With every passing day, it feels like we’re finding it more and more difficult as a society to discuss real, complex issues with the depth and nuance they demand. Not just to understand the challenges we face but also to understand each other.

It feels as though as more time passes, we’re drifting further into an age where true independent thinking is quietly fading away. It’s not that we’ve lost intelligence or the capacity to think, at least, not yet.

Over the past six or seven years, I’ve found myself increasingly questioning whether the education system is truly set up to help children learn and develop their minds or merely to cultivate a culture of compliance. More recently, through personal experiences, that question has become more pointed on whether we’re also failing children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)?

Unfortunately, the more time spent thinking about and observing the topic, the clearer the answer becomes.