Graham has met parents and carers from across Beverley and Holderness to discuss growing concerns about the Government’s proposed reforms to support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The meeting was organised with the East Yorkshire Parent Carer Forum, the Department for Education-recognised parent carer forum for the East Riding. The forum works with families, schools, health services and local authorities to represent the experiences of children and young people with additional needs across the area.
Parents and carers attending the meeting raised concerns about delays in support, tribunal processes, workforce shortages, speech and language therapy waiting times, accountability and whether the proposed reforms are properly funded.
The discussion focused on the Government’s Schools White Paper, which proposes replacing the current SEND framework with a new four-tier support model alongside wider reforms to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
Attendees also highlighted the particular pressures facing the East Riding, which continues to receive the lowest SEND funding per child in England despite rising demand.
Current figures show:
- East Riding receives £1,049 per child compared with a national average of £1,490
- The authority faces an estimated annual SEND funding shortfall of around £18 million
- Home-to-school transport for children with additional needs now averages £8,299 per child in the East Riding
Graham said: “If the funding and the need don’t correspond, then you can design it however you like, it will not work in practice.
“You will get a continued situation where support increasingly depends on how hard parents are able to fight for their child.
“Parents should not have to battle the system just to get support for their child.
“There is a serious structural design fault in the White Paper.
“Accountability is the key issue.”
Parents attending the meeting spoke about the importance of early intervention, concerns around delays in diagnosis and support, and fears that reforms could weaken protections for families already struggling to navigate the system.
Graham said the East Riding’s long-standing SEND funding gap continued to place pressure on schools, parents and children across the area.
The meeting forms part of Graham’s wider campaign for fairer SEND funding and better support for families across Beverley and Holderness.
Cllr Sean McMaster said: “I was pleased to join Graham and local parents for this important discussion about SEND support and the challenges many families are facing across the East Riding.
“Parents of children with additional needs already have enough to deal with without having to fight through delays, uncertainty and bureaucracy to get help.
“I’m grateful to Graham for continuing to raise these issues and for keeping pressure on Government over SEND funding and support in our area.
“It’s vital that we listen to the experiences of children and parents here in Beverley and Holderness and make sure their voices are heard.”
Katy Bristow (member of EYPCF Steering Committee) and Gill Day (Participation Coordinator): “We were pleased to bring parents and carers together to speak directly with Graham about the challenges families are facing across the East Riding.
“Many parents are worried about delays, uncertainty around reforms, and whether support will still be there for children who need it most.
“Families want earlier help, clearer communication and confidence that their children will not be overlooked.
“We appreciate Graham taking the time to listen to families and raise concerns about SEND funding and support in our area.”
