Shoe protest highlights 'failed' Send children

4 November 2025

Martin HeathBuckinghamshire political reporter

News image — Two of the pairs of shoes left outside the council's building

Martin Heath/BBC Two pairs of shoes, one a pair of black flip flops, the other a pair of red and white plimsols. They have white cards attached detailing children's journeys through the Send system in red writing. One pair belongs to a child aged nine, the other to a child aged seven. — Two of the pairs of shoes left outside the council's building

Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) staged a protest by placing shoes outside a city council's offices.

Organisers of the event in Milton Keynes said each pair represented a child who had been failed by the school system.

It was part of a national demonstration organised by a parents' group called Send Sanctuary UK.

Milton Keynes City Council said it was investing in helping schools meet the needs of more children.

Martin Heath/BBC Shoes of various colours including black, blue and pink, arranged in pairs, some with white tags tied onto them with names or other messages. They are arranged in a heart shape on paving slabs. Some people's feet are visible along the top of the picture. — Shoes left outside Milton Keynes City Council symbolised children who, parents say, are failed by the school system

There were no sit-ins, chants or whistles at this protest - just a collection of shoes of all shapes, sizes and colours.

Paper tags adorned some, revealing the identity of the owner or hinting at the struggle a family had been through.

One tag, on a pair of blue clogs, revealed their owner was "a child who wants to go to school".

"He wants to make friends and play," it read.

Martin Heath/BBC Amanda, who has short dark hair, smiling at the camera and wearing a small silver necklace. She has a large square badge attached to the green top she is wearing. There is a line of shoes to her left and she is standing in front of a brick-built building. There is a pavement to the right of the picture. — Amanda has been treated for cancer while fighting for Send provision

Amanda added a pair of her nine-year-old son's shoes to the heart-shaped collection on the pavement.

She said: "He started in mainstream, but it took me two-and-a-half years to get him out of mainstream and it took me threatening tribunal for them to give him a place [at a special school]."

It is a battle she faced while being a single mother and being treated for cancer, and she said the problems did not end with the change of school.

"We didn't get to choose - the school is quite good, but it's not the school for him."

Martin Heath/BBC Tracey with medium-length dark brown hair, smiling at the camera and wearing a green top and black cardigan, carrying a black pair of trainers with a white tag tied to it. There are several women behind her, and a brick-built building beyond them. — Tracey said she had thought her fight would be over once she got her son into a special school

The tag on a pair of black trainers revealed how a 12-year-old boy had waited over two years for an education, health and care plan (EHCP) setting out what support he needed.

His mother, Tracey, said there "still remains to this day a huge black hole for parents where there is no information - we have to literally go out and find it for ourselves".

After fighting for an EHCP and winning a four-year battle to get her son into a special school, Tracey said: "I continue to fight to get the additional needs met - it's all held back all the time.

"Something has to change otherwise there's going to be more and more young people failed by this system."

A spokesperson for Milton Keynes City Council said: "Like many local authorities, we're seeing increasing demand for EHCPs compounded by a national shortage of professionals working in supporting fields such as therapy services and educational psychology.

"We appreciate the pressure felt by families as we work through assessments and we're investing in helping schools meet the needs of more children and in creating additional specialist school places."

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