A protest is set to take place in Bath on Friday 13th October, calling on the Government to reform the provision provided for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The peaceful protest, which is one of thirteen scheduled to take place, is being organised by S.E.N.D Reform England, a group of ten mothers based around the country who have children with special educational needs.
Along with a wider network of parents, carers and educators, the group are campaigning for change in the education system as well as the processing and issuing of Educational Health Care (EHC) plans.
They are campaigning for:
- A review of the EHC plan process, including an in-depth look at the decisions made by local authorities;
- An increase in the number of specialist schools and places available for SEND children;
- Improved funding for mainstream schools to deliver EHC plans for children who can attend mainstream education;
- Adequate training for teachers and teaching assistants (TAs) on SEND;
- A review on the waiting times when diagnosing children.
In a statement, S.E.N.D Reform England said: “Our SEND children are the most vulnerable of our society, yet they are being catastrophically failed by the current education system. This is a nationwide issue.”
A previous protest was held outside Parliament in June, and a petition on change.org has gained more than 80,000 signatures.
A report released by the National Autistic Society earlier this year revealed that only 26% of autistic pupils felt happy at school, and almost three in four parents (74%) said their child’s school place did not fully meet their needs.
The report also found that 50% of parents were dissatisfied with their child’s EHC assessment.
SEND conditions include autism, dyslexia/dyspraxia, ADHD, a physical disability such as Cerebral Palsy, hearing loss or visual impairment, or a learning disability, such as Down’s syndrome.
The Bath protest on 13th October will take place at 11am in Kingston Parade.
