Summary

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This article discusses suicide, and the preventable deaths of children and young people with SEND.

The government’s consultation on the latest SEND proposals closed on the 18th of May 2026, and families are still waiting for clarity on some of the most critical issues in SEND support. Changes to the system for Education Health Care Plans (EHCPs) are being explored but the outcome is still unclear, while the future of EOTAS packages remain entirely unaddressed in official communications. Parents continue to sit in limbo, many caring for children who cannot attend school at all. All the while, the Department for Education has been releasing upbeat promotional videos featuring Gemma Collins. For families fighting for basic provision, these glossy clips have landed as tone‑deaf and completely disconnected from the crisis unfolding in real time.

This contrast between polished comms and the distressing reality so many SEND families are facing, highlights a system where presentation is being prioritised over the lives and wellbeing of children. The system is not simply under pressure; it is buckling, and the consequences are becoming too severe to ignore

A System Buckling Under Its Own Weight

Every week brings new evidence of a system overwhelmed. Local authorities are missing statutory deadlines, schools are stretched to breaking point, and families are being pushed into legal battles they never wanted. The tribunal statistics alone reveal the scale of dysfunction: families win 98% of EHCP tribunals. That number is not an anomaly; it is a pattern of unlawful refusals.

Chris Coghlan MP described the reality with devastating clarity:

“The councils are betting that they can save money because the families are too exhausted to take them to tribunal. Children are killing themselves as a result.”

When council officers are relying on parental exhaustion as a financial strategy, the crisis is no longer administrative. It becomes a moral crisis. Families have been battling far too long, without proper support, what we are seeing now is a safeguarding emergency:

“When a council officer commits misconduct that results in an avoidable death, why are they not criminally prosecuted?”

“Left to rot”: The Human Cost Behind the Statistics

In Parliament, Chris Coghlan MP shared a story that should have triggered national outrage:

“One month ago an SEN Dad messaged me on Facebook about his autistic son who’d been out of school for 7 years, his tribunal delayed 3 times. He said, that his son will now be out of education and employment for the rest of his life, and he said that his son ‘had been left to rot by his local authority and the NHS’”

Coghlan reached out, connected him with his local MP and offered avenues for support. But two weeks later, a second message arrived. The message read:

“My son is very unwell, and I can no longer carry on. I’m mentally and physically exhausted and I’m electing to end my life. I intend to find peace. I simply can’t continue and I refuse to see my son deteriorate further. There’ll be no one to care for him so now the NHS will have to care for my son”

Coghlan continued:

“We called 999 immediately and emergency services sent an ambulance. We’ve seen too many families like this. I presented to the government and published in The Times evidence that hundreds of SEND children are avoidably killing themselves due to public authority negligence”

And then the line that should be echoing through every department involved in SEND:

“Family after family has testified to me that the legal rights that the government is seeking to reduce can be the difference between life and death.”

“Children as young as 11 are dying by suicide”

Sharren Bridges, who lost her daughter Jen after years of being denied assessments and support, described a battle that began when her daughter was five:

“I’d been battling for help since she was 5 because I suspected she had ADHD and autism, and I was rejected every time”

After a SEND consultation meeting with the Schools Minister Georgia Gould, in Surrey she said:

“They are listening, but I’m not convinced they are hearing”

Sharren’s daughter Jen committed suicide at age 17, after being denied the proper mental health and educational support she clearly needed. Sharren added that:

“She’s not the only child. Children as young as 11 are dying by suicide”

These are preventable deaths. They are not tragic anomalies. They are the predictable outcome of a system that delays, denies, and deflects until families reach breaking point.

“Are families genuinely being listened to… or are they simply being managed?”

Chrissa Wadlow, Founding Director of Sunshine Support, captured the growing frustration around the government’s SEND consultation events:

“These SEND consultation events by Bridget Phillipson/MPs are starting to feel more like publicity exercises than genuine listening exercises.”

Parents arrive with urgent questions about tribunals, accountability, and their children’s futures. Instead, they hear:

‘I’ll take that away.’

‘I’ll reflect on that.’

‘We’re listening.’

Wadlow asks:

“But are families actually FEELING heard?”

