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Read Our reflection on the SEND Reform consultation
Our reflection on the SEND Reform consultation
We have submitted our response to the SEND Reform consultation, drawing on what we see through our work with children, families and schools. Our response focuses on the gap between what the system des...All posts
Read Bright Paths newsletter – May 2026 – 4th Edition
Bright Paths newsletter – May 2026 – 4th Edition
This month, we’re marking a special milestone as BrightPaths celebrates five years of supporting children and young people. We look back on how far we’ve come, share some of the challenges...
Read Explore our new free wellbeing resource hub
Explore our new free wellbeing resource hub
Welcome to our BrightPaths resource hub, a collection of tools and guidance we’ve shared through our newsletters and social channels to support emotional wellbeing. You’ll find practical tools to ...
Read If only you knew how it feels to be me… The children who don’t meet thresholds, but aren’t coping either
If only you knew how it feels to be me… The children who don’t meet thresholds, but aren’t coping either
We share some excerpts from a poem that a young person wrote during a mentoring session with us. The poem explains what it feels like for the young person to live in survival mode at school, where eac...
Read When Belonging Becomes Protection: Understanding Why Neurodivergent Children Face Higher Exploitation Risks
When Belonging Becomes Protection: Understanding Why Neurodivergent Children Face Higher Exploitation Risks
This morning, as we marked Child Exploitation Awareness Day, I kept thinking about a young person who once said to me, “I just wanted someone to choose me.” When you hear that from a child who alr...
Read When isolation is used as punishment, what problem are we really trying to solve?
When isolation is used as punishment, what problem are we really trying to solve?
This blog reflects on the use of isolation in schools and how it can affect young people who already feel they don’t belong. It draws on our work with young people and the experiences they share wit...
Read SEND tribunals and what families really experience
SEND tribunals and what families really experience
Every time we look at the latest SEND tribunal figures, it feels like we’re only seeing the tip of something much bigger. Behind those numbers are families waiting, children missing out, and a syste...
Read Children’s Mental Health Week: Download our free wellbeing pack
Children’s Mental Health Week: Download our free wellbeing pack
To support this year’s Place2Be Mental Health Awareness Week, we are sharing a free wellbeing resource us to support us to think about what helps children feel safe, included, and understood.
Read Bright Paths newsletter – January 2026 – 3rd Edition
Bright Paths newsletter – January 2026 – 3rd Edition
Welcome to the January edition of Steps and Stories! This month’s edition looks back on our work this year and shares updates from across our projects, and includes a free, no-equipment ‘s...
Read Emotional School Avoidance (EBSA): Early, Practical Support for Families and Schools
Emotional School Avoidance (EBSA): Early, Practical Support for Families and Schools
Emotional School Avoidance (EBSA), or anxiety-based school avoidance, is not a choice. It is a nervous system response to overwhelm. When children feel unsafe, overloaded or unheard, their bodies move...
Read When the toilets are scarier than the rides
When the toilets are scarier than the rides
At Bright Paths, we work with neurodivergent children, young people and families every day. Our volunteer and Marketing and Comms Director, Laura, recently visited Disneyland Paris with her family and...
Read Invisible Struggles: Why prevention must start with understanding
Invisible Struggles: Why prevention must start with understanding
“The quiet ones are often the ones hurting most. You just have to know how to listen.” That reflection from one of our BrightPaths mentors captures the heart of this issue. Too many children, espe...
Read Bright Paths newsletter – October 2025 – 2nd Edition