(UK) Poole: Mom of 2 with autism gets 90K signatures on petition for SPED rights

June 10, 2025, Bournemouth Daily Echo: Petition to 'fight for special needs children' reaches 90,000 people

S. England

A MOTHER from Poole has launched a national petition calling on the government to keep legal protections in place for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Rachel Filmer, 42, started the petition on October 9, 2024 after concerns were raised about possible changes to the Children and Families Act 2014.

The law currently gives children with SEND the right to an assessment and statutory support in education.

The current law requires local authorities to deliver exactly what each child’s EHCP specifies. The proposed change downgrades this to requiring only "reasonable endeavours" rather than an outright legal guarantee.

Rachel, who is mum to eight-year-old twin boys who are autistic and non-verbal, says she fears that changes to the law could leave many children without the help they need to thrive in school.

She said: “I think this could affect hundreds of thousands of families. If schools are expected to support children with significant needs but don’t have the resources, it impacts every pupil.”

"Families in BCP are really struggling. They're not getting the help they need already. Many of them are having to appeal and go to tribunal to get their children the right support. But at the moment, at least, the support that they need is, set out in the law."

She began campaigning around BCP last year after a report suggested removing some statutory support could be a solution to remove pressures in the SEND system.

Rachel has also set up two groups – the SEND Rights Alliance and the BCP Alliance for Children and Schools – to campaign for stronger support and rights for children with disabilities.

She said: “I started doing a lot of local campaigning last year around.

"A lot of the families I speak to, their children were out of education for a very long time, not able to attend school. And getting an EHCP is what has enabled them to go back to school and and for their families. It would also have a terrible impact on all schools all children in schools." 

The SEND Rights Alliance is a newly formed campaign and lobbying group, bringing together a wide range of organisations and individuals to defend the rights of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Rachel said: “I feel really pleased that people are taking this seriously and wanting to be heard and standing up for their children and for other children. But I'm also extremely sad because the stories that I hear are so devastating, and the fears that people have are so extreme.”

In response to the petition, the UK government said: “Government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right, tailored support to achieve and thrive in their education and as they move into adult life.”