Hi, my name is Aimee. My 4 year old son Teddy has severe autism and epilepsy (which is unfortunately not controlled) We have spent the past 9 months going through the gruelling EHCP process to try and secure him a place at an appropriate school. After months of fighting and arguing with the local authority Teddy does not have a specialist school placement for the upcoming September term. All his peers are starting their educational journey while Teddy is left at home, without any provision. We were offered a mainstream placement, but told he would not be safe there and that his needs would not be met. What parent in their right mind would allow their child to go somewhere that couldn’t meet their basic human needs of being kept safe. This is just one case showing that there is a big issue with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision in our education system. 

Other children and families are facing this same struggle, and it is unacceptable. Children with disabilities should have the same chance at education as others. The fight to secure specialist educational provision should not take months, if not years, as it currently does.

The SEND system is in a current crisis with thousands of children out of education. This is not a question of lacking potential or not wanting to learn, but a matter of these children not being offered the right opportunities and environment to thrive in. 

We call on the relevant authorities to revaluate the SEND system, enabling a more accessible, humane, and efficient process where children with disabilities are given equal educational opportunities as their peers. We must do more than just offer mainstream placement, we must increase specialist placements and stop making families fight for the basic right to education for their children. Please, sign this petition to ensure all children, like Teddy, get the fair start they deserve.