Yesterday (12/1/26), many of the Save Our Children’s Rights team, including Tania, Renata, Gill, and Rachel from SNJ, descended on Downing Street to hand in the 133k-signature-strong petition that changed the conversation on SEND rights.
Started by our campaign manager, Rachel Filmer, the petition called for all the legal rights of children with SEND to be retained in any upcoming changes to education. It received widespread support, including from celebrities, Sally Phillips, Chris Packham and Christine McGuinness.
The petition’s popularity won a debate in parliament, to which a record-breaking number of MPs turned up to speak. That ruffled feathers in the Department for Education, who didn’t want a repeat of the Government’s disability benefits embarrassment. The Schools White Paper was soon delayed and since the end of last year, the DfE has belatedly launched a one-way “National SEND conversation” mainly talking to itself and its pals. The DfE pretends this is going well, but it’s only gaslighting itself. If it were serious, it would instead respond in full to the 2025 SEND inquiry’s sensible recommendations as it is legally obliged to do. In the evidence therein it could find all the information it needs to know that rights are important and people rather like them.
Campaign video
We started yesterday off by releasing our campaign video, Dear PM, that you can watch below. You can find a BSL version here. The video is posted on the new Save Our Children’s Rights TikTok. You can find SNJ’s here
Above, you can see us gathered outside the Department for Education, our meeting point, to send out a loud and unequivocal message — SAVE CHILDREN’S RIGHTS! Once again, for those at the back!
Cross-party support
Meeting us there was a cross political-party group of MPs, there to show their support. Daisy Cooper MP for St Albans, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader (thanks for the hand-in tips!), Neil Duncan Jordan, MP for Poole, Labour, Chris Coghlan MP, for Dorking & Horley, Lib Dem, Gregory Stafford, MP for Farnham and Bordon, Conservative, Marie Goldman MP for Chelmsford, Lib Dem and Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, Lib Dem. (all the links are to the MPs’ respective FB pages)
Chris Coghlan, you will recall, is currently working with Measure What Matters, compiling testimonies of parents and professionals around council SEND maladministration (add yours).
Greg left the video below on his Facebook page
Knocking on the door of power
After a photocall with everyone, our Campaign Manager, Rachel Filmer, who lodged the petition a year ago, gave the door knocker a loud rap around 1pm, and handed over the petition box, representing 132,789 signatures, with all our logos emblazoned on. Watch below to hear what she said.
We even sparked the interest of Larry the Downing Street cat, who came over for a look, before waiting to be let inside. I think we have his support.
Why are we campaigning?
But, you may be wondering: why are we campaigning? There is no change announced yet!
‘Yet’, is the operative word. We will have succeeded if there is NO mention in the Schools White Paper, when it appears, or any other proposals, to dilute or restrict SEND rights. Let’s face it, given the delay to the WP, it was very likely that was exactly what was in it.
Since last May, we’ve been hearing Government proxies mutter about there being “too many” EHCPs, children having them “when they don’t need them”, EHCPs being “too easy to get”, etc., etc. Every SEND parent knows that’s utter bilge.
The “direction of travel” has been clear and no government minister or adviser has said legal rights won’t be reduced, no matter how they’ve been asked. The best they’ve managed is “there will always be a legal right to support,” squeezed out like a difficult poo.
That’s a world away from a guarantee that the Children and Families Act, a law that was co-produced and that no one has shown to be bad legislation, will survive unscathed.
It is not the fault of families that the Government failed to fund the extended age ranges (0-5 and 16-25) the CFA created. It’s not families’ fault that councils and schools were starved of cash from 2014 onwards. It’s not the fault of children with SEND that, instead of making the clear case for this under-funding to be rectified, councils set about breaking the law at every turn to delay or avoid funding, legally-mandated support, then gaslighting and blaming parents, who were only exercising their rights as the law allowed. You know, councils could have got parents onside in the fight for funding.
But they chose the dark side, and doubled down with lies, fake “independent (ha!) research”, and urgent whispering in the ears of ministers (many of whom are former council leaders themselves). No conflict of interest there. Nope. Nothing to see there, nothing at all…
Thoughts on the day
“It felt wonderful yet surreal to deliver the petition I started to Downing Street today, alongside our wonderful #SaveOurChildrensRights team. When I submitted the petition over a year ago, I had hoped we may scrape together enough support for a written response, but by the time the petition was published, my biggest fears seemed to be coming true.
Rachel Filmer, Campaign Manager, Special Needs Jungle
“The exceptionally hard work of everyone involved with SOCR, and the support of you all, has meant that this petition has had more impact than I’d ever hoped.
“This is going to be a challenging year, but I hope the success of this petition and the number of MPs who spoke at the debate will serve as a warning to ministers. There are many of us, and we are accustomed to a battle. We are exhausted and close to broken, but we don’t have the luxury of being able to give up.
“Gathering at Westminster to present the petition, accompanied by MPs from all the main parties, was a powerful demonstration of how important it is that policymakers get SEND reform right.
“The system for supporting children and young people with SEND is failing too many children and young people who depend on it – but reducing their legal protections isn’t the answer.
Catriona Moore, IPSEA & SOCR campaign“Our message to the Prime Minister is that the law on SEND should be protected and strengthened, not undermined in the name of reform. The law itself isn’t at fault: the problem is that the law isn’t followed or enforced. Children and young people’s legal right to an education that meets their needs cannot and must not be replaced with well-meaning reassurances that local authorities and schools will do the right thing.”
Today, #SaveOurChildrensRights partners delivered a message to Number 10 and released a video for the Prime Minister. At SEND National Crisis, we never expected to return to Number 10 just six years after our National Parent March—but we couldn’t ask for a stronger group of partners to stand alongside.
Sharon Pratt, SEND National Crisis
There is nothing more important than a child’s education, and protecting their legal rights is not optional—it is essential.
“Today was so important, to make sure SEND parents and their children actually have a voice. Legal rights must remain a backstop. It was great to see cross-party support from MPs. And it was a privilege to be part of such an incredible group of committed and passionate parents and advocates’
Suzy Yardley, CEO, Child Autism UK
The campaign is only just getting started. Our aim is that when the School’s White Paper is released, there is no hint of rights being diluted or restricted to a smaller range of children with SEND. We hear a lot of talk about “complex” and “severe” —and this shows how little the DfE really understand disability. You can be a bright autistic child, whose social and communication needs mean they cannot function in mainstream. You can have a child with other learning or physical needs—still complex, but who can cope. You cannot categorise anyone in a single word.
Want to get involved?
Of COURSE you do! Many of you, we know, are sad you didn’t find out about the petition until it had closed. Here’s what you can do:
- Sign up to get involved practically
- Sign up to the mailing list
- Write to your MP using IPSEA’s template letter
- If you really want to do the DfE’s survey, here are our tips
- There is also one more online engagement event. Read more here
- If you are a SEND parent group or organisation, we have a meeting later this week to tell you how you can join us. Email Charlotte at the campaign team for more info
- Donate to help SNJ keep going
Thank you to everyone who signed the petition, and has supported the campaign so far.
Watch Catriona on Ski News yesterday
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Also read:
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”
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- 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
- Have your say on the future of transport for disabled children and young people - August 25, 2026
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