Insight
Parents of child out of school for nine months among those calling for better SEND support
WATCH: Families in Kent tell ITV Meridian's Christine Alsford about their battle to get special educational needs and disability provision (SEND) for their children
A couple from Sittingbourne, whose son was out of school for almost a year, say they struggled to cope with little support from the local council.
Pamela and David Newman's son Adam, is autistic, non verbal, has ADHD and other complex needs.
Adam spent nine months out of school this academic year. His parents say they removed him from a special school last September over safeguarding concerns.
The eight-year-old was then turned away from 12 different schools, which they say were either full or couldn't meet his needs.
Pamela says the stress of trying to look after and teach Adam when he was out of school pushed her 20-year marriage to its limit.
She says: "We try our best to introduce so many new toys and new teaching levels with him. I'm more than qualified to be his full time carer and mum. However, the teaching side of things I can't do. "Adam is a very loving child. However, he has his moments and you pick your battles. It's very distressing for us.
"My husband and myself, we found it incredibly difficult with no support."
WATCH: Pamela Newman says it's 'been a fight' to try and get SEND support from Kent County Council
Pamela says she despairs at the lack of continuity from Kent County Council (KCC) and poor provision for SEND education.
She says: "We have had nine months of hell trying to deal with the council. It's been horrendous.
"Nobody will speak to you and nobody will pick up the phone...I don't understand why it's made so difficult for parents to get answers.
"It's just been a fight and a struggle. It's made me question myself, and I felt that nobody believed me when I explained the struggles that we had."
Since ITV Meridian filmed with the Newman family, Adam has started at a new school. His parents say it's fantastic and he is settling in well.
However, as it's a primary school, they worry that in three years' time, they will have to go through another ordeal to try and sort out the next stage of his education.
Another family, from Herne Bay in Kent, are also among those who've fought hard to get the SEND provision they need.
Kellie Barker's son, Oscar, is autistic and has ADHD.
The 10-year-old is in a special school but Kellie says she fears that annual reviews and regular assessments are being used as a way to change and reduce support.
Recently, a review into Oscar's educational history was removed, which Kellie had to fight to be reinstated, to ensure the full picture is being seen.
She says: "When you've got people questioning what's already been documented and catchmented and assessed and that's then under threat, you do feel a bit like the floor's disappearing sometimes.
"If you've fought for something, you shouldn't have to fight to keep it."
Despite making savings, KCC is currently £42 million over its special educational needs and disability budget, amid a rising demand for services.
The authority has revealed a plan to reduce the number of children in specialist settings, placing them in mainstream schools with support instead.
They've also been told by the government to reduce the number of legal documents - Education and Healthcare Plans - that they issue, which enshrine a child's right to help.
Kellie thinks it will lead to bigger problems in the future.
She says: "I think it is a short-sighted plan because we are dealing with people that have lifelong disability.
"What happens in your childhood lasts for your whole life. It doesn't only last until your childhood, you take it with you into adulthood.
"I think what the current climate is doing is removing the person from the situation."
With regard to pupils being out of school, a Kent County Council spokesperson said: "By law we are required to consult with a school when placing a child with an EHCP (Education and Healthcare Plan) and each school has 15 days to respond.
"On occasion this can mean that it can take some time to place a child, particularly when they have complex needs."
KCC says they are working hard to make their SEND services better, which has been recognised by the government.
A visit to monitor progress in April found the council was making "sustainable improvements".
The council says: "Since September 2022, when the Ofsted and CQC Revisit took place, there have been significant improvement in services for children and young people with SEND across all service providers in the Kent Area, and we are all ambitious to continue our improvement journey. There are no children or young people now waiting longer than 40 weeks for assessment and issuing of an EHCP."
In relation to claims that support is being reduced, the authority says: "Far from reducing provision, KCC is growing specialist SEND places."
They authority says that since 2020, a total of 1,424 new, additional, maintained special school places have been established in Kent.
WATCH: Parents in Oxfordshire believe the local council should make access to SEND support easier, as ITV Meridian's Natalie Verney has been finding out
One mother from Oxfordshire says the county council hasn't provided enough support for her teenage son.
Caleb Jones should be taking his GCSEs next year but he hasn't attended full-time education for the last two years.
The 15-year-old is autistic and his ADHD means he can't cope with the environment at his mainstream school, and only manages a few hours a week.
Caleb says: "I find it's just too many people and too many rooms. You've got to go to and from other classes all the time and it kind of creates this social anxiety."
His mum, Hayley Jones, requested a special school placement for Caleb after he had been excluded multiple times by the end of Year 8.
It took the council two years to agree and since then, Caleb has been on the waiting list for six months because there are currently no spaces available.
Hayley say the support has come too late, as Caleb starts Year 11 in September and should be taking his exams.
Describing her experience with the local authority, Hayley says: "I'm angry. I’m exhausted from the fighting. It’s emotional because I look at Caleb and I just know that he’s got so much to give...but give him that opportunity.
"It’s just been hard and he deserves so much. He deserves so much better than what he’s getting or what he’s got."
Meanwhile, a lack of spaces in a specialist setting means one family in Oxfordshire have had to settle for a placement at a mainstream school for their child.
Oliver and Gillian Steele's son, Oscar, is due to start school in September.
The five-year-old is autistic, speaks no words, and struggles to regulate his emotions.
Oxfordshire County Council had agreed he needed a specialist setting but there are no spaces available.
