Children’s rights Lawyers urge politicians to reconsider making ‘care experience’ a protected characteristic
Welsh Government responds to recommendations made by the Children, Young People and Education Committee
Interim Head of Education Law
Some special needs and disabilities are easy to spot from a young age, and others only come to light as a child gets older, and particularly once they start school. Although deciding on a school for your child can be stressful for any parents, there’s often a lot more to be considered by parents of children with additional needs. Currently in the UK there are over 1.5 million pupils who have special educational needs (SEN), which Is an increase of 87,000 from 2022.
Furthermore, despite there being an increase in numbers of those with SEN, we have also seen situations where special schools have closed. In this article, we’ll tell you what to do if your child’s SEND school closes.
Securing a suitable school place with the right provision in place for a child with an EHCP is essential, so it can be particularly difficult if the specialist school that they attend is forced to close down.
This is happening more and more due to funding issues, leaving hundreds of families struggling to find a suitable alternative, in a system where school places are limited.
Simpson Millar’s head of education, Sarah Woosey, helped support the families of Northease Manor School, which is a specialist school in Lewes, East Sussex, who faced potential closure over funding issues. It was announced that the school might be closing due to financial issues, but the Local Authority subsequently reached an agreement to stay open.
Department for Education. (n.d.). Special educational needs in England. [Online] Available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england
Northease Manor School. (n.d.). Home. [Online] Available at: https://www.northease.co.uk/
Fill in your details and one of the team will call you back