Parents in parliament today  call for SEN support boost

4 mins read

Tuesday 13 May 2025

This applies in England only.

Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) from across England attended parliament today to discuss ways to promote inclusion in mainstream schools.

This follows research with 2,000 families that shows just 9% of pupils with SEND get speech and language support. 60% avoided school as a result of not having the right support in place. 

The parents back calls from Contact and IPSEA to strengthen SEN support by making it a legal requirement.

Children missing out when staff unavailable

SEN support is help in school for children who have SEND, but don’t have an education health and care (EHC) plan. It includes help such as small group work, adult help during break and lunchtimes and speech and language support. 

Laura Bancroft’s son Aiden is autistic and has situational mutism. Laura said: “Despite his challenges, Aiden is academically capable and a rule-follower. But that’s not the full picture. He holds it all together during the school day, but comes crashing down at home. He becomes overwhelmed, anxious and emotional and more recently has developed panic attacks. 

“The support he is supposed to have at school includes small group activities, allowing him to sit at the end of the row during assembly, and five-minute sensory breaks. But this is not always possible. It depends on the number of teachers and teaching assistants and what is happening on a particular day. He is often left struggling in silence, unable to express when he is overwhelmed or when his needs aren’t being met. This is heartbreaking as a parent to witness, knowing that the support he needs is simply not available. 

“As we approach the transition to secondary school in just over two years, my family and his current school all agree that my son’s needs are not severe enough for a specialist school. But we are also acutely aware that, without the right support, he will struggle to cope in a mainstream setting. This is a real concern for us and without the right support his difficulties will just become more severe.”

Lack of support leading to absence, avoidance and exclusion

Ben Maguire, MP for North Cornwall, sponsored the roundtable event. Mr Maguire said: “The lack of adequate SEN support in schools is driving requests for EHC plans, as parents and schools seek formal assessments to secure the support children should already be receiving. Without the right SEN provision in place, we see higher rates of school absence, avoidance and exclusions. Too many children are being left behind. 

“Investing in early intervention, properly trained staff, and better-resourced schools will not only improve outcomes for children with SEN, but also reduce costly crisis interventions and the growing reliance on EHC plans. No parent should have to fight for their child’s right to an education. The Government must act now to deliver a system that works for every child, every family, and every school.” 

Anna Bird, Chief Executive at Contact, said: “The government says it wants more children to feel supported and included at mainstream school. It’s important that we get that right. We are calling for SEN support to be made a stronger part of a school’s duties. We believe this will ensure more children are able to enjoy and take full part in school without going through a legal process to get an EHC plan.”  

1 in 5 children with SEN not getting SEN support

Contact and IPSEA surveyed 2,000 families with children who have SEND, but not an EHC plan, in February 2025. Our survey found that there is not enough SEN support in schools. This is leading many families to seek an EHC plan to secure the support their child needs. 

Other key findings include: 

  • Over a third of respondents (35%) said funding was the reason schools gave for not providing adequate SEN support. 
  • A fifth of children with special educational needs are not getting any SEN support. 

Madeleine Cassidy, Chief Executive of IPSEA, commented: “The lack of enforceability of SEN support means too many children struggle to get adequate support in mainstream schools. The sharp rise in EHC plans we see year-on-year also reflects the reality that, for many families, an EHC plan is the only route to securing the support their child needs.

“If SEN support were placed on a statutory footing – applying across early years, mainstream schools and further education settings – fewer families would need to go through the legal process of obtaining an EHC plan simply to get the right support for their child.”