My 7-year old son, like many other children across the country with additional needs, has been let down by the education system, prompting me to withdraw him from his school in October 2024. For over a year, we battled a system that did not fulfill his needs or provide the necessary support. This is not an isolated incident, but a systematic neglect of children with additional needs.

Children with complex needs are often misunderstood and  unsupported in current school setup. Standards and provision of special educational needs programs can and should be a priority. Each year, we see a rise in the number of children with additional needs yet, there's a scarcity of schools equipped to handle these needs. This leaves hundreds, if not thousands, of children grappling with a system that overlooks their potential and hampers their prospects for growth due to insufficient understanding and recognition of their abilities.

Moreover, teaching staff, no matter how passionate and dedicated, need much more than a basic qualification to sincerely support these children. There is a pressing need for specific training programs with an emphasis on understanding and handling complex needs. The right people with effective training can do real wonders in helping these children thrive.

By signing this petition, you are advocating for change, demanding the education system to take immediate steps to accommodate children with additional needs and make education a genuinely inclusive space. It's time to make a difference and stand up for those often left unheard and unnoticed in our society. Please sign this petition and take a step towards a better education system for all.

 

I am reaching out to share my son's story—a journey through the challenges faced by children with additional support needs and their families. I believe it’s important that more people understand these struggles to help bring about change.

We Were Failed by Every System — Now I’m Turning Our Pain Into Purpose in the Fight for All ASN Children
My son Kaiden is a gift from God. He’s bright, loving, sensitive, and full of potential. But instead of being supported, we’ve been failed — repeatedly — by every system responsible for children with additional support needs. And now, for speaking up, I’m being treated like I’m the problem.

Kaiden has additional support needs: suspected ASD, ADHD, dyspraxia, and sensory processing difficulties He becomes overwhelmed in chaotic environments and needs clear, simple instructions and routines to feel safe. When that doesn’t happen, the result is distress, shutdown, and sometimes physical harm.

Harmed by the Wrong Setting
At just two years old, Kaiden was placed in a mainstream Nursery, even though I said it wasn’t suitable. He suffered daily injuries, including head wounds, hospital visits, gluing, and stitches. No one protected him. His needs weren’t understood, and running away was his only way of coping.

It took serious harm before he was finally moved to a specialist nursery a setting that began to recognise his needs.

But the same happened again when he was moved to a mainstream Primary School. I was told he’d be placed in the Hive, ESA, or Drop Zone — but later discovered Kaiden had been put straight into a mainstream class without my knowledge.

He came home hurt again, sometimes without having eaten. Staff acknowledged he needed high support — but never put anything in writing. He was overwhelmed, rushed, and even had his food binned before he could eat.

Kaiden was often seen as a “naughty boy” — but he isn’t. He’s a traumatised child who is easily overwhelmed by environments that aren’t designed for him. Instead of compassion and understanding, he was met with judgement and exclusion. And that misunderstanding only deepened his distress.

Some places even asked us to leave when Kaiden had a meltdown — but those meltdowns could have been prevented if they had just followed my lead and used the strategies I know work for him. Instead, they assumed he was misbehaving, not overwhelmed. They saw a “naughty” child, when in reality, he was in distress and doing his best to cope with an environment that didn’t meet his needs.

Being ordered to leave, when all we needed was understanding and support, only added to our isolation. No parent should have to defend their child for having a condition that professionals don’t want to acknowledge or accommodate.

It often feels like all the systems  back each other up, making it even harder to get the right support. When one says “no,” the others follow, and families like mine get stuck in a cycle of being passed around without help. This leaves children like Kaiden invisible and unheard.

When I raised concerns, I wasn’t met with support — I was met with hostility, blame, and legal pressure.

It wasn’t until I got a good advocacy worker with me — someone with a lanyard who could stand alongside us — that my voice finally started to be heard.

This shows the harsh reality for many parents: if you don’t have someone with you to advocate, you may be ignored and left fighting alone.

Eventually, I now have govan law helping us. They are education solicitors they help you fight for the right support in school and for the right school for your child.

Kaiden is traumatised — with lack of protection, and the stress these systems have caused him. He is just a little boy who wants to be safe and understood.

Despite Everything, He’s Thriving
Since being out of school, Kaiden has learned more than ever. We’ve planted over 100 fruits, vegetables, and herbs together in our garden.

Every week, Kaiden and I went to Campy Growers, where we both learnt how to plant and grow.  We worked together for kaiden planning ahead and this worked. 

 

He’s now reading, writing, painting, counting — doing all the things he couldn’t do in school because he has the right support calmness and patience from me at home. 

Raising Awareness and Calling for Change
I want people to know that this system is not working — and it’s hurting children.

I’ve had to find out everything myself. It has been extremely tough and traumatic. If I hadn’t worked in these systems before, I’d have been completely lost — blindfolded with no support or guidance. Because of my experience, I had some idea what to do, but without any official help, it has been frightening and overwhelming.

There are so many hidden and missing pieces that families are never told about. I plan to write books on this — including a survival journal for parents going through the same fight — to shine a light on what’s really happening and give people the strength and tools to survive it.

I’m also planning to launch a support group called “Connecting the Pieces” to help families like mine. It will share step-by-step guidance, accessible tools like homemade planners and social stories, and support through natural remedies, coping strategies, and calming techniques that I’ve found helpful for my own son.

I’d love to one day combine this with an allotment space, giving children with ASN a peaceful place to grow, learn, and thrive through nature.

The fight for Kaiden to be truly understood is still ongoing. It’s one of the hardest parts — because being placed somewhere isn’t enough. He needs to be seen, heard, and supported for who he really is. And so do many other children.

If children don’t get the right support from the beginning — especially in those vital first 5 to 7 years — it can damage their mental health for life. So many end up as teenagers in crisis or adults battling trauma, turning to crime, addiction, or self-destruction, simply because no one helped them when it mattered most.

I’m lucky — I’m a strong and positive person. But even then, this nearly broke me. For someone without my faith, or without any support, this could have gone very wrong. I’ve made it through by putting my trust in God, and now I’m using my voice to help others find their way through too.

This isn’t just about Kaiden — it’s about every child who’s being missed. That’s why I’m speaking up. I won’t stay quiet anymore — not until things change.

I am happy to provide further information or speak off the record if that would be helpful.

Thank you very much for your understanding