Let Us Learn Too

28/09/2026

Pleased to have attended the Education for All event at conference today.

It was really positive to hear so many different parts of the sector focused on the same goal: making sure every child feels included and, importantly, is genuinely included in their education.

It was also good to see the Schools Minister there, listening to the discussion. Hopefully, that engagement will translate into meaningful change for children and families.

07/09/2026

I have to say I really dislike the headline and framing of this article.

It talks about families “rushing” to secure SEND support before reforms are introduced, and once again we seem to be drifting towards a narrative in which parents are somehow responsible for the increasing number of EHCPs.

But there is a pretty important fact missing from that narrative.

According to the Government’s own latest figures, 55.8% of requests for EHC needs assessments come from schools and other educational settings. Only 29.3% come from parents and young people.

So why are we talking about parents rushing to secure support?

Surely the much bigger question is why so many SCHOOLS are reaching the conclusion that children need statutory assessment and support?

I’m also becoming increasingly uncomfortable with autism, ADHD and speech, language and communication needs continually being singled out when we talk about increasing SEND numbers and costs.

We need to be really careful about where this narrative takes us.

Children with these needs have not suddenly appeared. Schools and families are not creating autism or ADHD by asking for an assessment. If more children are being identified and more schools are saying they cannot meet their needs within existing resources, then perhaps we should be looking at why the system has failed to plan and provide for them.

And this is precisely why so many parents are terrified about local authorities potentially being given greater powers within a reformed SEND system.

When we hear authorities talking about rising numbers, rising costs and particular groups of children driving demand, while at the same time discussing giving those authorities greater control over access to statutory support, of course families are nervous.

The answer to a system struggling to meet children’s needs cannot simply be to make it harder for those children to demonstrate that the needs exist.

We need to stop asking why so many parents are seeking support and start asking why so many schools are saying they need it.

05/09/2026

I was really pleased to be invited to the parliamentary drop in earlier this week which was hosted by

Throughout all the discussions around SEND reform, one thing I keep coming back to is that ultimately, this is about children and young people. Their lives, their opportunities and their futures.

That’s why it was so brilliant to see autistic young people being given the opportunity to speak directly to MPs and the Minister about their own experiences and what they need.

This is a really worrying and uncertain time for so many in the SEND community. The changes being considered could have a huge impact on children, young people and their families.

I just hope that, as decisions are made, the Government never loses sight of the difference that getting the right support at the right time can make.

We know what children and young people can achieve when they are properly supported. That has to be at the heart of SEND reform. 💙

SENDCommunity AdditionalNeeds

04/09/2026

📣 NEW INTERVIEW: Why are SEND families still having to fight for support?

I recently sat down with SOS SEN to talk about the SEND system, why so many families are still being forced to fight for the support their children need, and what I believe needs to change.

We talked about:

• Why SEND Tribunal appeals have effectively become a routine part of accessing support for far too many families
• The lack of meaningful accountability when local authorities get decisions wrong
• The culture of parent-blaming and the assumption that families asking for support are somehow asking for “too much”
• Why the school environment itself — noise, class sizes, sensory demands and transitions — needs far greater consideration
• Why parents must be equal partners in decisions about their children
• And the reforms I believe could make the biggest difference.

One point in particular sums up why I continue to campaign:

A child’s future should never depend on how confident, knowledgeable or persistent their parents are.

There is a real opportunity to improve SEND, but reform will only work if we are prepared to be honest about what has gone wrong and build proper accountability into what comes next.

A huge thank you to SOS!SEN for giving me the opportunity to have such an open and detailed conversation, and for everything they do to help families navigate this incredibly difficult system.

You can read the full interview here 👇
https://sosspecialeducationalneeds.blogspot.com/2026/09/let-us-learn-too-hayley-harding-on.html?m=1

Insights, information and inspiration from SOS! Special Educational Needs. A charity helping you secure the right SEN provision for your child. www.sossen.org.uk

10/08/2026

NAMES, NOT NUMBERS.

Today we’re launching our Names, Not Numbers campaign.

For years, families of children with SEND have been left fighting for support that should have been available to them without a battle.

We’ve been told our children’s needs aren’t serious enough, support wasn’t available, what we were asking for wasn’t possible under the law only later to discover what we were told was simply wrong.

These experiences are not isolated. They have been repeatedly experienced by families across the country, year after year.

That is why we are asking Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Local Government to formally acknowledge what SEND families have experienced and apologise on behalf of local authorities for the way we have been treated.

An apology won't fix the SEND system. But accountability has to start with acknowledging what has happened.

As the Government considers major reforms to SEND, we cannot allow the same culture and practices to continue under a new system.

Please watch. Please share. And please sign our petition.

Every signature is another family saying:

We were here.
We experienced this.
We will not be reduced to a number.

We are names, not numbers.

🔗 Sign the petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/776045

19/07/2026

A really interesting piece published by the Connie Dimsdale The i Paper this afternoon.

A lot of people have asked me what I think will happen now that we have a new Prime Minister. The truth is, none of us really knows.

What I do believe is that the overall message of this article is broadly right. The current SEND system isn’t sustainable, and if we want it to work for children and families in the future, change is inevitable - though these changes must be right.

That said, one thing I’ve seen through my involvement in a number of groups is that the Department for Education has genuinely wanted to hear parents’ perspectives. I’ve seen concerns raised by families influence discussions and, in some cases, change the direction of proposals.

Whether that continues if both the Secretary of State and Schools Minister change remains to be seen. But what I do know is that parents’ fears have been heard, and I hope that means the proposals first published in January will continue to evolve and improve before any final decisions are made.

The next few months are likely to be incredibly important for the future of SEND.