(UK) Isle of Wight: Parents protest lack of special needs places outside council meeting

June 27, 2025, On the Wight: Local parents hold ‘Skeleton Protest’ for urgent Special Educational Needs support 

https://onthewight.com/local-parents-hold-skeleton-protest-urgent-special-educational-needs-support/  

Frustrated by long delays and ongoing battles to secure essential educational support for their children, local parents and carers gathered outside Isle of Wight council offices today in a ‘Skeleton Protest’.

“It feels like we’ll be skeletons before anything happens."

”The action was organised by Isle of Wight SEN Support, a grassroots peer support group campaigning for timely and adequate Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision for children and young people across the Island.

Parents say they are, “Left waiting so long, it feels like we’ll be skeletons before anything happens.”

Clear message

Their message to the local authority is simple: children with SEN cannot afford to wait any longer for support that is legally required and urgently needed.

Many families face drawn-out struggles just to obtain or update their children’s Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), often enduring months – even years – of delay and red tape. Without these plans in place, children are left without the specialist support they need to access the education we all take for granted.

SEN team overloadedA senior officer at Isle of Wight council has indicated that the SEN team is struggling to perform its statutory functions due to the sheer volume of parental emails and complaints.

This has left parents feeling that their efforts to advocate for their children’s right to a suitable education are frowned upon because the SEN team is busy – that parents #MustntGrumble

“It’s like they have all forgotten that each email, each complaint, relates to an actual child, who is seriously and negatively impacted by every day’s delay. We know their jobs are tough.

“As a parent challenging the system it is really tough, and we are doing this on top of our own jobs, whilst caring for children who often need significantly more support at home, as well as in their education.”

The injustice is made stark by national statistics: 98% of parents who challenge their Local Authority at tribunal win their case, showing a system that too often fails until forced to act.

Event DetailsOrganised by Isle of Wight SEN Support, the protest took place on Friday 27th June 2025, from 9.30am outside the Isle of Wight council Offices, County Hall, High St, Newport PO30 1UD

The group is calling on the Isle of Wight council to take immediate steps to address the backlog of EHCPs, improve communication with families, and fulfil its legal obligations to some of the Island’s most vulnerable children.