Three out of four parents of children with special educational needs

Three out of four parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have been forced to give up work, or cut their hours, Sky News has learned.

In a survey of more than 500 people, two out of five (40%) had to leave their jobs, and more than one in three (33%) reduced their hours.

Most said it was because there was a lack of local authority help, and a large proportion blamed not enough school support.

Some also said it was down to a lack of flexibility from their employer.

The survey, specially commissioned by Sky News with the charity Support Send Kids, found that mostly women were affected.

Abigail Bates had to give up her job when she found that the nursery her daughter Harriet was in “couldn’t meet her needs”.

Harriet, who is two years old, has autism, global development delay, and sensory processing disorder.

Abigail said leaving her job has affected her family financially but “…with nurseries not having the knowledge or training in special educational needs I can’t work”.

“That leaves me with no choice but to meet her needs myself.”

She adds that it would be “lovely” to go to work which would be “a break in itself” but without the support available children are being “failed by the system”.

The number of special schools in England does not meet the rising demand of children with special educational needs and disabilities.

It means often children have to attend mainstream schools on reduced timetables, while others are waiting months, sometimes years, for special school places.

Harriet has been offered a special school place but it is only for three hours a day.

“Where can I get a job that’s going to take me for less than three hours because I have to go pick her up again?” she asks.

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