Campaign calls for education for all

The Let Us Learn Too campaign group has released a new video that features children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) urging the government to imagine what they could achieve if every child in the UK had access to an education.

The group is an alliance of disabled people, national and local charities, parent/carer groups, human rights groups, academics and individuals who want to highlight the difficulties that disabled children and young people currently face in accessing an education.

The video, in association with SEND Reform England and the Disabled Children’s Partnership, was launched after a survey of almost 6,000 parents found that 80% of children are still not receiving sufficient support in their education. The research also found that 53% of young people with SEND are aware of their parents’ struggle to get them the support they need in school.

The video campaign launches exactly one year after the government announced its SEND Improvement Plan, which included a two-year roadmap to invest £2.6bn towards funding new places and improving existing provision for children with special educational needs.

It features Lord David Blunkett, who was born blind and served as Secretary of State for Education and Employment from 1997 to 2001.

He said: “Everyone who is concerned with providing the right support in the right way to young people with special educational needs will be painfully aware of the extraordinary difficulties in getting the assistance they need.

“Parents are often in despair, and more investment in special schools does not deliver the hands-on support required on a daily basis in mainstream schooling or special units. Local government finance is in meltdown, and access to EHCPs is ever more restricted. Urgent action is needed.”

Let Us Learn Too, SEND Reform England and The Disabled Children’s Partnership are asking for a reform of the education system so that every child with SEND has a school place suitable to their needs.

This includes more SEND schools for those with the highest of needs, more SEND provisions within mainstream settings, EHCP deadlines to be met and adhered to, adequate SEND training for teaching staff and for post-16 support to be protected.