England's education system is failing its most vulnerable children, according to a new survey that exposes the stark realities faced by families of students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The Parent Voice Project's report, 'How Schools Work for Every Child,' paints a grim picture of a system riddled with inequities, where children without education, health, and care plans (EHCPs) are routinely denied the support they need to thrive.

The survey, encompassing over 6,000 parents, reveals that a mere 57% of parents of children with SEND but no EHCP rate the quality of education at their child's school as high or very high. This stands in stark contrast to the 68% of parents of children with EHCPs and the 71% of parents of children without SEND, highlighting the critical role EHCPs play in ensuring adequate support.

The EHCP system, meant to provide legal protection and guarantee individualized support, has become a bottleneck, leaving countless children without the resources they desperately need. The government's proposed SEND reforms, which aim to reduce the number of EHCPs by 2035, threaten to exacerbate this crisis by further limiting access to crucial services.

These reforms are not about improving outcomes for children with SEND; they're about cutting costs and shifting responsibility onto already overburdened mainstream schools. The survey reveals a significant lack of confidence in the ability of these schools to effectively support children with SEND. Only 52% of all parents believe that teachers have the right tools to deal with SEND, a figure that plummets to 38% among parents of children without EHCPs.

This lack of resources and training creates a two-tiered system, where children with EHCPs receive a modicum of support, while those without are left to languish, their potential stifled by systemic neglect. The consequences are far-reaching, impacting not only academic achievement but also social-emotional development and future life chances.

The story of the parent from Weston-super-Mare, who described the system as reactive rather than proactive, is all too common. Families are forced to fight tooth and nail for the support their children deserve, expending precious time and energy navigating a complex and often hostile bureaucracy.

This situation is not merely a matter of individual schools or teachers failing; it is a systemic problem rooted in decades of underfunding and a lack of political will to prioritize the needs of children with SEND. The government's focus on attendance targets, while seemingly well-intentioned, distracts from the more fundamental issues of resource allocation and teacher training. The survey clearly shows that parents are far more concerned about underfunding, poor behavior, and mental ill-health among young people than attendance rates.