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Thornbury and Yate MP says broken SEND system is letting down children and families


Thornbury and Yate MP says broken SEND system is letting down children and families

Far too many children and their families across the country are being let down because of the broken Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system.

I regularly hear from parents who are struggling to get their children the support they need - and their fear that the Government might take away their legal right to additional support has only heightened their concerns.

This week, MPs came together to discuss a petition - signed by more than 125,000 people - calling for the Government to retain the legal right to assessment and support in education for children with SEND.

The debate was incredibly busy, so I only got 90 seconds to contribute.

Earlier that day I had met campaigners and parents who have been pushed to their wits' end by the SEND system.

The Fight for Ordinary campaign points out that children and young people with SEND want the same, ordinary things that other children take for granted - like a school place where they are happy, belong, can achieve and have the chance to make friends and take part in extra-curricular activities.

For too many this is not the case.

I have repeatedly pushed the Government to change tack when it comes to how it approaches SEND education.

We need to stop prosecuting parents when their child is not in school due to a lack of adequate provision and instead refocus our approach to value engagement in education - not just time in school.

We also need to invest more in frontline provision, ensuring that we have a mix of mainstream and specialist school places.

Some children need a different learning environment, while others just need a bit of additional help to make mainstream school work for them.

Both of these needs must be respected and provided for.

I am deeply worried by the current approach from Labour ministers, who seem to be focused solely on mainstream schooling at all costs.

As one parent told me, if a specialist provision prepares a child for an independent adult life, that is inclusion.

No two children are the same, so we need to ensure we have a blended learning model that allows local authorities to tailor their learning experience.

Every parent of a child with SEND that I speak to just wants to be able to get them a quality education in an environment that meets their needs.

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