Merseyside Send Support Network

26/03/2026

26/03/2026

🏊 Children and young people can access free swimming at Volair centres during the Easter holidays.

🗓️ Under 16s can access free swimming during public swimming times from Saturday 28 March up to Sunday 12 April.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Children under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult.

Follow the link in the comments to find out more!

26/03/2026

🚨 Support this important petition 🚨

We’re backing the call to issue clear guidance on how specialist disability buggies are treated on public transport. Too many families are still being refused access or challenged simply because their child’s mobility aid isn’t recognised as a “wheelchair”.

Right now, the system isn’t clear. While buses are required to support disabled passengers and provide wheelchair access, the law and guidance mainly focus on wheelchairs — leaving families who rely on disability buggies in a grey area

This lack of clarity leads to real harm. Families report being turned away, missing appointments, and facing distressing and discriminatory treatment — even when buses have space

👉 This petition matters because it calls for:
• Clear national guidance for transport providers
• Recognition of disability buggies as essential mobility aids
• Consistent, fair treatment for disabled children and their families

This is about access, dignity, and equal rights. No child should be left at the bus stop because their disability doesn’t “look right” to a driver.

Public transport must work for all disabled people — not just those who fit a narrow definition.

✍️ Sign and share: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/762044

Government to issue national guidance on how specialist disability buggies used as essential mobility aids must be handled on public transport, including mandatory staff training and consistent policy across operators. There should be no difference in priority between these aids and wheelchairs.

26/03/2026

26/03/2026

They say
“We can’t evidence what we don’t see” 👀

And on the surface… that feels reasonable

But here’s what’s missing 👇

When a child is masking, what you see in school
is not the full picture

It’s the performance 🎭
Not the cost

Masking means a child is:

Holding it together all day 🤝
Meeting expectations at a personal cost 📉
Suppressing anxiety, overwhelm, or distress 😣

So of course school may see
“fine”

But home sees:

The collapse 💥
The exhaustion 😴
The emotional fallout 😔

And the law is clear ⚖️

A child’s needs are not defined by what is visible in school alone

They must be understood across
home 🏡
school 🏫
and the wider picture 🌍

That difference between environments?

That is not a contradiction
That is evidence 📊

So no
this is not about blaming schools

It’s about shifting the question from

“We can’t see it”

to

“What are we missing?” 🔍

Because a child who can only cope by masking
is still a child whose needs are not fully met 💔

If this resonates, you’re not alone 🤍
and you’re not wrong for questioning it

You’re seeing what the system often misses

And that matters more than anything 💛

26/03/2026

Please sign our children’s voices, deserve to be heard regarding changes to their rights and education x

I believe decisions about children should include children. I want the Government to ask the Children’s Commissioner to consult children on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, and pause the Bill until the consultation finishes, including on data privacy & protecting the home as a safe spa...

26/03/2026

No one tells you how heavy the waiting feels…

Waiting for the words that will define your child.

Appointments get booked… and then delayed.
Weeks turn into months.

You check your phone.
Nothing.

“Any news?” family ask.
You smile. “Not yet.”

You could chase. You could ask where things stand.

But this isn’t just a report.

It’s something that will follow your child.
Into classrooms.
Into decisions.
Into how people understand them.

A document that doesn’t just describe…
it shapes.

So you wait.

Trying to get the tone right.

Not too pushy.
Not too quiet.

Polite enough to be heard.
Firm enough to be taken seriously.

You find yourself rewriting the same message over and over.

Do I text?
Do I email?
Do I call?

Each one feels like it matters.

Because once it’s written… it’s written.

And the people writing it?
They’re used to this.

But for you… this is your child.

And every delay feels a little heavier than the last.

💬 If you’ve been here… you’ll understand.

26/03/2026

The Disabled Children's Partnership is deeply concerned at reports that the government has decided to reduce tribunal rights without consulting families.

Lawyers proposing a judicial review on behalf of a vulnerable disabled child, have shared that the Department for Education has responded indicating there is no duty to consult on elements of the Government’s SEND reforms, including powers of the tribunal, in part because decisions have been made. (link in comments)

As we set out in our Fight For Ordinary Report, the role of the tribunal is vital, both as a final measure where all else has failed, or where families can see it is the only route to resolution, so that all children receive the education they are entitled to.

We have always strongly, clearly and publicly opposed reduction of the tribunal’s powers. Changes of this nature were never discussed with us prior to the publication of the Schools White Paper.

If Government expects families and young people to participate in its consultation, the process must be transparent and genuine. What parents say must shape the draft law that will be presented to Parliament. Trust between families and authorities is shattered. As our research shows, over half (57%) of parents feel they have been lied to by authorities legally responsible for supporting their children. We have made clear these reforms will stand or fall on whether that trust is rebuilt.

We have contacted the government for clarification on their position and have been told that nothing is determined on SEND reform until legislation is introduced, which will then be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny. They said that they are consulting widely on the reform and want to hear from parents and young people about their proposals.

We will continue to make our position clear that the tribunal powers must not be diluted. We will always fight together for families to achieve the ordinary things like an education, health support and a life that others can take for granted.

26/03/2026

Ipsea have released this briefing for Send Parents to send to their local MP, it highlights the concerns with the send reform white paper. Please have a read and contact your MP regarding the impact, these changes will have on Send Children ❤️

Read our briefing to MPs explaining how the Government’s proposals for SEND reform could affect the existing legal rights of children and young people with SEND

25/03/2026

In 2024–25, almost 14,000 SEND appeals actually made it all the way to a full tribunal hearing — and local authorities managed to successfully defend their original decision in just 149 cases.

That’s a “win rate” of 1.1%, the lowest ever recorded.

Yet taxpayers still footed the bill to the tune of over £200 million in a single academic year, and more than £800 million since 2014, to keep fighting cases they overwhelmingly lose 💸

Meanwhile, families are dragged through a process that routinely lasts months (sometimes over a year), causes enormous stress 😞, and often ends with the LA conceding at the very last moment.

So we have nearly 25,000 SEND appeals, LAs winning almost none of them, eye-watering public spending, and an unmeasured but very real human cost to children and parents — all in a system that somehow keeps pretending this is fine 🤷‍♀️🔥

Thanks to Special Needs Jungle for highlighting these stats.