(UK) Suffolk: SHOE PROTESTS IN 94 PLACES ACROSS UK; 200 more places in Suffolk
- The end of childhood
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Nov 3, 2025, Suffolk News: Special needs system 'designed for you to fail', West Suffolk parents say at campaign launch in Bury St Edmunds
The special needs system is 'designed for you to fail', parents have said at a campaign launch.
The national campaign, Every Pair Tells a Story, kicked off this morning to raise awareness about children who have been failed by the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.
Led by The SEND Sanctuary UK, the event held at West Suffolk House, in Western Way, Bury St Edmunds, saw several parents lay down pairs of shoes, each representing a child.
It was one of 94 happening outside council offices across the UK.
Ella Trainor, a volunteer from Red Lodge, said: "We're trying to shine a light on the number of children with SEND that have been failed by the system. , , ,
A key issue, she said, was ensuring there were enough specialist placements in schools to accommodate the varied needs of children.
Ms Trainor said the lack of adequate placements led to children like her own five-year-old son becoming a 'corridor kid' at mainstream school, despite the schools' best efforts to accommodate him with the resources they have.
"He struggles to focus and finds the classroom environment and being around other children overwhelming, which causes him to become dysregulated."
Suffolk County Council, which delivers SEND services in partnership with health and education settings, promised to deliver 200 new places by September 2026, with 100 of those delivered for this year's student intake.
A spokesperson said: “The fact that this protest is happening across the country today demonstrates that this is a national issue.
"Nevertheless, in Suffolk, SEND reform remains our number one priority and small improvements are being felt by families.". . .
A mother from Great Barton, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "You have to fight for absolutely everything, and you have to be really strong, because [the system] is designed for you to fail."
Several parents told their stories of struggling with the SEND system. Picture: Joao Santos
Rev Benjamin Edwards, vicar of Great Barton and Thurston, said the system needed to be streamlined and less combative after his son struggled with it. . . .
In Suffolk, the county council had delivered 10,625 EHCPs as of March, 2,289 more than the previous year.
Nicola Proctor, a mother from Bury St Edmunds, said her boy, now 12 years old, was still suffering from his time in a mainstream school, where he attended for 45 minutes a day, in a separate room by himself.
"I had to fight daily on the phone, every single day, to have the right provision.. . .
The Government announced two weeks ago it would delay long-awaited reforms to the system to allow for a period of co-creation with parents, educators, experts and other organisations.
The reforms were expected this autumn but are now scheduled for early 2026.
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