(UK) Bury: 55% increase in SPED plans since 2019; shoes represent a child denied support

Nov 2, 2025, Bury Times: Shoes campaign at council to highlight 'broken' SEND system 

https://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/25588786.shoes-campaign-council-highlight-broken-send-system

Parents, carers and children will gather outside Bury Council’s Knowsley Place offices on Knowsley Street from 10.30am to 1pm on Monday (November 3) as part of the Every Pair Tells a Story campaign.

Organised by The SEND Sanctuary UK, the event will see dozens of pairs of children’s shoes laid out on the pavement.

Each one represents a child who has been “failed” by the SEND system through delayed support, lack of school places or exclusion from education.

The symbolic display will take place in more than 90 towns and cities across England and Scotland at the same time, forming what organisers describe as a united call for “accountability, inclusion and meaningful reform".

Aimee Bradley, founder of The SEND Sanctuary UK, said: “This is not just about missing education. It is 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. We are standing for every child who has been left behind.”

According to the group, more than 600,000 children in England have been identified special educational needs, while more than 70,000 are still waiting for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) to be processed.

Thousands more remain without a school place.

Locally, Bury is one of the latest areas to join the movement following the Fight for Ordinary rally held in London earlier this year.

This drew more than 800 parents and children alongside MPs, including Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and Helen Hayes.

The organisers say there are 2,600 children in the borough with an EHCP, which is up by 55 per cent since 2019, with families reporting waiting up to double the 20-week legal limit for decisions on the plans.

Sarah Morris, a representative of The SEND Sanctuary UK’s Bury Council Hub, said the event aims to "shine a light on the real struggles faced by local families".

She added: “We want to show that behind the statistics are real lives and real heartbreak.”

Following the demonstration, the shoes displayed outside Bury Council will be collected by volunteers, sorted, and donated to charities supporting children and families.

The SEND Sanctuary UK represents more than 35,000 families nationwide, providing advocacy and campaigning for accountability and inclusion for children with SEND.