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Missing The Mark

A podcast about how the school system is failing autistic children.


Latest episode

  • 4. Seeing The Future

    35:07||Season 1, Ep. 4
    Seeing the FutureIn episode 4 Eliza looks at how our broken school system is not just failing autistic young people but everyone. What can be done to make it better?All children want to learn, but sometimes the school environment makes this difficult. The pressure of league tables and efficiency and standards can mean children’s needs and wellbeing take a backseat. The focus is “content”, not the child, and the fallout is growing psychological distress among young people. Reports show children in the UK are doing extremely poorly in terms of their school satisfaction, life satisfaction and subjective wellbeing. A high number of our prison population have been failed by the education system.How far is the current school system out of date and fit for purpose in the 21st century? How far is school reflective of children’s lives and their lives outside school any more? Is it time to think more creatively about how we educate?  “Lots of people don't thrive in our current educational system. We need to think about education in a much wider way. What if when children are going to school age four or five, it's not a question of which school they go to, it's a question of how are they best going to learn.” Featuring:Eliza Fricker (@_MissingTheMark)Harry Thompson (@FidgetyF_cker), author of The PDA ParadoxKieran Rose (@KieranRose7), The Autistic AdvocateDr Naomi Fisher (@naomicfisher), author of Changing Our MindsTom Vodden (@TVodden), teacher and trainerLiz Soper (@ASeatAtTheTabl4), A Seat At The TableDr Chris Bagley (@hiddendepths), Director of Research at States of MindGraham Brown-Martin (@GrahamBM), author of Learning ReimaginedResources:eliza@missingthemark.blogFacebook MissingTheMark1Missing the Mark blog

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  • 3. Finding Other Ways

    33:04||Season 1, Ep. 3
    Finding Other WaysIn episode 3 Eliza finds out what happens when you leave the school system, what recovery looks like, and what alternatives there are to mainstream education when you know you need something different. For some children the consequences of trying to go to mainstream school is devastating, and the first step when they leave is healing. Eliza talks to mum of two autistic children, Lindsey, about slowly rebuilding their children’s wellbeing and capacity to grow. She discusses homeschooling, and “special schools”, and how interest-based learning is key. Eliza visits the Self Managed Learning Centre to find out about putting autonomy first as the basis for learning, and shares her journey to finding the perfect place to learn for her child.“What if we reconceptualised “dropping out” of education as “dropping in” to a different kind of education because that’s what you need, and for that to be empowering.”Featuring:Eliza Fricker (@_MissingTheMark)Harry Thompson (@FidgetyF_cker), author of The PDA ParadoxKieran Rose (@KieranRose7), The Autistic AdvocateDr Naomi Fisher (@naomicfisher), author of Changing Our MindsDr Chris Bagley (@hiddendepths), Director of Research at States of MindDr Ian Cunningham, founder of the Self Managed Learning College Resources:eliza@missingthemark.blogFacebook MissingTheMark1Missing the Mark blog

  • 2. A Bad Morning

    28:28||Season 1, Ep. 2
    A Bad MorningIn episode 2 Eliza looks at the tensions around school attendance, how traumatising this can be, and how children are masking their true self to survive. Currently almost two million children are regularly absent from school. Many of these will have special needs - making going to school a stressful and distressing experience. But in a system that prizes attendance over wellbeing, autistic children are forced into an environment that makes them unwell.Attendance becomes the first obstacle of many to overcome - school want children to attend regardless of their mental state, but parents know school is creating distress. Teachers want to help, but are under resourced and under pressure to maintain standards. Parents are sent on parenting courses, and get lost in a labyrinth of bureaucratic “support”. To cope at school, children learn to mask their real feelings, leading to exhaustion and burnout. Until eventually the family is at breaking point.“I saw my child closing down. She was using every element of herself to cope with getting through each day. Then eventually came a complete shutdown, the body and the mind can't do it anymore. And they are too unwell to do anything.” Featuring:Eliza Fricker (@_MissingTheMark)Tom Vodden (@TVodden), teacher and trainerLiz Soper (@ASeatAtTheTabl4), A Seat At The TableKieran Rose (@KieranRose7), The Autistic AdvocateDr Chris Bagley (@hiddendepths), Director of Research at States of MindResources:eliza@missingthemark.blogFacebook MissingTheMark1Missing the Mark blog

  • 1. The Wrong Fit

    26:14||Season 1, Ep. 1
    The Wrong FitIn episode 1 Eliza hears what it’s like to struggle to go to school and why getting a diagnosis of autism doesn’t always bring the support and understanding families need.For children with autism, school can be an overwhelming and traumatic place. Sensory overload, the requirement to sit still for hours on end, can result in behaviour that’s misunderstood as naughty. Many children become too unwell to go to school, leading to fines and threats for prosecution for parents. Families can wait years for a diagnosis of autism, which promises to be the gateway to the help they need. Too often this isn’t the case, and the onus is on the child to be “fixed” to fit the system, not the system to support the child. “My child wasn't broken, they didn't need to be fixed. Why were we trying to do this?”Featuring:Eliza Fricker (@_MissingTheMark)Harry Thompson (@FidgetyF_cker), author of The PDA ParadoxKieran Rose (@KieranRose7), The Autistic AdvocateDr Naomi Fisher (@naomicfisher), author of Changing Our MindsDr Chris Bagley (@hiddendepths), Director of Research at States of MindGraham Brown-Martin (@GrahamBM), author of Learning ReimaginedResources:eliza@missingthemark.blogFacebook MissingTheMark1Missing the Mark blog