I’m giving a voice to SEND children and families after years of neglect

As a dad, I know parenting is both the hardest and most rewarding job in the world. There’s no handbook, no single right way, and just when you think you’ve cracked it, it bites you on the bum (often literally). That’s why my conversations with families of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) strike such a chord with me. Again and again, I hear how let down and ignored they feel.

I don’t have a magic wand, but my team and I can at least listen and fight alongside them. A huge amount of our casework is supporting families battling Derbyshire County Council, which is responsible for SEND provision in the High Peak. The last Conservative administration left behind one of the most damning inspection reports I have ever seen, condemning widespread and systemic failings. The new Reform-led council has been no better. Instead of fixing the problems, their leader shamefully tried to shift the blame onto families by claiming there was “massive over-diagnosis” of children.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is that too many children are being denied the support they need.

By contrast, Labour in government is determined to put things right. We’ve restructured the Department for Education so SEND sits at its heart. We are investing £1 billion in support for children with the most severe learning needs and £740 million to expand specialist places in mainstream schools. Programmes are being rolled out to make schools more inclusive, strengthen speech and language support, expand access to music and sport, and provide cutting-edge technology to help children learn.

But investment alone won’t be enough. That is why the Government has launched a review with the aim of delivering systemic change that will better support children with SEND.

I have been reassured that there will always be legal rights to support for children with SEND but we must create a system where families no longer have to fight every step of the way, leaving children waiting months, if not years, for support.

I wanted High Peak families to have a direct say in that process. That’s why I recently sat down with a group of parents to hear their stories and their ideas for change. Their courage in sharing often painful experiences was humbling, as was their determination to make sure other families don’t go through the same struggle.

I will be reporting their experiences back to the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, as part of the review. We owe it to every child with SEND to build a system that recognises their potential and gives them the best possible start in life.