with Rachel Filmer and Tee-Jay
The Save Our Children’s Rights coalition began with a parliamentary petition. That’s almost a year ago—and it had an incredible impact, changing the shape and timing of the Government’s SEND proposals.
Today, we’re announcing our support for a renewed petition, this time lodged by a young person who knows exactly why SEND rights must not be reduced.
The power of petitions
The first petition garnered an incredible 132k signatures, and the formation of the SOCR campaign. It led to a 90-MP stong Parliamentary debate in which MPs told the new Minister, Georgia Gould, not to dilute the legal rights of children and young people with SEND.
The expected Schools White Paper was delayed while faux-conversations were conducted. But when the White Paper finally came out in February, it seemed like little had changed, other than the depth of our rage.
Proposals activate young campaigner
The SEND proposals are so complex that even the DfE doesn’t properly understand them, their implications, or their unintended consequences. The consultation talks of “early, fair support” and “shared accountabilities,” but underneath the bluster lies the prospect of fewer enforceable rights, reduced access to EHCPs and less school choice.
One young man, 14-year-old Tee-Jay, himself the recipient of an EHCP, became fired up after watching Rachel’s videos about the proposals and decided to take action. Tee-Jay, who is autistic and attends a specialist school, quickly put in a parliamentary petition—even quicker than we did. As Tee-Jay’s has already won approval, we want to support him in getting it as far as it can go.
The Petition
Protect legal right to support for children with SEND
“I believe that the Government’s proposed SEND reforms could limit EHCPs, weaken legal rights, replace individual plans with packages, reduce appeals, and remove school choice. In my view, children could be left without the support they need as a result. More details
“I think the Government’s SEND reforms could limit EHCPs, weaken legal rights, raise thresholds, replace individual plans with generic packages, reduce appeal rights, remove school choice, and push children into inclusion zones without proper support. Many children rely on these rights to support every day, without them many could be left behind, struggling, unsupported, and unheard.”
Tee-Jay’s petition
A different kind of weight
A petition led by a young person directly affected by these proposals carries a different kind of weight. It forces people to confront what these reforms could mean in real lives, families, classrooms, and for their futures.
Tee-Jay is not your typical teenager. He is thoughtful, politically aware and determined. Non-verbal until the age of six, he had a stutter for years afterwards, spending his primary years in a mainstream school with insufficient, part-time, one-to-one support. He remembers feeling different and painfully aware that he was not like the other children around him.
That experience will be sadly familiar to many families. Their children with SEND’s experience of primary school was less of belonging and more of survival: trying to cope in environments that do not understand them, without the support they need, while adults talk endlessly about inclusion.
The government’s argument that things must change is not disputed. The current system is under strain, and too many children are still being failed. But fixing those strains does not have to include reducing the very rights many families rely on to ensure it works for their children.
Tee-Jay’s own story shows what is at stake.
After primary
Everything changed when Tee-Jay moved to a specialist school for secondary education. He says Year 7 was the first time he truly felt he belonged, and for the first time, he recognised he was not alone; there were other young people like him. The support enabled him to build confidence and be himself.
When he heard about the proposals, Tee-Jay realised they would have meant his own life might have looked very different. He may well not have fit into one of the proposed seven specialist categories, so would not have had an EHCP or been able to attend the specialist setting that changed his direction.
“I started campaigning and the petition because I saw the changes planned that will reduce our legal rights, and I couldn’t ignore what it might mean for real people. For me this isn’t just policy, it’s everyday life. I know what it feels like to need support and not always be able to explain that or not always be listened to. So when I saw the possibility that support could become harder to access, it really mattered to me. I’m not against change, but I believe any reform has to protect legal rights, not take them away. I wanted to make sure voices like mine and others who are often not heard enough, are part of the conversation.”
Tee-Jay
That is the heart of it. He knows that what politicians discuss as “reform” could, in practice, mean fewer chances for children like him to find safety, support and belonging.
More MPs MUST start backing their voters
We’ve seen Government missives directing MPs to tell the Secretary of State that families love the proposals. We’ve heard talk that MPs aren’t hearing as much from families as they expected, but this is likely because they are exhausted, ground down by how difficult everything is and how, despite ministerial engagement events, they don’t feel they are being listened to.
Nevertheless, last week’s evening SEND debate in the Commons showed some MPs are beginning to understand exactly what could be lost. Some of them, like Greg Stafford and Chris Coghlan, among others, have been listening to what families are actually saying.
