News / protest
Protesters gather to advocate for special educational needs reform
Protesters have called for greater support for Special Education Needs and Disabled (SEND) children when applying for secondary school.
At present, parents are facing immense difficulties trying to place their SEND children into secondary schools that can adequately cater to their needs.
Much of this is due to a lack of funding allocation for SEND school places, as well as a lack of SEND training for mainstream teaching staff.
is needed now More than ever
Zoe Hewett, who organised the protest, has been struggling to find a secondary school place for her daughter, Olive.
“The local authorities have repeatedly missed crucial deadlines to help my daughter be placed in the correct school for her,” said Hewett, who lives in Horfield.
“She continues to struggle in mainstream school and needs to find somewhere that can accommodate her needs.
“Until the council provide sufficient funding and training for mainstream teachers… this isn’t possible.”
Zoe Hewett, organiser of the SEND Reform Now protest – photo: Hope Talbot
As a single, self-employed mother, Hewett also has fears for how her business will survive if her daughter cannot find a school place.
She describes the process of being a parent juggling advocating for her child, on top of full-time work, as “infuriating, and emotionally exhausting”.
Sarah Taylor says that the council “should be advocating for more funding to suppport the most vulnerable children” – photo: Hope Talbot
Another protester, Sarah Taylor, who lives in Cardiff, said that as parents of SEND children, “you’re expected to learn how to navigate systems you’re not experts in”.
She added: “This shouldn’t be (our) burden, and the council should be advocating for more funding to support the most vulnerable children in education systems.”
While Bristol City Council received some funding for SEND children in late 2022, protesters claim that this has failed to fully address continuing issues with secondary school placements, and proper special education needs provision.
Beyond Bristol, inadequate support for special educational needs children is a common trend.
Educational Health Care Plans (or EHCPs) are legal documents which set out a child or young person’s educational needs, as well as what outcomes they aim to achieve.
Across several local authorities, reports suggest that EHCPs are being ignored or delayed, meaning that SEND children aren’t receiving the support they so desperately need.
“Our story is just one of thousands across the country,” Hewett said. “And local authorities are breaking the law by not adequately supporting SEND children.”
Main photo: Hope Talbot
Read more:
- East Bristol faces shortfall of 170 secondary school places
- GCSE Reforms in Bristol’s Schools
- ‘The situation for SEND children is dire’
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