Protest Held Over Lack Of School Places For Children With Special Needs

Parents of children with special educational needs have staged a protest today over a lack of school places in Leicestershire.

42 youngsters, including some from the Harborough area, have not been to school since the new academic year started six weeks ago.

Campaigner Zuffar Haq organised the protest outside County Hall in Leicester and spoke to HFM:

Today’s protest outside County Hall
Pic: Zuffar Haq

Leiceestershire County Council says while 21 children are going through the process of securing a named placement, there are none yet available for the other 21.

It says it’s dealing with a “perfect storm” of high demand and insufficient funding.

Jane Moore, director of children and family services, said: “We appreciate this is a stressful time and the continued patience of parents, carers and the children and young people themselves is very much appreciated.

“Since 2018, we’ve invested more than £30m to create more than 560 specialist places in Leicestershire schools. Like other councils, public services in Leicestershire are under increasing financial pressure as we strive to ensure that children and young people with SEND (special educational needs or disability) can access the right support in the right place at the right time.

“We’re facing a perfect storm of challenges, including a rapidly-growing number of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which, in Leicestershire, is growing 40 per cent faster than the national average. We’ve also seen a steep rise in demand for specialist school places.

“However, we remain committed to doing our best for children and young people so we’re in regular dialogue with key groups, including an online event yesterday (WED) attended by over 220 people involved with the SEND system. It means those involved share their experiences, we learn what works well and not so well, and we work together to make life better for children and young people with SEND in Leicestershire.”