(UK) Parents fear govt plan to mainstream 'tens of thousands' of SPED students
- The end of childhood
- Dec 17, 2025
- 3 min read
Dec 16, 2025, Nottingham Post: Parents of children with special needs slam 'terrifying' school plans as they fear 'return to 1920s'
'Tens of thousands' of places for children with special needs and disabilities will be created at mainstream schools
Parents of children with special needs are "terrified" of new government plans to create "tens of thousands" of mainstream school places for pupils who require extra support.
One mum of two children with autism and ADHD even fears the £3bn [$4B] policy will see children with special needs and disabilities neglected in "a return to the 1920s".
Announced on Thursday (December 11), Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said around 50,000 mainstream school places would be created for children with special needs.
As opposed to creating more space at specific Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) alternative provisions, the money will instead be used to create extra space in mainstream schools. . . .
While welcomed by some, parents and campaigners in Nottinghamshire fear the schools won't have the resources or money available to adequately care for SEND children.
Samantha Grafton has been in a four-year battle with the county council to get a school for her daughters, seven-year-olds Maya and Esmee, that properly caters for their autism and ADHD. . . .
Kimberly Grant, from Bulwell, says she's glad SEND children are "finally being taken seriously" - but she too fears the money may not be spent in the right areas.
Her 13-year-old daughter Miley, who has ADHD and autism, goes to a mainstream school for three days a week, whilst she travels to an alternative provision a 30-minute taxi ride away in Wollaton for the other two days.
It's something funded by Miley's Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) - a council document detailing the particular support a young person with special needs requires.
Some EHCP plans see children in Nottinghamshire travelling in taxis as far as different counties, something Ms Grant says needs to change.
"These mainstreams schools aren't specialised SEND buildings so there needs to be a good chunk spent on training the teachers," Ms Grant said. . . ..
"Wellbeing also needs to come in for the teacher. If it's hard for the parents, it's definitely hard for the teachers".
For years, councils have struggled to fund the increasing bill that comes with EHCPs, with the number of applications doubling since 2016.
Currently, over 600,000 children currently hold the plans, but they are notoriously hard to acquire and parents often find themselves in a battle over their kids' education.
It's something Councillor Ted Birch, an independent member of Rushcliffe Borough Council, has repeatedly called for swift action on.
In December 2024, the councillor organised a petition calling for "immediate and decisive action on SEND services".
"These plans may do some good, but they won't solve the fundamental problem of the systemically flawed and broken system," Cllr Birch told Nottinghamshire Live.
"It's granting money for buildings and extra places in schools and whilst some of the kids will be suited to a mainstream school environment, there's a lot of kids with invisible disabilities, such as autism and neurodivergent people.
"Are they suited to mainstream education? So much of the cost is transport - there are people in North Notts going to Hinckley in Leicestershire in a taxi. You're looking at £20,000 [$27K] for one child alone. . . .
Comments