Detention Diaries

Join me on this week’s episode of the Make it Make SENDs podcast as I chat with the remarkable Ginny Bootman — a SENDCO, former headteacher, author and champion of empathy-driven SEND education. 🚀 In this conversation we dive into: Ginny’s journey from classroom to leading inclusive practiceHow empathy, trust and relationships make all the difference in SEND provisionThe current state of SEND legislation, what’s working and what still needs to changePractical advice for teachers, parents

💬 Episode Description: In the very first episode of Make it Make SENDs, I sit down with Kieran Rose — better known as The Autistic Advocate — to talk all things autism, inclusion, and the future of education. Kieran is one of the UK’s most respected autistic voices, a writer, trainer, and speaker who’s spent years challenging the systems that fail autistic children and their families. In this honest and powerful conversation, we explore how our schools are designed, why so many autistic

In this episode of Detention Diaries, I’m joined by Will Evans — my former PGCE mentor and now Music PGCE Lead at Manchester Metropolitan University. Will’s spent years helping new teachers survive (and sometimes even enjoy) their first year in the classroom, and in this episode, we lift the lid on what teacher training really looks like in 2025. We chat about the changing face of education, why creative subjects like music are more vital than ever, and how to prepare new teachers for a profe...

In Episode 2 of Detention Diaries, I sit down with Andy — a former mainstream teacher who went on to set up education across multiple alternative provision sites in the North West, and now works with Progressive Masculinity, helping schools rethink how they support boys. We dive deep into what’s really going on with young men in education — the ones who slip through the cracks, lash out, or just quietly disappear. We unpack the findings of the ‘Lost Boys’ report, explore the crisis of modern ...

When mainstream can’t meet every need — what really happens inside a Pupil Referral Unit? In this episode of Detention Diaries, I sit down with David — a former SENDCo at my school who’s now working as English Lead in a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU). He’s someone who’s lived the reality of trying to make mainstream education work for every student… and then decided to see what life was like beyond it. We talk about the truth behind alternative provision — the successes, the heartbreaks, the...

Welcome to Detention Diaries. Stay tuned for our first episode. Like, Subscribe, join the community. Be sound! Loads of love. Detention Diaries Enjoyed the episode? Then it’s time to join the class. 👉 Head to www.detentiondiaries.com to read the blog, sign up for the newsletter, and join our online staffroom community. Because education doesn’t end at the classroom door — and neither does the conversation.