‘I’M A SEND PARENT – THIS IS WHY CHILDREN ARE FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS’

Parents and child therapists have warned we are at risk of “failing a generation of children” if special educational needs are not funded properly in schools.

Rachel Reeves announced on Wednesday the Government’s planned day-to-day spending totals for all government departments for the next few years from 2026/27 to 2028/29 and investment plans for a further year up to 2030.

The Chancellor said: “In this Spending Review, total departmental budgets will grow by 2.3 per cent a year in real terms.”

Among the big announcements was an extra £4.5bn a year for the schools budget to help fund teachers’ pay rises and implement reforms to special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision.

Reeves said at the weekend she wanted “young people to have the opportunity to fulfil their potential, wherever they are from, whatever their background”.

The Government is planning to overhaul the SEND system, which could see more pupils with special educational needs and disabilities remaining in mainstream schools.

But it could also mean more pupils in mainstream schools lose their legal guarantees of extra support.

Dame Christine Lenehan, the Government’s strategic advisor on SEND, was asked last month whether she thought there would be fewer Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) under the redesign being considered.

She told Schools Week: “I think probably so. I think because that will take us back to [its] original purpose.”

For parents and those working in SEND provision, there remains a fear the extra funding for schools will not improve the day-to-day provision for children with SEND.

‘It is emotionally draining’

Erica Knight has a nine-year-old son diagnosed with ADHD, dyspraxia and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who is currently at mainstream primary school in Kent.

She told The i Paper: “Unless I missed something, she seems to be more interested in the buildings than SEN provision.

“The Government needs to think about the bigger picture.

“Having children in the appropriate setting from an early age will ensure they are able to thrive both academically and personally.

“Leaving them to struggle in an inappropriate setting will no doubt cost money in the future from the children who have mental health issues and a lack of education meaning they aren’t in a position to fulfil their personal and professional potential.”

She said the investment in prisons was interesting aspect of the spending review.

“Adding prison places rather than dealing with the cause”, she said, “So many prisoners are neurodivergent and have been let down by the system from day one.”

Ms Knight and her partner spent years battling to get an EHCP for their son. But finally obtaining one has not been the “magic wand” they had hoped to improve their son’s educational experience because the school is not able to provide all the resources needed.

“The current EHCP is asking for a lot of ‘interventions’ which his primary school have now said they cannot provide, originally they said they could”, she said.

“There is still only one teacher and one teaching assistant (TA) and they cannot possibly do everything stated in the EHCP in a class of 30!”

For Ms Knight, who runs her own parenting website theincidentalparent.com, the whole experience has been time-consuming and emotionally exhausting.

She said: “Timewise, I personally spend a lot of time dealing with appointments, chasing, emailing, calling.

“It is emotionally draining. We spend years battling to get a diagnosis only to battle for an EHCP which in many cases is useless.

“It feels like a constant battle for provision and acceptance. At the end of the day, it really shouldn’t be this hard.

“We are dealing with enough on a day-to-day basis without the additional concern of our children’s education, health and happiness at school.

“All we want is for them to be safe, happy and to be the best they can be and the

current system does not allow that.”

‘Children fall through the cracks’

Shermeena Rabbi is a London-based independent clinical speech and language therapist at Unlocking Language, who is regularly involved in the EHCP application process carrying out speech, language and communication skill assessments.

She has seen first-hand the struggles parents have to get SEND provision for their child from long delays in getting EHCPs to a lack of resources in some local authorities.

She told The i Paper: “As the population grows and awareness of autism and other special educational needs increases, more children are being recognised and diagnosed which is a positive step.

“However, this rising demand is putting enormous pressure on an already overstretched system.

“Schools and local authorities are facing significant financial strain, and unfortunately, this has a direct impact on the level of support children with SEND actually receive.

“As resources are stretched, many children with genuine needs fall through the cracks.”

She is hoping the extra funding and reform to SEND provision will see more government investment in training and retaining the specialist workforce, greater consistency across local authorities regarding EHCPs and “sustained, ring-fenced funding for SEND provision that reflects the real level of need across the country”.

“EHCP criteria can vary widely between boroughs, and some children are not considered ‘complex enough’ to qualify, even though they have significant challenges”, she said “This inconsistency creates a postcode lottery, leaving parents feeling frustrated and helpless.”

The current stretch on resources has seen Ms Rabbi’s role change over time, increasingly being asked to step in where statutory services are unable to meet demand.

She fears the gap between what children with SEND need and what the system can provide is “only going to grow wider”.

“If we do not prioritise SEND provision through proper funding, streamlined systems and truly inclusive education policies, we risk failing a generation of children”, she said, “Without adequate funding and strategic planning, there is a real risk that children with SEND will be left without the necessary support, hindering their educational and developmental outcomes.”

“This means properly resourcing schools, local authorities and the NHS so that assessments and interventions can happen early when they are most effective and not months or even years down the line”, she added.

2025-06-10T05:44:50Z