Written Evidence from Anonymous (SEN 90)

Education Committee

Solving the SEND Crisis
 

I am an unpaid carer for three children with additional needs. I am traumatised by my experiences of advocating for my children to be provided with a suitable education that they are legally entitled to. I have aged incredibly over the last ten years and my children carry the trauma of their experiences in education to date. The paperwork, the gaslighting, the fighting to be heard is excruciating. The advocacy starts from day one of school and with my first I truly believed that I would be listened to and that my child would be supported and helped but I was told ‘no, he is fine’. Even when he wanted to end his life at five years old. Fast forward to being ten years old and he has just started in a specialist independent out of area school which requires him to commute two hours per day.

This only happened following him experiencing a mental breakdown, a long period out of school (and me out of work in my NHS role), multiple complaints, and an investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman. The latest school is by no means perfect and is so far away but there is such limited choice for children who are ‘in-betweeners’. Those children who cannot cope in a mainstream environment but who can follow national curriculum in some subjects with support. Those who cannot cope in small specialist classes within the mainstream.

I’m exhausted by the fight, and it is just that, a battle, a war. There is minimal collaborative working where the child’s best interests are reflected and the parents considered experts in their children’s needs. Surely this should be the standard. Believe the parents when they ask for help. Provide access to diagnosis in a timely fashion to allow children to understand who they are and that they are not wrong or bad or incapable. Provide support and adjustments in a timely fashion within the mainstream. The local mainstream that my second son attends is on huge school grounds. A satellite unit could be built on site, away from the hustle and bustle of the main school but with access for those who would benefit from a hybrid model.

If mainstream school are to become inclusive, then class sizes need to be reduced, desks should be halved in numbers and children should be encouraged to move and learn through exploration. Children are supported to learn through play in early years and then in key stage 1, they are sat behind desks and spoon fed information for hours and expected to soak it all up and enjoy it! Children are naturally inquisitive and yet the educational system kills that natural drive. Technology should be embraced to allow children to research and explore their interests. Outside education should be embraced daily. None of these things are possible with one teacher teaching 30+ children. More support staff should be employed, more calm, breakout spaces and practical rooms built.

Providing and developing a truly inclusive ‘mainstream’ educational system will reduce the need for such significant volumes of EHCPs. Obtaining such a plan is currently obstructed by educational and council staff and families need to go to significant lengths both legally and financially to obtain them. Don’t ask how parents can be supported when before, during and after this process when you can clearly see the illegalities of how councils function. Hold councils accountable. Hold yourselves accountable.

And whilst there is a large and current focus on primary and second level education. I am very concerned about what is available beyond that. Will there be access to college courses or suitable work based placements for my children? Will there be accessible courses at third level? Will they be have had enough education regarding life skills in school to become independent adults? What happens beyond 25?

There is no clear trajectory for any of our children and that is not equitable with children who do not have SEND. Our children want to contribute to society in adulthood and yet there are such high unemployment rates amongst their cohorts because their access to education is so poor.

Funding needs to be improved to make significant changes to how primary and secondary educational facilities are build and run. The system needs a complete revolution, not mild alterations. The neurodivergent and SEND community need to be at the forefront of these changes and developments. Our educational system needs to support SEND children primarily and all children will benefit. This is inclusivity and it is expensive initially but will provide massive savings in the long-term.

Currently children at risk of long-term absence have no access to support through education or health. If I hadn’t been so pro-active in my advocacy, my son would still not be in education and nobody would care. There is no safety netting, no structures in place to support child or adolescent mental health and no educational professionals seem to know what their roles and responsibilities are in respect of these ‘at risk children’.

Early identification is needed and if children are unable to attend due to their mental health or their needs not being met then intervention is required on day 1 and prior to this absence. If children’s needs are met in a timely fashion such absences would be avoided.

My son attends an independent school at a cost of £65000 per year and has significant transport fees on top. This is because there are no specialist schools which meet his needs closer or in our area. And this is in one of England’s largest cities. How is this the case? Local councils will be paying enormous bills because they have no in area schools. Build the schools, learn from the independent schools, learn from the SEND community.

In terms of multidisciplinary working, the educational, health and social care systems are completely separate and don’t talk to one another. Technology needs to be improved in order to make information more co-ordinated and accessible between sectors. Efficiency savings would be considerable and waiting lists reduced when access to information is improved.

In order to improve identification of SEND in early years, teacher training needs to be improved and statutory assessments developed and completed as part of the admission process. If SEND is even considered, monitoring of need should start (assess, plan, do, review). This should be a collaborative approach with parents/care givers and early referral for assessment should be facilitated. More SENDCOs need to be funded in nursery, primary and secondary schools and this needs to be a non-teaching role in order to facilitate this. This is what inclusivity looks like.

January 2025