting parent partnership -- Parent  Partnership 
Services (supposedly at arms reach from LAs) gets not a  mention.  Amazingly 
not one of these 150 separate organisations (with  a central DfES funded body) 
seems to have put in a report or  memorandum to the Committee. 

Consequentially PPS's -- their value, independence, knowledge, etc.,  gets 
not one mention. It seems the Select Committee did not even know  that these 
publicly funded organisations existed! Otherwise wouldn't the  committee have 
expressed disappointment that at least the central body  of PPS's did not 
contribute a word in writing. With a 150  organisations on the ground -- PPS's must 
have a wealth of knowledge  about the activities of LAs with regard to SEN -- 
and know a hell of a  lot about parents concerns -- I'm gobsmacked! Does this 
show how limited  and timid PPS's are as effective voices for parents of SEN  
children?  This is what the central organisaton (NPPN) say about  itself:

The National Parent  Partnership Network (NPPN) supports all parent 
partnership services across  England. NPPN works under the aegis of the Council for 
Disabled Children and is  funded by the Department for Education and Skills 
(DfES).

Support that NPPN gives to  parent partnership services (PPSs) includes:  
    *   A database of all  PPSs  
    *   A regular  newsletter  
    *   Managing an  e-forum  
    *   Supporting the  website  
    *   Training  opportunities  
    *   A regular programme of  conferences  
    *   Visits to all regional  parent partnership groups  
    *   Facilitating national  collaboration  
    *   Facilitating a national  benchmarking exercise  
    *   Support, advice and  information for individual PPSs 
All this and not a peep from them, or about them, in the largest report  on 
SEN for over 20 years! Brendan