Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have found themselves shut out when it comes to getting their child into suitable education and support. Tunde, a parent of 15-year-old Buddy, who has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), illustrates these challenges. Even with documentation in place Buddy’s educational placement is still up in the air. This is an indication of the systemic failures under the SEND framework in England.
Buddy sometimes turns to his favorite cuddly companion, Reindeer Dog, for comfort. His attachment symbolizes a growing trend that is touching the lives of countless families, cities, and communities across the country. Currently, there are over 1.7 million children in England with SEND, and as of the beginning of this year, more than 638,000 EHCPs have been issued to children and young people. This is a 10.8% increase from last year and a shocking 80% jump in just six years.
Yet in West Sussex County Council specifically the number of children with an EHCP was already about 3,400 back in 2015. The experience of getting an EHCP is nothing short of a gauntlet. Councils refuse an average of a quarter of EHCP applications at the assessment stage. This lack of communication has parents like Tunde feeling lost and frustrated.
Tunde had to pause her career as a midwife and health visitor to navigate the lengthy and complex application process for Buddy’s EHCP. She talks about the emotional devastation it’s had on their family. She tells us that the world of getting ready to be with other children has definitely sent him over the top. This, on top of his early morning hours spent one-on-one with adults, has led him to dread going to school.
The SEND funding landscape presents additional challenges. The mismatch between SEND funding has been increasing year-on-year and is predicted to exceed £123 million by the end of 2025. Although the government has invested £1 billion to assist councils in managing EHCP costs along with an extra £740 million for new SEND school places, many parents remain skeptical about the effectiveness of these measures.
Jacquie Russell, a representative in the field, notes, “The current system is actually very adversarial. Our parents are increasingly tired and anxious and fed up of fighting… Staff sickness levels are really, really high at the moment.” She doubles down in her criticism of the system, stating, “The current system is misguided. It is broken. As her testimony shows, it does not achieve the best results for children.”
And the personal house of cards falling over their heads has been exacerbated by an educational landscape that often seems wilfully antagonistic. Tens of thousands of kids like Buddy are still learning in a library environment as of this September. This lack of appropriate educational spaces can severely set them back on their journeys.
Georgia Gould, who has worked closely on these issues and advocates for much of the necessary reform. “We’re looking to deploy more support upstream,” she continues. She adds that where parents have successfully fought for support, efforts will be made to ensure that such support remains consistent. She hopes to collaborate with parents to strengthen reforms. Her mission is to get the support they need in place from the beginning, so families don’t need to go to battle for a basic right to education.
Scotland enforces a distinct system that is specifically structured to provide more assistance. This directly removes the burden of application for an EHCP equivalent, which falls on parents. This model has been widely lauded as a possible route to reform for England’s SEND framework.
On a daily basis, families are dealing with multilayered hurdles. They want real systemic change that will ensure better solutions are found for children with SEND. We know the path can often be daunting and difficult. Advocates for change are just as passionate and committed to ensuring that families receive the resources and services they deserve.
