Written evidence submitted by Hannah Richards

I have been a Primary School Teacher in mainstream education for 12 years, and in that time I have taught hundreds of children with varying levels of Special Educational Needs. This ranges from pupils who could not cope with being in a mainstream setting yet had no available place in a Specialist provision, through to the children who thrived due to the staffing and resources that was put into place. However, none of this prepared me for the experience of having a child with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and the battle it would bring.

My son is four years old and for the past two years, since concerns were first raised about his development, we have taken him to every appointment and specialist who has been recommended, in order to get his diagnosis and his Educational Health Care Plan. The EHCP legal deadline had been missed, which we knew if not addressed would mean no chance of him being considered for a specialist placement in the upcoming panel meeting. We spent a great deal of time and money involving a solicitor, and finally got his EHCP in time for him to be considered at the panel. We are awaiting the decision, however the specialist unit we have applied for has 2 spaces and there were dozens of applications. If my son does not get a place, he will have to attend a mainstream school despite the staff at his nursery reporting that he currently does not access the Early Years Curriculum due to his needs.

As well as this being detrimental to his learning and development, it also has repercussions on myself in terms of childcare and my career options. If he attends a mainstream school it is unlikely, due to the lack of specialist resources and staff that he would cope with attending wrap-around care and it is a realistic prospect that I may need to leave teaching. The specialist unit we have applied for is the only one that we visited that had any kind of wrap-around care. What do working parents do in this situation? The only option is to have one parent who can do all the drop offs and collections, which then severely limits their career options.

The SEND crisis is an absolute abomination. It is a ticking time bomb in terms of the pressures on schools and the sheer number of teachers who are leaving, and considering leaving, the profession due to burnout. The only way this crisis can be addressed is in terms of funding and it needs to be directed to the schools that require it the most.

January 2025