No Child Needs to Fail: Rethinking SEND, Anxiety & Education with Peter Fekete

Artwork for podcast The Positive Future For Health Podcast

Episode 71 • 17th August 2026 • The Positive Future For Health Podcast • Althea Finch

Who is Peter Fekete?

Peter Fekete is the founder of Black’s Academy, an educational organisation focused on helping children overcome learning delays, reduce anxiety and achieve their academic potential. His work challenges the idea that some children are destined to struggle or fail within education.

Drawing on Black’s Academy’s experience and a growing body of case studies, Peter argues that many of the problems surrounding SEND and educational failure are not inevitable. He believes that with the right individualised approach, learning difficulties can be remediated, confidence restored and children given the opportunity to succeed.

Peter talks about:

The growing crisis in UK education and SEND provision, why increasing numbers of children are struggling, and why conventional approaches may be failing to address the underlying problem.

He explores the rise in anxiety among young people, the growing financial and social cost of SEND, and the increasing number of young people becoming NEET – not in education, employment or training.

Most importantly, Peter explains why he believes this is a man-made crisis that can be solved, and why no child needs to be written off as a failure.

Talking points

The UK education and SEND crisis – what is going wrong and why the situation is likely to deepen.
Why anxiety and learning difficulties are increasing – and whether the way we educate children is contributing to the problem.
The rise of NEETs – who they are, why young people are becoming disconnected from education and employment, and why this affects the whole of society.
The true cost of educational failure – the impact on children and families, as well as the wider economic and social consequences.
Why government may not solve the problem – and why Peter believes a different, personalised approach to learning could provide a way forward.
No child needs to fail – how Black’s Academy aims to remediate learning delays, reduce stress and help students achieve the grades and confidence they are capable of.