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(UK) Solihull: Parents 'forced' to homeschool disabled kids; council protest held

April 6, 2022, Birmingham Mail: Mums protest outside Solihull council house against 'forced' home schooling https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/mums-protest-outside-solihull-council-23616772

Central England Chants of " Solihull Council, shame on you" could be heard as mums and children marched through the town centre in protest against what they describe as "forced" home education. Members of the North Solihull Additional Needs Support Group (NSANSG) descended on the council house on Tuesday afternoon with banners showing phrases like 'my child is not just a number'. The parents say their children are being "failed" by the local authority, as their special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are not being met in mainstream schools. Some feel they have been left with no choice but to pull their children out of school entirely. Group founder Sajida Golby says the "north/south divide" in Solihull means children in less wealthy areas like Chelmsley Wood aren't receiving the same level of support. She said: "Figures show there were 302 children being electively home educated as of December 2021, but we know from speaking to parents that many of them have only chosen this path because they feel they have no other choice…. "In some cases, the council is refusing to assess these children and parents are having to go to mediation to get an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) that accurately represents their child's needs. Children in the north of the borough have a 15-year difference in life expectancy compared to a child in the south of the borough - that is shocking. "It shouldn't be the case that a parent who can afford to pay between £1,000 and £4,000 for an occupational therapy report, an ADHD assessment or an autism assessment will get their child's needs met, but parents of a child in the north of the borough who are having to turn to foodbanks to feed their children, will not have their child's needs met. There is a massive north/south divide. … NSANSG, which represents over 1,300 parents and carers in Solihull, has written an eight-page letter to Solihull Council detailing its alleged failings and calling for better collaboration with SEND parents from all backgrounds to help improve services. A Solihull Council spokesperson said: "The council understands the North Solihull Additional Needs Support Group’s frustration with the SEND system as it is. These issues are being faced by children with SEND, and their families across the country - but we are working hard with parents in Solihull to make the changes we can locally. "It is clear that national change is needed and the Government’s recently announced SEND Review green paper 'Right Support, Right Place, Right Time' is seeking to address this. The majority of children with identified SEND needs are supported in school successfully but those with more complex needs are likely to need an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). "The number of children with an EHCP continues to increase at a national and local level, with 3.4 per cent of all children and young people in Solihull now receiving that level of support. The council has responded by investing £12.5m [$16.4] into children’s services this year and increasing special school capacity by 19 per cent in the past five years.

Parents from the North Solihull Additional Needs Support Group staged a protest outside Solihull council house on Tuesday, April 5

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