PARENTS of children with special educational needs held a protest in front of County Hall in Oxford today (Tuesday, November 1), ahead of the county’s full council meeting.

The group gathered at Carfax Tower this morning before walking the short distance to the hall, and held banners reading “Stop failing our children”, “OCC, stop ghosting families and stop breaking the law” and “Our children exist, their needs exist, we exist! Stop ignoring us and listen!”

They said they were there to protest “against a wide range of systemic failings” in the county council’s provision for children with special educational needs and took with them school bags and other items to represent “each child failed by Oxfordshire County Council.”

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After the protest, some members of the group addressed the full council. Speaking at the meeting, Mary Totman said: “We ask you to listen and read the stories of our children written on the bags outside.

“The local authority unfortunately seems to be cherry-picking evidence to justify inappropriate provision.

“Many children are left with only a few hours of education a week or with no provision at all for months or even for years.

“Please take a moment to imagine what impact this might have on a child and their family. The failings are not just down to national funding issues, but also down to decision made by our council.”

Olivia Johnson, who also addressed the council, said: “There has been a complete breakdown in the communication between Oxfordshire County Council special educational needs department and the families that they are trying to support – a complete breakdown of care.

“Families are fed up of being ghosted while our children are abandoned by OCC without adequate care or support.

“The impact this has on families and carers is immense, it puts strain on marriages, finances and mental health.

“People have to give up jobs, careers and children and parents are at a breaking point.”

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Earlier this month the council said the long-term financial impact of supporting children with high needs also remains uncertain, with parents worried this could lead to funding cuts.

Chloe Hedges, who lives in Abingdon with two children with special education needs, told the Oxford Mail: “The cuts are a massive worry for us as there’s not enough funding already, so we expect it to be absolutely catastrophic.

“I have two children with special education needs and the situation is really complex. Oxfordshire already has limited resources and limited schools that can offer those services.

“Not enough is being done to support our children. We feel that the council doesn’t look at them as children but only as numbers. The whole system is broken and we can’t even imagine how difficult it’s going to get.”

Councillor Liz Brighouse, the council's cabinet member for children, education and youth services, said: “We know that parents are really worried about support and education of their children, and that families are being affected because of government policies. We understand and share these concerns. We are doing everything in our power to deal with them.

“I am appealing to the new Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan, to urgently address the national funding issues facing all local authorities providing SEND services for children and young people.

“Like all local authorities in England, we struggle to keep up with demand. This is because the government’s high needs grants don’t match our children’s needs.

“Moreover, the range of children and young people receiving SEND support was extended in 2014, but no extra money was made available to extend our own special provisions.

“Gillian Keegan must find the money to fund the total accumulated deficit in the budget for SEND children arising from unfunded changes the government itself introduced nearly ten years ago. At the end of March 2022, in Oxfordshire the deficit stood at £29.8m and is forecast to increase to £47.3m by March 2023.

“Despite these extremely difficult financial challenges, we recently developed, with our partners, the local area SEND strategy. We’re now working on implementation of plans with schools, health partners, voluntary organisations, parents and carers to provide more support for children with SEND.”

The group's petitions can be viewed below. 

- Provide education for children who can't attend school: https://chng.it/tYngXRsQXk

- Lack of help with transition to adulthood: https://chng.it/Lr2r4rC8Bk

- Mental health and other impacts: http://chng.it/8mJ2JVJJ

- Making alternative educational provision available for those who can't be in school: https://chng.it/2KKpb4zHVk

- Communication and delays: https://chng.it/zMHCrbK2S9 and https://chng.it/Sm9kmp9rQk

- Evidence in EHCPs: https://chng.it/FqBb5FJD

 

Read more from this author

This story was written by Anna Colivicchi, she joined the team this year and covers health stories for the Oxfordshire papers. 

Get in touch with her by emailing: Anna.colivicchi@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @AnnaColivicchi