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 .
It’s a go-to hub for all things SEND, offering free weekly podcasts and online CPD training. It’s aim is to help teachers, parents, and professionals to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
Created by the B Squared Team and hosted by the rather brilliant Dale Pickles, this online resource shares years of experience working with schools and has been an endless support for the work we do here at Awesome Archie.
We first met Dale at the TES SEND show back in 2023 when we spoke to him on the SENDcast exhibit stand. I introduced myself as a TES “first timer” and shared a little about the work we do . I took a photo of the stand and promised to google them when Ian and I got back to our hotel. That night that’s exactly what we did ! From that moment The SENDcast has been a weekly part of my ongoing need for CPD and has helped us grow as a team in both knowledge and confidence.
After keeping in touch and then meeting up again in London last year , I couldn’t believe my luck when Dale said that he would love to have Archie and I record our very own podcast with him. WE JUMPED AT THE CHANCE!!!!!!!
I don’t mind admitting that we were both a bit nervous at the thought of being on the very same Podcast that the “Industry greats” educated people like us!! But Archie and I had no reason to be worried. We were made so welcome by Dale and his team. We had a personal tour of the amazing B Squared office and the SENDcast studio in Camberley and Archie had all the time in the world to acclimatize to his surroundings.
Archie spoke to Dale about the daily challenges he faced as a neurodivergent child in a mainstream school that simply had no idea what to do with him. He talked about how specialist provision has “allowed” him to just be “Archie”, therefore has helped his confidence and his academic skills to grow. We are incredibly proud of him for speaking so openly and honestly. I’ll link his AWESOME podcast below, please do check it out 🙂
Mine was essentially a good old natter about what being a mum, a 1:1 and an often misunderstood neurodivergent adult is like in the world of education. We touched on the immense lack of TA support ( not their fault) , the lack of funding and the many chunks of terminology that are still widely unknown ( in our personal experience).
I’ll pop the link below and we would love you to listen 🙂
So to Dale and the team THANKYOU SO MUCH. This was a real career highlight for both Archie and I and we are truly grateful for the opportunity.
For our readers, whether TA’s, Teachers, SLT , Parents/ carers….please do listen to the SENDcast podcasts and sessions. There is a wealth of varied subjects and often answers to the many questions that you may not feel comfortable asking a colleague.
“Perfection is unachievable, but empathy is all you need to make a kids life better!” Awesome Archie