Fight for Ordinary: A Fairer Future for Children with SEND

The Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP), a coalition of over 130 organisations including Together Trust, has launched the Fight for Ordinary campaign, setting out five essential reforms to fix the broken special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in England.  

At the heart of this campaign is a simple but powerful message: children with SEND and their families want the same ordinary things as everyone else - a school where they feel they belong, the opportunity to make friends, timely health and care support, and for parents, the ability to work and enjoy family life without constant battles for basic support.  

Reform to the system is welcome and long overdue. Many children and their families face long waiting lists, inaccessible services and the stress of constant disputes to secure the support they are entitled to.

The Fight for Ordinary report highlights that one in three parents has had to stop working to care for their disabled child, and too many families are pushed into crisis before any help is provided. 

The DCP’s Five-Point Plan for Reform: 

1. Legally guaranteed support for all children who need it  

Every child should receive help based on need, not a formal diagnosis. Current SEND support should be put on a statutory footing, with clear duties on nurseries, schools, colleges, and councils to act early and consistently.  

2. Nurseries, schools and colleges set up to succeed  

All education settings should be equipped with the training, tools and access to specialist advice needed to support children with SEND. These changes must include high-quality initial and ongoing staff training, inclusive school policies, and stronger accountability through Ofsted.  

3. Every local area must have an inclusion plan  

Local authorities and NHS bodies should co-produce robust plans with families and children, setting out how they will deliver the right mix of placements, therapy services and support professionals like educational psychologists and speech and language therapists.  

4. Progress and experiences must be measured  

To ensure no child is left behind, schools must track the achievements and experiences of children with SEND and be held to account for closing the gap in outcomes compared with their peers.  

5. Funding and incentives that make the system work  

The reforms must be backed by long-term funding and the right financial incentives to support early intervention. Investing in support from the start is far more effective and economical than funding legal disputes or crisis intervention later.  

The report also makes clear what must not happen: existing rights must not be weakened, the SEND Tribunals must remain as a vital safeguard, and children must not be forced to wait until they fail before getting help.  

The Disabled Children’s Partnership is calling on the Government to act now and deliver a truly inclusive education system where disabled children can thrive. That is why we are proud to be part of the Disabled Children’s Partnership and why this campaign matters so deeply to us. With the Government promising reform, now is the time to act.   

Without urgent and meaningful change, families will continue to be failed by a system that should be protecting and empowering them.

We will keep pushing until every child with SEND gets the support, respect and opportunity they deserve.    

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