Listen to young people
Too often, SEND debates happen around young people rather than with them. Adults speak for them, legislate for them, consult about them.
Tee-Jay’s petition is a reminder that children and young people with SEND are not passive recipients of policy initiatives. They’re current and future voters whose future depends on decisions MPs make. They are experts in what support means when it works, and what it costs when it does not.
Support from family and school
Tee-Jay’s mum, Tasha, glowed with pride when our team met them via Zoom. She is fully behind him, as are the staff at his school:
“Currently in Year 10, Tee-Jay is working diligently to balance his studies alongside his Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and his role as a SEND advocate. Tee-Jay has demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting other young people in accessing the help they need and shows a deep respect for children’s rights. He has recently contributed to local radio and is actively raising awareness through his petition, reflecting both initiative and maturity.
Claire, the Inclusion Manager at Tee-Jay’s school
“Tee-Jay approaches his own daily challenges with resilience and determination, and we are immensely proud of all he has achieved to date. Our school community look forward to supporting him as he continues to champion the rights of young people, ensuring that every child feels heard, valued, and included.”
Right now, Tee-Jay is balancing campaigning with GCSE mocks. His activism is expanding and he’s arranging for his MP to visit his school. That alone should shame any adult tempted to dismiss this campaign as exaggerated or ill-informed. Young people understand exactly what is at stake.
Join Tee-Jay and us on May 9th
As our May 9th protest draws ever nearer, this is what we should hold on to. Last year, families’ action changed the direction of these planned reforms. This year, the threat is clearer, the proposals are on the table, and the need to act is even more urgent.
Tee-Jay is not the only young person who understands what is at stake, and his petition is not powerful just because he is young. It is powerful because he knows that his rights and support changed his life for the better. And he knows what could be lost if these reforms go ahead without those protections intact.
Sign the petition!
If you care about protecting the rights of children and young people with SEND, support Tee-Jay. Read his words. Share his message. Come to London to hear his words or attend one of the growing number of other venues around the country.
Most importantly, sign his petition; let’s get it to 250,000 signatures!
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Key Content
Also read:
- Beyond EHCPs: Why Inclusion Needs More Than a Document
- The Unacceptable Truth: 20 SEND legal rights at risk from the Government’s SEND reforms
- How health and family support systems are failing children starting school
- WEBINAR RECORDING! The implications for children’s legal rights to EHCPs and EOTAS of the Government’s SEND proposals
- When things go right: Shining a light on SEND Practitioners making a positive impact [Giveaway!]
- From suspicion to support: why the Government’s child protection reforms matter for disabled children
- Have your say on the future of transport for disabled children and young people
- Unison voices major concerns over SEND reform health plans for sick and disabled children out of school in the EOTAS consultation
- Top Tips for the EOTAS & EHCP consultation: Protect your child’s rights to statutory SEND support
- Navigating constraints: Why a former PCF chair thinks the current model is missing the mark for families
- Dear Secretary of State for Education, Lucy Powell: an Open Letter from Special Needs Jungle and SEND legal charity SOS!SEN
- Research: Disabled young people define inclusive education as “learning in the place that’s right for them”
- Have your say on the future of transport for disabled children and young people
- Research: Disabled young people define inclusive education as “learning in the place that’s right for them”
- EOTAS Consultation: A further assault on children’s SEND rights with cost saving and reintegration to schools at its heart
- How to Fund a Specialist Pushchair for Your Autistic or SEN Child: A Complete Guide for UK Families *sp
- MPs warn “unsustainable” SEND transport system fails families with disabled young people
- Focusing on ADHD and autism diagnosis won’t cut costs and wastes money that should be spent on urgent support
- ADHD and Autism Right To Choose referrals paused as at least nine NHS areas tell providers to stop booking assessments
- 10 questions every parent should ask about SEND interventions–Plus a unique opportunity to join QTrobot Autism Research
- How integrating therapies and education is driving innovation and inclusion for our disabled students
- The college training young people with SEND to succeed in digital and creative careers
- Becoming Future Ready for adult life as a Disabled young person
- The true cost of cuts to post-16 transport support? Disabled young people’s life chances
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- The Unacceptable Truth: 20 SEND legal rights at risk from the Government’s SEND reforms - September 9, 2026
- WEBINAR RECORDING! The implications for children’s legal rights to EHCPs and EOTAS of the Government’s SEND proposals - September 3, 2026
- From suspicion to support: why the Government’s child protection reforms matter for disabled children - August 28, 2026
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