In school, teachers meet many children and cannot possibly know everything about their lives. They might have an invisible difficulty or problems resulting from poverty. Not all disabilities are visible or physical. What we know about a child’s learning needs, their self-esteem, what they like and what they find difficult, will depend on who we ask, what data we have and where we observe the child.

By working in teams we can pool our different expertise, share information and come up with ideas. By working together and communicating regularly with parents, community leaders and charities, we are acknowledging that disabled children often face several connected barriers. It is well-known for example that disabled girls, for example, are more likely to be out of school than disabled boys. We start this week exploring different types of partnership teams.