I found myself asking this fascinating question after I had written a scene in the third novel of my trilogy, ‘Legacy of Deceit’. My previous blog, ‘A Novel Idea’ outlined my experiences in a cotton mill that had become a handbag factory after it had, like most mills in the fifties and sixties, ceased traditional…

A recent article in the Times (James Marriott) questions if our love of books is more fragile than we realise? Marriott quotes recent statistics, suggesting that about a third of British adults have given up reading for pleasure, and that the OECD reports that literacy is either ‘declining or stagnating’ in most developed countries. How…

As many of you are aware, my fictional trilogy, ‘Legacy of Deceit’, (third book progressing), takes my characters through the time when cotton mills were a distinct feature of many northern towns. Manchester was even nicknamed, ‘Cottonopolis’ because of its many mills. The lives of people existing amongst these dark, urban landscapes have been captured…

My last blog (Every Child to Succeed) was about the proposed changes to the SEND system, what inclusion IS and what it involves – and the crucial importance of READING within an inclusive setting. Are you an avid reader from choice? If so, what do you read? Fiction, non-fiction – both? I have just finished…

It’s here – the biggest SEND shake-up for a decade. But will it work we ask? Can we really emerge in 2035 with a system that is absolutely right for each school learner? Having read a leaked BBC article, listened to Radio discussion (23.2) and read ‘Special Needs Jungle’ reviews of the proposals, it is…