Lack of Adequate Support for Children with Disabilities in Lincolnshire
In Lincolnshire, families with children who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are reporting a disconcerting lack of support. In many instances, mainstream schools are claimed to lack the necessary resources and facilities to efficiently accommodate those with complex learning struggles.
Community Rally for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
A rally is set to be staged on Friday, October 13, in Lincoln's Castle Square by local parents of SEND children. Thousands of children with specialized requirements who have been compelled to enrol in mainstream education due to the severe lack of spaces in SEND schools nationwide will be highlighted. This gathering will be a forum to share personal experiences and to emphasize the challenges faced due to the system’s perceived insufficiency towards their children.
Protest leader Corinne Brian said: “The protest itself is to change the SEND education system in this country, which is absolutely diabolical and seriously needs a revamp.”
Impact of the Lack of Specialised Education Facilities
Ms. Brian, who has championed autism rights through her blog for over two years following her experience raising two autistic children, shed light on instances where parents have had to resort to home-schooling due to the hurdles faced in securing a place for their children at a SEND school.
Ms Brian noted: “A time will come when he will need an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP).” She added: “SEND children are struggling with mental health and anxiety from having to go to a mainstream school. Our children have a right to an education as well.”
Children Missing Out on Education
Ongoing cases such as that of Lucy Burghart's nearly five-year-old son Jaxon, who despite having Autism, Global Development Delay (GDD) and Hypermobility, struggled to find a school spot, illustrate the scale of the issue. Having been turned away from four mainstream schools and unable to secure a place at a SEND school, Jaxon is significantly behind his peers educationally.
“He was meant to start school this September, but I’ve had to defer him. He’s not naughty, he’s a lovely little boy, but he’s been completely failed by the local council,” Burghart said.
The family is now pinning their hopes on an appeal set for May 2024, endeavoring to secure a school placement for Jaxon.
Council Responds to SEND Concerns
In response, Head of SEND at Lincolnshire County Council, Sheridan Dodsworth, stated the council's firm intent to ensure children and young people with SEND secure the needed support.
“The government has recognised that there is increasing pressure on the SEND system caused by rising demand,” said Dodsworth, adding that a national improvement plan was published earlier in the year “to ensure children get the right support, in the right place, at the right time.”
This challenge, however, reaches beyond Lincolnshire. Jake Runacres of the National Autistic Society emphasised the need for a comprehensive solution to support autistic children nationwide.
"We won’t accept a world where autistic children miss out on an education, and families are left exhausted and on the brink of crisis,” emphasised Runacres.