She highlights the contradiction at the heart of the process:

“One of the biggest concerns raised yesterday was accessibility. SEND families are repeatedly being told this reform is about inclusion, yet some parents struggled to even access the consultation process itself. Emails around accessibility reportedly went unanswered. Events didn’t feel welcoming or manageable for many families already overwhelmed, burnt out and trying to survive day to day life.”

“You cannot lead on inclusivity whilst creating processes that many SEND families cannot meaningfully access!”

And she warns that the culture of quiet compliance is returning:

“What also struck me yesterday was how familiar all of this feels. Back during the 2014 SEND reforms, I remember attending local meetings where the message being pushed to parents by parent carer forums and charities funded to support EHCP conversions was essentially:

‘Don’t fight.’

‘Maintain relationships.’

‘Manage expectations.’

Even if that meant falling short of what children were legally entitled to. And now, all these years later, many families are saying the same thing again:

‘We don’t feel safe to disagree.’”

Her final question is the one the government must answer:

“Are families genuinely being listened to… or are they simply being managed?”

The King’s Speech: Promises of “Generational Reform”

The King’s Speech, delivered on the 13th of May 2026, set out the government’s most ambitious SEND agenda in over a decade. King Charles announced:

“A bill will be brought forward to raise standards in schools and introduce generational reforms of the special educational needs system.”

He also stated that the government believes:

“Every child deserves the chance to succeed to the best of his or her ability and not be held back due to poverty, special educational needs or a lack of respect for vocational education”.

Later that evening, the government expanded on what these reforms are intended to deliver:

“Transform the school system so that all children get access to an inclusive, high-quality mainstream education, and parents don’t have to battle a system just to get their kids the support they deserve.”

What the King’s Speech means in practice

While the King’s Speech sets out an ambitious vision, the reality behind the reforms is far more complex. The government has confirmed that EHCPs will remain, but the wider SEND system will undergo significant restructuring including new national inclusion standards, a redesigned national template for EHCPs, and statutory support plans for pupils who do not meet the threshold for an EHCP in the new tiered system.

Ministers have also signalled a shift toward a more “mainstream‑first” approach, with an expectation that more children will be supported in mainstream settings rather than specialist schools. This aligns with Labour’s wider education agenda, but it has raised concerns among parents who fear that inclusion rhetoric may be used to justify reducing access to specialist placements. The reforms also introduce regional SEND partnerships, intended to coordinate provision and reduce the postcode lottery, yet families worry this could centralise decisionmaking even further away from the children it affects. Crucially, despite repeated calls from parents, professionals and advocacy groups, the government has still offered no clarity on EOTAS, a silence that feels increasingly deliberate to families whose children cannot attend school at all.

What Needs to Happen Now

Reform must confront the structural issues that have allowed this crisis to deepen:

• Accountability that cannot be diluted
• Funding that reflects real need
• Oversight that prevents unlawful decision‑making
• Accessible processes for families already in crisis

Anything less will leave children at risk.

Standing With Families Every Day

At SEND Tutoring, we work with families who are living this reality daily. We see the exhaustion, the determination, and the fierce love that keeps parents fighting long after the system has given up on them.

We stand with the families who are speaking out.

We stand with the professionals raising alarms.

We stand with the young people who deserve better than this.

We will continue to speak out against the injustice happening right now. If you are reading this, your voice matters. Write to your MP. Share your story. Support other families. Keep speaking out, even when the system tries to wear you down.

Change has never come from silence.

Support 

If anything in this article feels heavy or brings up difficult emotions, reaching out to someone you trust can make a real difference. You might speak with a friend, family member, colleague, or another supportive person in your life. Professional support can also be grounding if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

For confidential, non‑judgemental listening, Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year:

• Phone: 116 123
• Website: samaritans.org

If you feel unable to keep yourself safe or are in immediate danger, please contact emergency services right away. You deserve support, and you do not have to navigate these feelings alone.

Support for Every Learner
Discover how SEND Tutoring supports students with a wide range of needs, including autism, dyslexia, PDA, SEMH, epilepsy, and more. 

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Ella Jones

If you’re looking for support for a child or young person with special educational needs or a disability, book a free call with us today and find out how we can help.