The pair say they've settled on sending Oscar to a newly-formed SEND department in a mainstream school, out of fear he wouldn't have a place at the start of the academic year.
Oscar’s father, Oliver, says: "Do they have the same curriculum that a specialist school would have for people like Oscar? I suspect at this point no, is the answer to that.
"It’s hard when you have to look at your children and have to say ‘Ok, well what’s the next best option?’ Which is what we’re doing. But at least we have one, and there are plenty out there who don’t."
The couple have spent £6,000 on the appeal process and say the stress has taken its toll on their marriage and their mental health.
Oliver continues: "It’s just been amazingly stressful, hard work and not something that I ever thought would be this difficult. We’ve hired educational lawyers who’ve helped us along the way.
"Obviously there’s a cost to that, which is fine and we’re very lucky that we’re in a position where we can pay that, but then you have to think there are families who can’t afford that, so where do they stand?"
Oliver and Gillian believe Oxfordshire County Council could have made the process easier.
Oliver says: "They have fought us. We feel like their go-to move is probably to push parents as far as they can in the hope that they’ll accede to whatever the council’s demands are which makes life easier for them.
"If they wanted to make it better, they could possibly look at it more on a humane level and think about what it is that we’re actually trying to do.
"We’re not just numbers on a sheet, there’s a real human that has needs on the end of this."
WATCH: Cllr Kate Gregory, Cabinet Member for SEND Improvement, Oxfordshire County Council has been speaking to ITV Meridian's Natalie Verney
One woman from Bournemouth says she's enormously grateful for the support her son has received from their local council.
India Locke's son, Rome, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder just before his 2nd birthday.
The six-year-old is in a specialist school, where he's had help with his speech and language.
Rome has also had the input of an educational psychologist and has benefited from a play therapy called Portage.
India says: "He has support pretty much all day, every day through different communication techniques, through to them providing sensory tools. They've been amazing so far.
"I'm really grateful that we actually got into a specialist provision.
"...I think there's a part of me where I'm like, I actually feel bad to the other people who have such a bad experience, because that shouldn't be the case."
However, many parents say they're struggling to get similar support.
Lindsay Wolverson's son Matthew was diagnosed as autistic aged 3, and he later got diagnosed with ADHD as well.
Now eight-years-old, he is currently being taught in a special autism unit in a mainstream school.
But the family was recently told that the school could no longer meet Matthew's needs and his mother says they will now need to fight to get him into a specialist school instead.
Lindsay says: "I think the people that are making the decisions, I don't think they know what it's like to walk in our shoes. I think if they did, it would be completely different.
"You know, we just want what any parent wants for their child. We want the best for them."
Cathi Hadley, BCP Council’s Corporate Director, Children’s Services, said about their SEND provision: "Improving the experience for all those families who apply for this important support remains an absolute priority for the council.
"We always start from the position of working with families, schools and partners to find solutions before a tribunal hearing takes place and our SEND appeals team’s approach is to listen to parents, not work against them.
"The fall in the number of SEND tribunals involving BCP Council reflects the improvements we are making in our SEND services.
"We know there is still a huge amount of work yet to done, but we are committed to achieving the best for all the children and young people in BCP who need extra support to fulfil their full potential."
WATCH: Parents in Bournemouth and Poole voice tell ITV Meridian's Christine Alsford their fears about a lack of SEND provision but how, for some, it can change lives for the better
ITV News Regions and Nations commissioned an online survey of 1,161 Parents of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities across England & Wales. Fieldwork, carried out by Opinium, took place between 24th May and 9th July 2024.
Along with the research, the investigation also gathered data through FOI responses from over 100 councils about their SEND provision.
In the ITV News Meridian region, which covers Oxford, Thames Valley and the South Coast, the number of appeals by parents rose by at least 95% from 569 to 1109 between the years of 2021-2023.
The number of tribunals in the Meridian region rose by 81% from the years 2021-2023 - up from 119 to 215.
Councils won or partially won only 31% of those tribunals.
As of May 2024, our figures show that there were 2,347 children awaiting assessment for additional support in school, and 418 waiting for a place in school.
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In our exclusive poll of parents of children with special educational needs we found that over a quarter (28%) said they would rate the service they get as poor. 39% said it was good.
Over a quarter in the Meridian region (27%) said they didn’t feel that their child gets everything they’re entitled to in their EHCP. 61% said they did get everything.
51% of respondents in the Meridian region said their child had had to take time out of school because their needs could not be met. Of those, 39% said their child had been out of school for between a month and a year.
27% of parents said they had used the legal system to get the SEND provision their child needed. Of those, 30% said they had to spend between £5,000 and £50,000 on legal costs.
Of those who went down the legal route, half (54%) had to fund these costs by using their savings, while 21% said they had to borrow from banks, and/or credit unions or online lenders to pay for it.
47% of parents said they had seen a negative impact on their mental health as a result of inappropriate provision. 47% of parents said they had seen a negative impact on their child or young person’s mental health as a result of inappropriate SEND provision.
If you or someone you know is in need of support, you can contact these organisations:
The helpline is open during term time 020 4592 3254.
The Family Action support line is open 9am to 9pm, Monday to Friday, on 0808 802 6666. You can text the charity on 07537 404 282 or email familyline@family-action.org.uk
The charity offers support to people in Dorset. The contact number is 01202 718266.
Mind's support line is open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except bank holidays), on 0300 102 1234.