EXPERIENCES of Barnsley parents whose children have special educational needs are being fed into a national inquiry by a local MP.
Marie Tidball, who represents Penistone and Stocksbridge, heard the stories and potential solutions from over 40 constituents at St John’s Church in Penistone during a recent drop-in session.
The inquiry is being held by the Education Select Committee, of which the MP is a member, and is currently open for evidence submissions.
Marie will be drawing up a report based on the problems and solutions discussed at the event, which will then be submitted to the inquiry as evidence on behalf of Penistone and Stocksbridge constituents.
She said: “I’m so grateful to all the constituents who came to our meeting, to share their experiences of barriers in the system for SEND children and young people, and their ideas about solving the SEND crisis.
“As a former SEND statemented child myself, and now as a member of the Education Select Committee, I am determined to drive through improvements to SEND education.
“Having the input of young people, parents, carers, teachers and school support staff is crucial if we are going to get this right, and the local input was extremely helpful.”
Thousands of pupils are to benefit from a £740m cash injection the government has put in place.
This, ministers say, will pave the way for more pupils with SEND to thrive as part of long-term plans for reform to help more pupils with SEND to have their needs met in mainstream school.
The commitment comes after it was revealed that only 20 per cent of Barnsley pupils with SEND met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage Two level, sparking fears that vulnerable children are falling behind.
“I welcome the government’s £740m cash injection which will benefit thousands of pupils and pave the way for more pupils with SEND to achieve and thrive,” Marie added.
“Fixing this requires listening to the SEND young people and their parents to ensure they have a strong voice in achieving the solutions we need.”
