A Nottingham mum and her son will be taking part in a strike for better support and funding for children with additional needs and disabilities. The not for profit organisation Sunshine Support, based in Derby, is leading a national campaign for youngsters to go on ‘strike’ from their educational provision in the wake of strikes planned for teachers.
The organization, which helps children with special educational needs and disabilities and their families, is taking a stand against the education system and striking on June 9, 2023, encouraging families and their children to strike with them. The group is striking for more funding which will help ensure children get the support they need in regards to their education and that staff are given appropriate training.
Racheal Wilkinson, 51, and her son Jack, 15, will be taking part in the strike after years of frustration with the current system. Racheal said: "We are calling for the government to improve funding for special educational needs and disabilities, and that includes professional education on school avoidance.
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"Once your child struggles with going to school, which can be for many reasons, the professionals that work around that child they don't have any knowledge and don't understand why the child is struggling to attend, as it's not the child doesn't want to go to school it's that they can't. They might be in a school where their needs are not being met.
"That's why the government needs to improve funding for special educational needs and disabilities as unless that is improved and children are being supported correctly and understood, then the actual issue of school avoidance is just going to continue. My son struggled with school attendance since he started school at the age of five and we had a massive fight all along since then until now to get him an Education Health Care Plan, which is what you need if your child has got special educational needs."
She added: "That's the legal document that ensures that they get their needs met and if your child needs to go to a specialist provision you also need the ECHP for that." Racheal described the process to get an ECHP as "extremely hard" and explained it is something she started when her son was six, and he only received it last year when he was 14.
Now Jack is 15 years old and has finally been able to attend a specialist provision in Rainworth. Rachel said children in the wrong school setting can develop trauma from the situation, with her son personally struggling with the vast numbers of students in his former school and how it didn't understand why he struggled to go some days.
Rachael also recalled a horrible experience with a truancy officer telling her son that his parents will go to jail if he does not go to school, which has a lasting impact on him as he tried to stay awake all night so he didn't miss school. Rachael explained that at his former school he could only manage to go one or two days a week, but now he is going to his new school every day of the week.
She added: "When I see him walking into school happy and walking out happy, although that is amazing and makes me feel so good it also makes me sad as he was entitled to that years ago."
Regarding the ECHP, Rachael said she went to her local MP Lilian Greenwood for support, who helped her get an ECHP for Jack after years of trying and applying to Nottingham City Council. She stated: "I'm extremely grateful for Lilian's support."
Speaking of the situation, Lilian said: "The current system to support special needs and disabled (SEND) children is not working, despite the hard work of staff in our children's services, the NHS and schools. Whilst I am very happy to have helped Rachael finally secure the support Jack needed, it took far too long and there are many more families facing an uphill challenge to access the support their children deserve.
"EHCPs are being delayed for months and vulnerable children are still stuck on waiting lists for services from occupational therapy, to speech and language services."
Founder of Sunshine Support, Chrissa Wadlow, says the current education system is "not fit for purpose" and organised the strike to spread awareness that education needs to become more accessible to all students. Chrissa said that whilst she is fully behind teachers striking, but children need to have their voices heard too.
She said: "We are fully in support of the NEU’s decision to strike to improve working conditions and funding for teachers. If teachers are content and have their needs met then there is a better chance our children’s needs are met, too.
"Teachers are having their voice heard and we stand by them. It’s also time our children had their voices heard; they want to learn, too.”
She continued: "Children who struggle to attend school are either being forced into environments that are not meeting their needs – under the threat to prosecute their parents – or they’re not being educated at all. We need to make our children visible. We need to bring about change."
Nottingham City Council was contacted for comment.
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