Written evidence from Alice Hoyle (SEN 83)

Education Committee

Solving the SEND Crisis

My name is Alice Hoyle and I am the neurodivergent (ND) mother of 3 children 2 with Autism ADHD (and the 3rd is awaiting assessment). One of my children has a well funded ECHP which since it was finally awarded after a 36 week fight (16weeks over the statutory limit) has improved things for my daughter significantly. I am aware my daughters EHCP provision is excellent because it was basically my fulltime job for that time to get it in place because I have the education level and background to be able to do this. I remain concerned about how there are different levels in the type and quality of EHCP awarded dependent on the time and knowledge  of the SEND practitioners and parents, there can often be a class divide in quality which isn’t okay. I spend a lot of my free time supporting other parents with their EHCP applications.

I am writing this response as a Parent Carer of SEND children who is ND herself and a campaigner for improved send provision (I co-founded https://www.representsend.co.uk/ which advocates for SEND improvement in the Bath and North East Somerset area and is working to set up an independent specialist school for the tier of children who cannot cope in mainstream but do not qualify for local authority special schools. Professionally I run Sense and Connect an education consultancy supporting children and young people, their parents and carers, and teachers and schools with Sensory Inclusion (Sense) and Relationships, Sex and Health Education (Connect) and is the author of Becoming a Sensory Aware School A Toolkit to Develop a Whole School Approach for Sensory Wellbeing and Great Relationships and Sex Education. I teach RSHE to autistic pupils for an afternoon a week.

I have been impressed since the EHCP award how things have improved for my middle child, her older sister who does not have an EHCP has also been supported reasonably well once her needs were identified. The crucial thing that has made the difference is both of them having a named key worker at secondary school who looks out for them and their needs, liases with me as their parent and their other teachers as things arise. However the system is underfunded and overcapacity- my childrens keyworkers support too many children to always be able to fully meet needs.

Having just written a book on sensory needs I truly believe that much of the Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA) may also have a sensory basis. Post pandemic the noise, overcrowded proximities and uncomfortable uniform etc has meant children are unable to cope in mainstream environments. I am working hard to support schools to become Sensory Aware and Inclusive schools.  The schools I work with are calling the work game changing with children and young people engaging better and being able to articulate their needs better through better understanding of themselves.

The following diagram explains how sensory wellbeing intersects across key areas for young people.

Also Sensory Needs are fundamental and universal yet often misunderstood but affect so much about our ability to learn, our focus, our energy, mood and behaviour (see diagram on page 1)

Inclusion across all schools (primary secondary and specialist) has to include Sensory Awareness as a baseline otherwise they are missed opportunities to understand behavior for example:

And reasonable adjustments that can have a powerful impact for example:

By adopting the 6 pillars of Sensory Aware Schools as a whole school approach

Then SEND Inclusion, Personal development and mental and physical wellbeing would improve.

All staff need to understand the basics of sensory needs including the fact we have 8 not 5 senses

DfE need to include Sensory Education across SEND but also PSHE and integrate it into health and wellbeing strategies. This is a universal approach, as while many many young people with SEND (including those who are neurodivergent) will have sensory needs (including being over (hyper) and under (hypo) responses to certain senses) we all have unique sensory profiles and through understanding ourselves and each other on this body basic level of senses can support improved wellbeing for all.

This would also improve workforce wellbeing and demand as once sensory issues are recognised and responded to in schools and behaviour issues reduce with reduced exclusion rates, and children feel better supported in school then the situation should improve for staff.

To find out more about Sensory Aware Schools you can download a  FREEBOOK SAMPLE  here which includes a self assessment tool for schools and audits for individuals and environments.

Finally I don’t want to neglect the role of RSHE in supporting SEND children, there are additional vulnerabilities for SEND children around being a potential perpetrator or victim of sexual violence. Until we hugely improve the statutory RSHE guidance (the Send statement in the guidance reduced (weakened?) from the 2000 guidance to the 2020 guidance) and RSHE is such a vital vital subject for SEND children and would be better if it aligned to the SEND code of practice- as for many SEND kids- ‘learning to live life well’ (RSHE) is their priority- particularly as exam subjects may be out of reach for them. So a true lifeskills curriculum needs to be developed.

January 2025