This week, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced new guidance for schools following concerns that some SEND inclusion bases are being used as a sanction rather than a support.
At the centre of the announcement was a statement that many SEND parents will find both welcome and frustrating:
Having SEND is not the same as bad behaviour.
For many families, that message will feel long overdue.
A Conversation SEND Parents Have Been Having for Years
If you’re the parent of an autistic child, a child with ADHD, PDA, sensory processing difficulties, anxiety, or other additional needs, chances are you’ve had some version of this conversation before.
Your child is struggling.
They’re overwhelmed.
They’re anxious.
They’re masking all day.
They’re dysregulated.
And yet the response from school focuses on behaviour rather than understanding what is driving it.
Many parents describe being told their child is:
- Defiant
- Disruptive
- Refusing
- Attention-seeking
- Naughty
When what they are actually seeing is distress.
Behaviour Is Often Communication
One of the most important lessons many SEND parents learn is that behaviour rarely happens in isolation.
Children communicate through behaviour long before they can explain what they are feeling.
An autistic child who lashes out may be overwhelmed by noise.
A child with PDA may be experiencing intense anxiety around demands.
A child with ADHD may be struggling to regulate impulses.
A child in burnout may appear withdrawn, exhausted, or unable to engage.
Punishing the behaviour without understanding the cause rarely solves the problem.
In many cases, it makes things worse.
The Problem With Labelling SEND As Bad Behaviour
When SEND needs are mistaken for poor behaviour, children can quickly find themselves trapped in a cycle.
They struggle.
They are punished.
Their anxiety increases.
They struggle even more.
The punishment escalates.
Parents often describe feeling like they spend years trying to convince professionals that their child is not choosing to struggle.
The result can be exclusions, reduced timetables, emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), school trauma, and a complete breakdown in trust between families and schools.
Why The New Guidance Matters
The Government’s new guidance is aimed at ensuring inclusion bases are used for their intended purpose.
These spaces are designed to provide support, specialist interventions, and opportunities for children to regulate and access learning.
They are not intended to be a punishment room.
The guidance also makes clear that children using these bases should remain part of the wider school community, participating in lessons, activities, trips, and school life wherever possible.
That principle is important.
Support should help children belong.
It should not isolate them.
Parents Will Ask One Question
While many families will welcome the announcement, others may ask a simple question:
Why did we need national guidance to say this in the first place?
SEND parents have been raising concerns about behaviour policies, exclusions, isolation rooms, and misunderstanding of additional needs for years.
For some families, this announcement feels less like a new discovery and more like official recognition of something they have already experienced.
The Real Challenge
The challenge now is not simply publishing guidance.
The challenge is making sure it changes practice.
Parents do not need more policies sitting on shelves.
They need school staff who understand SEND.
They need early support.
They need appropriate training.
They need systems that recognise when a child is struggling rather than assuming they are choosing to misbehave.
Most importantly, they need schools where children feel understood.
Looking Forward
Every child deserves to feel safe, included, and supported in school.
Most teachers want exactly that too.
The vast majority are working incredibly hard within a system that is often under significant pressure.
But if this week’s announcement tells us anything, it is that there is still work to do.
Because having SEND is not bad behaviour.
And for many families, that is a lesson they have been trying to teach the system for years.
Leave a Reply