In today’s world, noise and distraction have become the norm, silence the novelty. You’re reading this on a phone or computer screen right now, but looking around you, how many other things are vying for your attention at this very second?

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.

I hadn’t planned on writing about this topic, but in light of the recent government proposal to introduce digital ID’s, and the social chatter that followed, I wanted to put down a few of my views.

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)?