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Every week parents tell me of statements which have been made to them by certain local authority and in some cases school staff which conflict with the law. I also see such statements made by certain staff myself within emails, or hear them being stated directly within meetings. The question is why. Why does this happen? Why does it keep on happening? I think about this daily, and, logically, there can only be two possible explanations. One, the staff concerned know that what they are saying is not true. Or two, the staff concerned actually believe that what they are saying is fact. Though the latter is obviously better than the former, this is totally unacceptable. As I have always said, in my view there needs to be far greater training around SEN and general education law for all staff who work with or for children in any capacity. There also needs to be quick and easily accessible routes of accountability; not only do these things happen, but they seem to happen repeatedly. This year I will again do my best to bring about change. Best wishes to you all, Chris.

So many parents contact me stating that they have been told words to the effect of 'you can't pick and choose what goes into an EHCP'. Whilst we all understand this, it seems that many local authority's seem to think however that it is ok for staff who have never met or assessed a child, and indeed staff who are not qualified to do so, are somehow qualified to make these decisions. Staff who are not CAMHS or other medical professionals, Educational nor Clinical Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists nor Occupational Therapists, take it upon themselves to choose what content goes into an EHCP and what is removed. Where is the logic in this? In my opinion, far greater training is needed around SEN and general education law for all staff who work with or for children in any capacity. There also needs to be quick and easily accessible routes of accountability; not only do these things happen, but they seem to happen repeatedly. Stay strong and stick to what is right. Chris.

As we enter a new year I hope that this is an easier one for parents to secure the educational support to which your children are entitled to. It is such a shame that navigating a system which is surely designed to support children is such a challenge for so many families . Things need to change for you and your children. The barriers which present themselves need to be removed. The stress that the actions and words of certain staff cause is, in my opinion, unacceptable, avoidable and inexcusable. I have visited Downing Street twice in an attempt to make the system better for you all. This year I will be working on more ways to try to help fix what I believe is a broken system. I will continue to support families as much as possible this year. Stay strong, Chris.