13/09/2026
I’ve never understood this. Maybe someone can explain it to me, because perhaps I’m missing something. Maybe there’s a point I’m not seeing, or maybe I’m just not as clever as I thought I was.
When support is finally put in place for our children and it works, why is there so often an automatic expectation that it has to be taken away?
Your child is struggling to attend, so adjustments are made. Maybe their school day is shortened. Maybe they have a quieter start, a reduced timetable, a less chaotic environment, a safe space, a trusted adult, or whatever else they need to help them get through the gates and through the day.
And then, slowly, something starts to change.
They’re getting through the door and they’re staying a little longer.
They’re beginning to settle.
They’re showing you signs that they’re actually starting to enjoy school.
And as a parent, you breathe that massive sigh of relief and think
“Oh my God. It’s working.”
The school has found something that helps. Your child is managing, their anxiety is reducing. They’re beginning to feel safe.
And then someone says those words…
“Yes, but in two weeks we have to take that support away.”
WHY? Seriously, why?
Who is being helped by removing something that is currently working?
Because the only person I can see being directly affected by that decision is the child.
If a child needs a particular adjustment to access education, and that adjustment is working, why wouldn’t we keep it in place?
Why does support so often come with an expiry date attached to it?
I understand that the long-term aim may be to increase attendance, independence or access where appropriate. But that should be based on the child’s actual presentation and readiness, not an arbitrary date on a calendar.
You don’t take the crutches away from someone because they’ve managed to walk further with them.
You don’t say, “You’ve managed three good days, so we’re taking away the thing that helped you manage those three days.”
So why do we do this with SEND children?
If the support is working, build on it.
If they’re thriving because of it, why is everyone else so desperate to remove it?
Because maintaining access to education shouldn’t be a punishment for finally managing to access it, I mean make it make sense?!
The only thing that needs an expiration date is the bloody trifle from Tesco’s.
Michaela x
