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Woman's Hour

George Sand, SEND provision leak, Dr Punam Krishan, Divine Feminine Opera

Woman's Hour

BBC

Society & Culture

4.13K Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2026

⏱️ 56 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Children with special education needs and disabilities - known as SEND - in England will have their support reviewed as they move into secondary school, according to leaked government plans. Anita Rani speaks to Catriona Moore, policy manager from IPSEA, and SEND parent and campaigner Rachel Filmer.

It's 150 years since the death of George Sand, the pen name of Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin who, by the time she was thirty, was one of the most famous writers in the world. Born in 1804, her works became extremely popular in French and in translation, outselling Hugo and Balzac in Britain. She wrote more than 70 novels, countless plays, political essays, and an autobiography as well as launching a literary review, two local newspapers and two national republican political journals. She dressed as a man, smoked cigars, and had what was said at the time to be a promiscuous private life. Her biographer, Fiona Sampson tells her story to Anita.

Dr Punam Krishan is a Glasgow based NHS GP and the resident doctor on the BBC’s Morning Live programme. Back in 2024 she was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing where she was the first dancer to perform a Bollywood routine. But six months ago, at the age of 42, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and has since gone through treatment. She has recently written about how being a doctor didn’t prepare her for the experience of being a patient. Dr Punam joins Anita to discuss.

We hear from the creators of a brand new opera exploring the Divine Feminine, its relevance in the modern world and the enduring archetype of the Goddess across different cultures. Soprano Emma Tring from the BBC Singers, composer Shiva Feshareki and award-winning poet Karen McCarthy Woolf join Anita to discuss their empowering, futuristic opera, which has been commissioned by Radio 3 to celebrate International Women’s Day next month.

Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones

Transcript

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0:00.0

BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.

0:06.1

Can I just say?

0:07.6

You're about to listen to a BBC podcast.

0:10.0

It's such a wonderful listen.

0:11.7

So nice.

0:12.5

There are loads more like it on BBC Sounds.

0:14.8

Different paces, different heights, the roof is buckling.

0:17.9

Where you can also listen to live sports commentary.

0:20.2

It's right foot goes for goal.

0:22.6

And then enjoy even more podcasts full of analysis and reaction to the big stories.

0:27.7

The stat that is astonishing is they ended with the lowest amount of possession.

0:31.2

And she's had to live with that.

0:32.8

So if you love sport, a passion, it's almost like a religion.

0:35.8

Listen on BBC Sounds.

0:37.8

Sort of expecting that every week now. Hello, I'm a sport, passion. It's almost like a religion. Listen on BBC Sounds. Sort of expecting that every week now.

0:40.6

Hello, I'm Anita Rani and welcome to Woman's Hour from BBC Radio 4.

0:45.5

Just to say that for rights reasons, the music in the original radio broadcast has been removed for this podcast.

0:52.0

Good morning and welcome to the program.

0:54.6

The government's new proposals for the special educational needs and disability system

0:58.8

or send in England has been leaked.

1:02.0

It's understood that children will now have their needs and support reassessed when they

1:06.6

move to secondary school.

...

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