The government has delayed its proposed reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system until early 2026, citing the need for further consultation
Families in Sefton and Knowsley took part in national campaign to raise awareness about the the SEND system. Members of Voice of the Families (VotF) L to R Alix Shaw, Jayne O’Neill, Nichola Anne and her partner(Image: LDRS)
Parents up and down the country turned up at their local council buildings this morning to demonstrate for improved support and services for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Mums and dads in Merseyside laid children’s footwear outside Southport and Bootle Town Halls, as well as the Municipal Buildings in Huyton, to raise awareness about the impacts of a ‘broken’ system.
Jayne O’Neill is a mum and an active member of the Voice of the Families support group, which advocates for improved SEND services in Sefton. Ms O’Neill was demonstrating in Southport, she said: “SEND children and their families are being let down by the entire social care system. So many children and young people with SEND have not got school places.
“This failure in the SEND system impacts the whole family, in some cases extended families too.
“It affects your mental health, because in some cases, you can no longer work due to care responsibilities. You’re living on benefits, which is really tough, especially with the social and economic situation that’s going on right now.
“Parents are constantly having to fight, and it’s draining mentally, physically and emotionally and it’s very isolating. You lose contact with your family, you lose your friendship groups.
“The people who support the SEND families are often people with SEND families themselves. I found a great community out of Voice of the Families and other parents with SEND children, because they get it.
Families in Sefton and Knowsley took part in national campaign to raise awareness about the the SEND system(Image: LDRS)
“It’s affirming that I’m not crazy, I haven’t got unrealistic expectations. We just want to get the basic rights but we’re not being afforded those rights.”
Alix Shaw was another parent in attendance outside Southport Town Hall and raised the issue of a ‘lost generation’, where SEND children are missing out on education and the impacts that will have on their life chances.
Ms Shaw said: “Our kids are being squeezed out of society and put them in a position where they’re going to be the unseen part of society, stuck away in a bedroom, hidden away, out of sight, out of mind.
“There’s no social opportunities for our children. My son has no friendship groups and that is really sad. He is going to go into adulthood – he’s 12 now – and I’m afraid what’s going to happen at 16. He can’t read or write and never will.
“He’s going to be home with me for the rest of my life. I don’t know what’s going to happen at the end of my life? You know, will the house be taken out from under his feet? Is he going to be institutionalised? It’s terrifying.
“The way it’s set up now is solo parent carers are being asked to fill-in this huge support gap, until we eventually drop, but what then?”
Responding to the general points raised by parents about the SEND system, a Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson previously told the Liverpool ECHO the government is looking at fundamental reforms: “Through our Plan for Change, we’re determined to give children growing up in our country the best start in life.”
The DfE announced in March this year that £740m has been allocated to fund 10,000 new places for pupils with SEND. A DfE statement outlined the scale of the issues and highlighted that fewer than 1-in-10 mainstream schools have SEN units or resourced provision – known as specialist facilities which provide more intensive support for pupils with SEND.
Between 2010 to 2024, the number of children with EHCPs (Education Health and Care Plans) being educated in independent special schools increased from 7,000 to 26,000, while the latest data shows an escalating gap of 8,000 places in state special schools.
A 2024 report by the National Audit Office (NAO) declared the SEND system to be ‘broken’ and financially unsustainable. Despite funding rising by 58% over the past decade to £10.7bn, the NAO said remains in ‘urgent need’ of reform”.
The report noted there are an estimated 1.7 million children with special education needs in schools in England, and despite funding rising by 58% over the past decade to £10.7bn, the system is financially “unsustainable” and “in urgent need of reform”
Last month, it was reported that the government was delaying reforms to the SEND system, citing a need for further consultation. For many of the families, the reforms cannot come soon enough and is one of the reasons behind today’s demonstrations, organised by SEND Sanctuary UK (SSU).
Spokesperson for SSU, Aimee Bradley explained the reasons for the campaign and the use of the empty shoes, she said: “Each pair symbolises a child who has missed out on school, support, or simply being understood.
“Our aim is to show the human impact behind the statistics and call for urgent reform — timely assessments, proper provision, and accountability from local authorities.
“This isn’t about politics or protest; it’s about visibility, compassion and change. Families have been fighting for far too long to be heard. Today, we stand together in silence to make sure every child’s story is finally seen.”