SEND Education For All is sponsoring the 2026 PDA Space Summit!
You can register to watch the Summit and get your backpocket pass HERE.

"Your child has an EHCP." For many families, those six words are not reassuring. Instead, they mark the beginning of a battle. A battle to secure an assessment. A battle to obtain a plan. A battle to get the provision written into that plan delivered. Then, somehow, a battle to enforce the very document that was supposed to bring the fighting to an end. Welcome to the reality of the SEND system in 2026. The uncomfortable truth is that the system is not struggling because ther

There are certain truths about the SEND system that rarely make it into official guidance, policy discussions, social media debates, or even conversations between professionals. Families are often told about procedures, timescales, reforms, consultations, and legal processes. They are given advice about what they should do next, what might happen in the future, and what changes may be coming. Yet very little is said about the reality that families live every single day while

As the new school year approaches, social media feeds begin to fill with photos of shiny new uniforms, packed lunch ideas, and excited countdowns to the first day back. For many children and families, returning to school brings anticipation and excitement. But for others, the thought of going back can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and anxiety-provoking long before the school gates even open. It's important to remember that not every child experiences the school holidays in t

There is a phrase I keep hearing at the moment. "Maybe it's worth waiting until we know what's happening with SEND reform." Or worse: "There's no point challenging it now because everything is going to change anyway." Every time I hear those words, my heart sinks. Because while adults debate policy, write reports, hold consultations, and discuss the future of SEND, there are children sitting in classrooms right now who are struggling. Children who wake up every morning with a

Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, reach their potential, and feel valued within their community. Yet achieving this goal is not the responsibility of one individual, one service, or one organisation alone. It requires all of us families, educators, health professionals, social care teams, community groups, and leaders to work together with a shared commitment to placing children at the heart of everything we do. Children grow and develop in different ways, and t

I’m going to be honest, because sugar-coating this doesn’t help anyone anymore. The damage in the SEN world is already being done. This isn’t something that might happen in the future it is happening right now, to families, to children, and to young people who are already fighting just to be understood. And if you are in this world, you feel it. You don’t need statistics or reports. You live it every single day. The appeal process was never easy. It was always draining, stre

I know we are all pretty much feeling this at the moment, and it’s a sentiment that resonates deeply within many families. For some of...