Joe Morris, Labour’s candidate for the Hexham constituency at the next election has pledged to champion children with SEND and their families should he win the seat.
Morris said:
“After 14 years of Conservative governments, the system of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities is at breaking point. Attainment of children with SEND has been going backwards and families are increasingly turning to courts to get the support they need. As Labour’s first MP for Hexham, I will champion children with SEND and work with their families to ensure their needs are heard in Westminster.
“We will put inclusion at the heart of our education system; working with parents, carers and children with additional needs to deliver the system they have rightly demanded, to enable every child and every young person to achieve and thrive. By joining up services and improving data use, Labour will identify children’s needs earlier, ensuring a better outcome for children, their families and our economy.
“We’ll ensure children’s right to receive their education and support in a mainstream school is upheld, if that is their family’s choice; while ensuring that specialist provision is available, and that schools are well equipped to support children, so all children and young people can receive the support they need set out in their Education Health and Care Plans and SEN Support entitlements.
“This will include ensuring teachers and support staff have the training they need and recognition they deserve, including in specialist SEND and alternative provision settings, and providing better consistency in conditions for staff and students.
“We need to end the battle for SEND support that so many families face and ensure schools are better equipped and designed to enable these children to thrive, alongside their peers. We will strengthen accountability arrangements to better support and empower parents, carers and children.
“For too long, families and carers of children with SEND have faced an uphill struggle to access the support they need. We need an MP who will fight every step of the way for them and ensure that every child is able to access a world class education.”
This article is based on a press release
