Fixing a Broken SEND System

Jayne Kirkham MP hosting SEND roundtable with parents, carers, and guardians

At the start of this Parliament, a group of MPs and I met with the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, to discuss how the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) system was broken, something I saw firsthand as a teaching assistant at Falmouth School. With only 22% of children with SEND currently reaching the expected levels in Maths and English to access further study.

This experience is one of the reasons I now serve as Vice-Chair of the f40 Group, an organisation looking at provision across the country for schools and SEND.

The Education Secretary made it clear that improving outcomes for children with SEND is a government priority. A White Paper will be published this autumn, and I have been asked to contribute. I am determined to ensure that families in Cornwall have their voices heard in this important national conversation.

As part of this, I recently hosted a roundtable with local parents and carers. One of the strongest themes was the exhaustion families feel from having to constantly fight for basic support, with many parents forced to act as full-time advocates rather than just being parents.

On the 5^th of September, I will be hosting a second roundtable, this time with local professionals and service providers to ensure those delivering SEND support can also feed into the reforms.

If you’re involved in SEND support in Truro or Falmouth and would like to attend, please get in touch at: jayne.kirkham.mp@parliament.uk