The Government has published its response to the Education Committee’s inquiry into the SEND system, and one message is becoming increasingly clear:
The long-term ambition is for more children with SEND to have their needs met in mainstream schools, reducing reliance on specialist placements.
On the surface, many parents would agree with that goal.
Most families do not start their SEND journey wanting a specialist school. Most simply want their child to attend a local school, make friends, feel safe and receive the support they need.
The problem is that many families feel the current system is already struggling to deliver that support.
The Question Parents Keep Asking
Every day, we hear from parents whose children are:
- Unable to attend school due to anxiety or EBSA.
- Waiting years for assessments.
- Masking all day and then falling apart at home.
- Being excluded, suspended or placed on reduced timetables.
- Waiting months or years for EHCP assessments and support.
For those families, the question isn’t whether mainstream schools should be more inclusive.
The question is:
What needs to change before more children can successfully remain in mainstream education?
Because inclusion only works when the support is there.
Parents Are Not Anti-Mainstream
This is an important point that often gets lost.
Many children with SEND thrive in mainstream schools.
Many schools work incredibly hard to support children despite limited resources.
Many teachers go above and beyond every day.
Parents are not arguing against mainstream education.
They are asking whether the system currently has the staffing, training, funding and specialist expertise needed to support more children with increasingly complex needs.
What Families Tell Us
Over the past year, thousands of parents have shared their experiences with AskEllie.
Common themes include:
- “The school says they have no concerns.”
- “My child masks all day.”
- “Nobody sees what happens after school.”
- “We’ve been waiting years for help.”
- “We only got support after reaching crisis point.”
These stories are not isolated incidents.
They are being repeated by families across the country.
That is why many parents are nervous when they hear discussions about reducing reliance on specialist provision.
Not because they oppose inclusion.
But because they worry that inclusion without support simply becomes another word for unmet need.
Why Parent Voices Matter
For too long, decisions about SEND have often been discussed without enough involvement from the families living it every day.
Parents understand the reality behind attendance statistics.
They understand the impact of masking.
They understand what happens when support arrives too late.
Most importantly, they understand what works and what doesn’t.
That is why parent voices must be at the centre of any future reforms.
The SEND Coalition
On 29th July, the SEND Coalition will begin bringing together parents, campaigners, professionals, MPs and peers.
The aim is simple:
To ensure that SEND families have a meaningful voice in conversations about the future of education and support.
This is not about politics.
It is not about confrontation.
It is about asking important questions, sharing lived experience and ensuring that policy is informed by the people most affected by it.
The Real Question
The debate should not be whether mainstream schools or specialist schools are better.
Different children need different support.
The real question is:
If more children are expected to have their needs met in mainstream schools, what needs to change first?
Because every parent wants the same thing:
A system that understands their child, supports their child and gives them the opportunity to thrive.
Until families can confidently say that support is already in place, many will continue asking the same question:
Why should we believe this time will be different?
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