Authors

Thomas Keaney
Thomas Keaney


Thomas Keaney is the CEO of , a social enterprise that provides specialist therapeutic education, which he founded in 1999.

A qualified social worker, Thomas has more than 30 years’ experience supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities. He is also a trustee of the .

All articles by Thomas Keaney
SEND: the mental health shift in policy plans is worrying
Moving mental health from SEND frameworks to something more ‘clinically defined and externally determined’ could have real consequences, warns Thomas Keaney
General
4 June 2026
Girl anxious at back of class
Ignoring online education in SEND reforms is a major oversight
Future educators will wonder why the reforms in 2026 overlooked the clear benefits and uptake of online learning, argues Thomas Keaney
General
13 May 2026
Students working online in class
Will inclusion bases just become exclusion rooms?
If inclusion is not properly understood across the sector, there is a risk that the government’s planned inclusion bases will turn into a subtle form of exclusion, writes Thomas Keaney
Secondary
16 March 2026
A young student resting their head in their hands while staring despondently.
SEND training alone won’t work - we need therapeutic education
The government’s announcement about training all teachers in SEND is welcome, but learning environments need to change to deliver inclusion, argues Thomas Keaney
General
18 February 2026
SEND training for teachers is not enough - we need therapeutic education to deliver inclusion in schools, says Thomas Keaney
Why being phone-free prepares pupils for life beyond school
Debates about phone bans often ignore the longer-term benefits that come from teaching pupils to survive without constant distraction
Specialist Sector
2 February 2026
Mobile phone ban sign
‘Exclusions build a school-to-prison pipeline’
Exam pressure means schools are being forced to exclude pupils with SEND rather than support them, warns Thomas Keaney
29 January 2019