Children with SEND: Assessments and Support

Dave Robertson Excerpts

Monday 15th September 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jen Craft (Thurrock) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Dr Huq. I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak in this clearly popular debate.

As many Members will know, I have the privilege of being mum to two incredible girls, one of whom has additional needs. Like many parents of a disabled child, I feel keenly the unfairness and the challenges that my child will face throughout her life—challenges that are exacerbated throughout her childhood by a system that is far too often adversarial, baffling and unsupportive.

Many of my constituents have gone through that experience when trying to access the right support for their children. I carried out a survey and a roundtable, and I will share some comments that drive home what people have experienced. One said:

“It’s like living in a world where you feel no one believes your children and their struggles, and all you can do is be on constant fight or flight mode.”

Someone else said:

“Everything is looked at like a system, like a machine…all the compassion is gone.”

Another said:

“It’s a constant battle to get help, support and anything our children need.”

Someone else said, heartbreakingly, of their son:

“In his mind, he will go in, get no help, get in trouble and go home.”

The system currently fails our children, but what can be done? There is a lot: truly inclusive schools; a commitment to meeting need wherever it arises; support for teachers and, crucially, school support staff; training for people who deal with our children on a day-to-day basis; early intervention; speech and language support; social, emotional and mental health support; funding for high-needs placements; holistic partnership working between local authorities; education placements; healthcare services; incentives for inclusivity, and sanctions for schools that do not pull their weight on SEND. Above all, we need an acknowledgment that every single child deserves an education.

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

My hon. Friend is a powerful advocate for children with SEND right across the country. Given her personal experience, and the experience of many of our constituents, it is clear that the system is broken. Across Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages, I have set up a network of people looking to challenge Staffordshire county council, which significantly underperforms even the atrocious national standards. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is essential that the voices of those with experience of the system are heard as we move towards the White Paper and the Government work to fix the mess they inherited?

[Jen Craft]

Absolutely. It is crucial that those with experience of the system are heard. The only way we can fix it is by taking the approach of those who have experienced it. My interest in my child does not stop at the school gates; it is holistic, looking forward to her life as she goes through childhood into young adulthood and adulthood.

This is a matter of social justice, fairness, equality and equity. Like many parents of a disabled child, I am tired, I am constantly anxious and I am constantly ready to go into battle for my child, but what I am not, and what my beautiful child is not, is a burden. We did not cause this crisis, but we want to fix it. We want to work with the Government to make things better for our children. I do not want a single other parent to have to fight for the very basic rights of their child—for what parents of non-disabled children do not have to fight for. The Disabled Children’s Partnership was in Parliament today talking to MPs about its “Fight for Ordinary”. So far, our rights have been hard fought for and hard won. We hope that the next generation of children and families will have a much easier time.