Join the May 9th #SaveOurChildrensRights SEND Protest in London or a regional location

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If, like us, you are set against the proposals in the SEND part of the Schools White Paper that aim to limit your child’s rights, then you MUST take action and tell the government that this is #NotInOurName

On 9 May, families, campaigners and allies will gather in London and across the country to say one simple thing to ministers: do not remove children’s SEND legal rights. Save Our Children’s Rights is organising a national protest in Parliament Square, with regional demonstrations taking place in a growing list of locations around England.

We need you to come out and join us to tell the Government that while you support efforts to improve inclusion, there is no need to:

Effectively raise the threshold for EHCPs by creating seven complicated “specialist provision packages” instead of treating every child as an individual. This means if your child does not fit neatly into one of these categories, they risk not getting the provision they need. SEND educational experts have expressed similar concerns.
Limit the role of the SEND Tribunal, by preventing it from naming the school or provision in an EHCP. The proposals would only allow it to direct the LA to “remake” the decision, so parents may have to appeal again in a doom loop, while the child is still waiting for the right provision
Create statutory Individual Support Plans (ISPs) that have no apparent guaranteed right to provision and no legal appeal route. This means parents will be left to complain to the school, potentially damaging relationships. Volunteer school governors would have to deal with complex complaints, while unhappy parents would be forced to use the disability discrimination route, for which they definitely will need legal support.
Allow schools to move SEND children to in-school “inclusion bases” without the need for a statutory assessment of needs or an EHCP. It is unclear who would staff inclusion bases, given the ongoing recruitment crisis in teaching assistants, teachers, therapists, and educational psychologists.

What do we support?

Many of the other proposals are headed in the right direction, but they do need work to prevent further unintended consequences. We await to see what comes out in the consultation. Inclusion can be improved without limiting rights. A big upswing in SEND support funding, ring-fenced for SEND use. National guidelines on expectations for inclusion, but a recognition that for many children, mainstream just is not the right place and individual needs must be supported.

If you’re not clear on the campaign’s key messages, check this page out on the SOCR website

But we will not move on the retention of rights.

Reform can seem like an abstract policy argument—it can be difficult to grasp, especially in the way this one is framed. But essentially, it is about the legal protections that currently give children and young people with SEND at least some route to support when local systems fail. Those rights are already hard enough to enforce. Weakening them would leave many children even more exposed to delay, gatekeeping and unsuitable provision. That is why this protest matters.

We’re volunteers ourselves, so if you can help our team’s involvement, please donate here, specifically for this campaign. It means we can also help to send out materials to local events, and fund our wider team to travel to events.

Register your interest on the SOCR Facebook events page here

Where are YOU going to help #SaveSENDRights?

The national rally will take place in Parliament Square, Westminster, London, from 11.30am to 1pm. The event will include speeches from young people with SEND and special guests.

Protest locations confirmed so far:

London, Westminster — Parliament Square, SW1P 3JX, 11.30am–1pm
Birmingham — Centenary Square, 11.30am
Bristol — College Green, BS1 5UY, 2pm–4pm
Derby — Derby City Council House, Corporation Street, DE1 2FS, 11.30am–1.30pm
Isle of Wight — St Thomas Square, Newport, 11.30am–1pm
Leeds — Leeds Art Gallery, The Headrow, LS1 3AA, 11.30am–1.30pm
Liverpool — Williamson Square, 11.30am–1.30pm
Manchester, The Dandelion Centre, Oatlands Road, M221AH
Nottingham — Brian Clough Statue, Old Market Square, 11.30am–1.30pm
Church Stretton, Shropshire — Hughes Exploration & Environmental, Sandford Avenue, Church Stretton, SY6 7HX, United Kingdom, 11.30am–1.30pm
Stafford — Staffordshire Place, Stafford, ST16 2LP

Register your interest on the SOCR Facebook events page here

Can you help out?

SOCR is also encouraging supporters to get in touch if they want to help organise a local event, volunteer, or support with practical arrangements such as stewarding, first aid or sound equipment. We want to hear from people who simply plan to attend, both to estimate numbers and to help make events as accessible as possible. We would love events in the North East and the East of England— if you are in one of these areas and want to get involved, please let us know as soon as possible so we can give you advice. Click here and scroll to the form at the end

This matters beyond the SEND community. If legal rights are weakened for disabled children and young people, the consequences will be felt in schools, colleges, health services and family life for years to come. Children who may have been able to thrive in life will not. Parents already know what happens when support is delayed, watered down or denied: children miss education, families burn out, and problems become harder and more expensive to fix. Protest is necessary because too many families have learned the hard way that warm words do not protect rights.

If you can be there, join in. If you cannot get to London, look for a regional event. If there is nothing near you yet, consider helping to organise a small local event that you can get local press to cover.

Visible public pressure matters, and numbers matter. Time is short—your support matters. Please share this article and get involved to #SaveOurChildrensRights.

We hope to see you there!

Register your interest on the SOCR Facebook events page here

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