Special educational needs system 'broken', say parents

Parents of children with complex special educational needs have described their "battles" to secure the best school places after the government unveiled reforms to the system in England.

Julia Cross, from Preston in Lancashire, said her son has depression after waiting six years for an education, health and care plan (EHCP) for her son who has autism, ADHD and dyslexia.

She said it was "because he was that overwhelmed and couldn't cope in the mainstream system".

Chris Berrisford also described the trauma his son went through until he finally got to a "life-changing" specialist high school, years after being diagnosed with autism at the age of two.

He welcomed the government's announcement to reform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.

It includes a pledge to invest £1.8bn over three years to provide more access to experts like speech and language therapists, which Chris said was a "game-changer" for his son.

Julia told BBC Radio Lancashire: "It was an emotional rollercoaster, it was awful, especially when [my son] got depression.

"These children are suffering and it takes far too long to get anything done.

"It shouldn't take six years, should it?"

While her son now attends a school in Leyland, which adequately supports him, she said the lengthy struggle for a suitable place was a "very difficult time" for the family.

"He's now exceeding at quite a few of his subjects, but when children just get dumped into mainstream schools, it's wrong.

"I knew my son wouldn't cope in that system."

She said the reforms were much-needed.

"It's a broken system, they really need to shake everything up," she said.

"Every teacher and every teaching assistant needs to know what they're doing, they need training for complex needs."

Chris told BBC Radio Manchester of his own fight to get his son, who is now 14, in the most suitable school.

"It was a battle to get my kid in the best school for him and it shouldn't be," he said.

He said when he started in a mainstream primary school he would not stay in class and would be "banging on the door".

He said it was a "traumatic event" for him going from his safe space at home "into this space with strangers, loud building, it's manic and chaos and he would try and escape".

He later had an EHCP put in place, which gave him a one-to-one council funded teaching assistant and helped him.

Chris, who set up a support group called SEND Dads Society for fathers and male carers, said when it came to high schools his local council eventually agreed for him to go to an independent school out of the area.

He said the decision was a "huge relief" as he knew a school in Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester, was the best place for his son to flourish.

The 42-year-old said it has been "unbelievable" for his son and is teaching him essential life skills.

"It's been absolutely life-changing for him, being able to go to be able to access that school.

"They've got lived experience and tried and tested methods of helping hundreds of kids," he said.

Chris said while having a teaching assistant with him helped he believes early access to speech and language therapy is key.

He and his wife paid £80 an hour for speech and language therapy for his son for two and a half years.

He said it was "the biggest game-changer in terms of helping him in his life over anything else".

Chris said the government's announcement to invest in early speech and language therapy was great news as many families cannot afford to pay privately for it, adding it should be available for everyone who needs it.

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