Hayley is worried about the education that her five-year-old autistic son George is getting at his mainstream primary school. It’s been agreed by the local authority that he needs specialist provision, but the only place on offer is at a school 45 minutes away, where he would need to get a taxi there and back, every day. George is non-verbal and, for Hayley, this is not an option.
She's on a waiting list for the local school, but it could take years for him to get a place there. Over a year, Hayley embarks on a journey to try and get George a place at a local specialist school, and asks why it’s so difficult for parents and carers across England to get their children the right Special Educational Needs (SEN) support.
George's mainstream school is doing the best they can, but he’s excluded from some classes and they are struggling to meet his safety needs. As time goes on George is falling further behind his peers, and not getting the kind of specialist support that could help things like his communication. Hayley decides to embark on an appeal process to get George a place at the local specialist school, which will result in a legal tribunal if her appeal is unsuccessful. It's the most extreme route available to parents.
Hayley's not the only one. Since 2015, the number of parents and carers appealing to the first tier SEND Tribunals has increased year on year. Hayley meets Jen, another parent who has struggled to get her daughter Betty the right educational support. She talks to IPSEA, the Independent Provider of Special Education Advice, about the legal issues that parents are facing across the country, and hears from inclusion specialist Rob Webster who explains why the mainstream education system we currently have is unable to meet the needs of ever increasing numbers of pupils with SEN.
We hear first hand how difficult it is for parents to navigate the SEN system, and what is at stake when children don't get the right support they need.
Producer: Emma Barnaby
Executive Producer: Katherine Godfrey
Mix engineer: Rob Speight
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4 Show less