Parents protest over inadequate SEN provision in Somerset

Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) protested outside Somerset County Hall on Wednesday, accusing the council of failing in its legal duty to provide adequate education for their children. The demonstration highlighted ongoing frustrations with the local authority, which has been placed into special measures by the government due to its fragile finances.

Among the protesters was Charlie, a mother from Minehead whose nine-year-old son Sullivan has autism and ADHD. Sullivan was suspended five times from mainstream school between January and March last year. He has been attending a therapy farm in Tiverton for over a year, which has transformed his behaviour, but that placement is temporary. For the second September in a row, Sullivan has no named school. Charlie said: "We feel she's being discriminated against because she has special educational needs." Another parent added: "There's hundreds of us, people who couldn't make it today, who are absolutely sick of being fobbed off."

Somerset Council acknowledged the pressures. A spokesperson said the authority has seen a "massive increase" in applications for education, health and care (EHC) plans. The council has put an additional £5.7 million into the service and introduced surge capacity to try to get transfer places sorted for September. However, the spokesperson admitted: "We're aware that we are disappointing some parents and we truly apologise."

The council declared a financial emergency three years ago, and the government announced on Tuesday that it would closely supervise the authority, citing weak finances and financial management. The council argues that relying on council tax to fund expensive services like SEND and social care is not workable.

In February, the government announced SEND reforms aimed at keeping more children with special needs in mainstream schools to boost inclusion and control spiralling costs. The Department for Education told ITV News that special schools will continue to play a "vital role" in the new system and that it is investing £3.7 billion to create 60,000 specialist places. But for families like Charlie's, the immediate future remains uncertain. As thousands of children begin their summer holidays, some still do not know where they will be going to school in September.