Nearly 9,000 children with special educational needs missing out on schooling

University courses Education & Childhood Studies
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Introduction:

  • ITV News’ Social Affairs Correspondent, Stacey Foster, interviews families struggling to access formal education for children with special educational needs (SEN).
  • In England, over 1.5 million school pupils have SEN, with more than half a million having an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP).

EHCP Challenges:

  • EHCP outlines additional support for pupils but obtaining one is challenging.
  • Requests for EHCPs have increased yearly, reaching 114,482 in 2022.
  • However, despite having EHCPs, 8,660 children in England, Wales, and Scotland are not accessing formal education.
  • Some children, like six-year-old Abdul-Quddus, have been out of school for extended periods due to unmet needs and lack of suitable schools.

Individual Cases:

  • Abdul-Quddus’s mother, Dare, expresses concern about her son’s future due to the lack of educational opportunities.
  • Tesse’s daughter, Bo, diagnosed with autism, hasn’t accessed formal education for 17 months due to a lack of places in specialist schools.

Local Authority Responses:

  • Bexley and Leeds councils emphasize their commitment to addressing children’s needs but acknowledge challenges, such as shortages of specialist school places.
  • Parents like Kirsti in Brighton struggle to obtain assessments and support for their children with SEN.

Government Response and Criticism:

  • The government aims to reform SEN education, introducing national standards and electronic EHCPs.
  • However, the Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, criticizes the adversarial nature of the system and its focus on diagnosis rather than support.
  • Legal appeals against local authority decisions regarding EHCPs are on the rise, adding stress and costs to parents and councils alike.

Conclusion:

  • The article highlights systemic challenges in providing appropriate education for children with SEN, emphasizing the need for comprehensive reform to ensure better support and outcomes.
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Thanks for sharing this insightful overview. It’s disheartening to hear about the struggles so many are experiencing due to the lack of suitable educational opportunities and how much work there is still to be done. Clearly there are systemic challenges that need to be addressed. but hopefully with more advocacy we will see a meaningful reform that ensures better support and outcomes for these children and their families!

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It’s truly eye-opening to read about the struggles faced by families with children who have special educational needs. it’s important to share this and talk about it to make a chan

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The staggering numbers and individual stories underscore the urgency for reform, urging stakeholders to prioritize support over bureaucracy for a brighter future.

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