Parents say children 'traumatised' by lack of SEND support

Parents in Stockport say a lack of support is having devastating consequences for children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND).

Children left “traumatised” are having to go to counsellors and therapists after not getting the help they need for their education, according to the Brinnington SEND group.

The group has warned that schools are hugely underfunded, leaving SEND children without adjustment plans or specialist support in some cases.

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Stockport council said SEND provision in the borough is in “crisis” with demand for services soaring.

The town hall wrote to the education secretary this month saying funding for special education is ‘stuck in the past’ and called for more investment.

The letter added: ‘Stockport, like many local authorities, has seen a significant rise in the demand for its SEND services, with the number of children requiring support growing rapidly.

‘Despite this increase, the funding allocation for SEND services needs to reflect the actual costs incurred by our council to meet statutory requirements.’

Stockport gets around £1,100 per pupil for special educational needs, council bosses said, which is ‘amongst the lowest levels nationally,’ with the borough given £85 million a year less than the best-funded areas.

The council pumps an extra £18m per year into its local SEND provision, but this is putting its budget under increasing pressure with still more funding needed.

Brinnington SEND said the situation has led to growing numbers of parents contacting it for help, with some having to pull their children from school.

The group told the Manchester Evening News: “There are parents having to give up their careers to care for their kids because schools can't.

“Children are being badly treated, some need counselling because of it. We have a lot of parents coming to us for help about this, we get professionals to come and see them, counsellors and occupational therapists.

“Schools just don't have the funding [from government]. The money has been taken away from SEND and it will never be put back in."

The Department for Education was approached for comment.

Stockport council has tried to beef up support for children by funding purpose-built SEND facilities, such as the Pear Tree and Lisburne School.

But it says it ‘cannot provide the necessary resources’ to turn things around without a cash injection.

Part of the problem facing parents with SEND children is the lack of education, health and care (EHC) plans, used by councils and schools to outline a child’s special educational needs.

The Children’s Commissioner warned last year that half of councils across the country were missing the 20-week deadline for issuing EHC plans, and that there were more than one million children with SEND without a plan in place at all.

This means teachers in schools are being left without vital information about children’s needs and how to support them.

In November, education secretary Bridget Phillipson MP vowed to make sweeping improvements after admitting that SEND education is “failing families.”

She added: “Now is the time for bold reform. Let me be clear: the direction of that reform is inclusive mainstream.

“That is why we will bring a new focus on improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream education settings.”