Plymouth: SEND parents protest over 'soul-destroying battles' for support

Parents protesting for change on behalf of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) have told of the "soul-destroying battles" they face to be heard.

Plymouth's SEND Reform England protest was among 13 being held nationally.

One mother said she had fought for two years to get a school place for her autistic daughter.

The government said it had a plan for improvement and investment.

But that plan has come under fire from school leaders and campaigners on Friday called for the reform of Education, Health and Care plans, which set out how councils will support children's health, education and care.

Among the campaigners was Sarah, who said her four-year-old daughter who is autistic was due to start school in January after Plymouth City Council asked for her place to be deferred from September.

She said she was among the parents who were given the "bombshell" news on Thursday that the lack of a school building would delay the start, leaving her daughter stuck at pre-school.

Sarah spoke of government cuts to SEND funding and a two-year battle to get her pre-school and school places.

She added: "It's soul-destroying because as a family you feel like your kid's world doesn't matter."

It comes amid ongoing complaints from parents in Devon that the authority's support for children with special educational needs and disabilities was worsening.

Dawn from Newton Abbot said her family had faced a fight of "over 12 months" with Devon County Council for a school placement for her son, 13, who has autism and ADHD.

She said: "Every expert that worked with him said he needed a SEND placement but DCC said no, send him to the mainstream.

"It was mentally draining on me, causing PTSD, it was awful for him, he missed a whole year of school because I refused to send him to a school which I knew would destroy him."

She said her son was now "happy and in a school that meets his needs", adding: "It's good to meet other parents but it's sad that so many children are being failed."

Devon County Council's SEND Improvement Partnership said it had a plan for system-wide change to address "significant challenges" and improve the experiences of children, young people and their families in Devon.

The Plymouth demonstration followed a protest outside parliament in June and a petition which has had more than 100,000 signatures.

Among campaigners' demands are more specialist schools and places, boosted funding for mainstream schools to provide SEND support, teacher training and a review of waiting times for diagnostics.

Plymouth Councillor Sally Cresswell, Labour cabinet member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships, said this was a "national issue" with greater demand for SEND provision coinciding with "reduction in resources" from the government.

This had led to "problems" in providing appropriate provision for children, she added, although she also referred to two new SEND units in Plymouth.

She said SEND provision was among the "highest priorities" for Plymouth City Council but said it was going to take "quite a few years" to resolve.

A Department for Education spokesperson said it was councils' responsibility to ensure appropriate education for children in their area, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.

They said an improvement plan outlined how the department would ensure all such children receive the support they need, "with earlier intervention, consistent high standards and less bureaucracy".

The government's investment in the high need budget had risen by more than 60% to £10.5bn since 2019-20, they said, alongside investment of £2.6bn in high needs capital over this Spending Review.

Special free school places will have doubled to 19,000 "once those in the pipeline are complete", they added.

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