Requires extra authorities funding into particular wants training as main considerations are aired about Leeds’ “considerably brief” provision
It is a campaign, supported by politicians and charities, calling on the government to put disabled people and their parents and carers at the center of their SEND (Special Education Needs and Disabilities) review.
In an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, activists claim that the hardest hit were “largely excluded and even misrepresented” in the document launched in 2019 to investigate how services to families can be improved, but activists say that this is the case should not be sufficiently consulted.
Rachael Law, director of resource delivery for Rainbow Base and Horizons as part of the GORSE Academies Trust, told the Yorkshire Evening Post that experts in the field had “grave concerns” about the lack of special educational needs at both local and national levels.
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Rachael Law, Rainbow Base and Horizons Resource Director.
She said: “There is significant anger among parents both after the review delay and further added stress from the central government to water down much of the legal requirements for Health Care Education (EHCP) compliance during the Covid-19 pandemic the care a child receives as their education.
“There are major concerns that there is a shortage of skilled workers at both national and local levels. There is still a significant shortage of specialist supply places in Leeds alone and while Leeds City Council seeks to address this by expanding what is currently on offer along with a new free technical school, more needs to be done at the central government level by investing in this area.
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The urgent need to keep special schools in Leeds open during lockdown raised a …
The letter addressed to the Prime Minister said that disabled children and young people had been disproportionately disadvantaged by the effects of Covid and the closure of schools / universities, that they had lost essential special educational offers and support, which had a negative impact on mental and physical health, and educational outcomes undermined and dropped out of school some children have no access to education at all.
It added that schools and colleges “should be adequately funded, equipped and supported to be inclusive”, with appropriate early provision to meet the needs of all disabled children, rather than waiting until they are older and the ” Crisis Point ”have reached.
“Too often the provision and support for disabled children and young people is delayed until the crisis point is reached, which leads to hardship and long-term damage,” say the activists.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Education said: “We want to improve results and effectively prepare young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) for adult life through our ongoing Send Review process.
“These claims are misleading. This government is committed to helping and protecting children with SEND – prior to our public consultation and publication of our proposals, we work closely with SEND children and youth, their parents and carers to ensure that their views are at the center of this work stand .”
