Parents demand urgent action as SEND system ‘fails’ children across Dorset
Parents across the county are calling for the education system to be 'overhauled', saying too many children are still without a school place
Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are calling on the government to deliver meaningful reform to a system they say is leaving families “exhausted, broken and ignored”.
Across England, more than 600,000 children are identified as having SEND. Yet more than 70,000 are still waiting for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) to be processed – and thousands more have been left without a school place altogether.
“These figures represent real children, real families, and real heartbreak,” said Carmen McConnell, founder of Fix SEND Dorset. “It’s not just about missing education – it’s about the loss of childhoods, opportunities and hope. Every pair of shoes is a child’s story, and together they form a message too powerful to ignore.”
Mrs McConnell said parents like herself had been forced to give up work to educate their children at home after years of fighting for help that never came.
She told us: “The government must listen to parents. Our children deserve more than words. They deserve action, fairness and a future.”
The government’s long-promised SEND and Alternative Provision reforms have been delayed until 2026, prompting frustration from families and councils alike.
Local authorities say they are being left to manage rising demand without the resources or powers needed to meet it.
Cllr Clare Sutton, Dorset Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, said the authority supported over 4,500 children and young people with SEND, investing in 250 new special school places and over 100 mainstream inclusion hub places.
But she warned that local progress was being undermined by national failings.
“Dorset Council operates within a national SEND system that is widely recognised, including by government, as failing,” Cllr Sutton said. “Councils remain responsible for provision, but legislation makes it extremely difficult to open new schools, forcing reliance on independent providers and creating huge financial strain.”
She added: “We join others in calling for urgent government reform and increased funding. Locally we remain committed to partnership and action – but national change is essential for a fair and sustainable SEND system.”