Episode
87.When You Stay Calm at School — And Leave Feeling Like You Didn’t Do Enough
- Podcast
- ADHD Mums
- Published
- Mar 4, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2079
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
You’ve sent the emails. You’ve attended the meetings. You’ve tried to be calm, collaborative, reasonable. And nothing changes. Then suddenly something serious happens — a suspension, an incident, a formal complaint — and overnight the school moves quickly. So what just happened? This episode unpacks the moment many ADHD mums eventually hit: the point where being reasonable stops working — and why that happens inside the school system. Because for many families, the problem isn’t communication. It’s understanding what schools actually respond to, what they quietly ignore, and how the system itself shapes those responses. WHAT WE COVER Why being calm, collaborative and ‘reasonable’ often doesn’t move schools What schools actually respond to — and what gets quietly ignored Why emotional emails and long explanations often backfire The reality behind ‘reasonable adjustments’ under Australian education law Why some adjustments are refused even when they appear simple The funding model most parents have never heard of: NCCD Why teachers may genuinely say they can’t do something — even when it seems obvious The difference between fairness and inclusion in schools When escalating a complaint becomes necessary (and how to do it properly) Why documentation, meeting notes and evidence matter far more than emotion THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF… You feel like you’ve been polite, patient and collaborative… and nothing has changed Your child’s school says they ‘can’t’ implement adjustments that seem reasonable You’ve asked for incident reports or documentation and never received them Meetings feel confusing or adversarial You’re not sure when to keep negotiating and when to escalate You’re trying to advocate for your child without becoming ‘that parent’ ABOUT TODAY’S GUEST Sara Hocking E…