We’re Still Here – And We Always Will Be

A SpeakToMe Statement on SEND Reforms, Representation, and Real Change

Over the past few months, the future of SEND provision in England has been placed under the spotlight — but too often, the people who live and breathe this system are being left out of the conversation.

Government plans announced in 2025 propose reducing access to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and placing more disabled young people in mainstream SEND units, removing the legal guarantees that many rely on to succeed in school, work, and life.

📌 In May, The Guardian revealed that children with SEND may lose their legal right to tailored school support.

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📌 In July, The Times highlighted a growing internal backlash, as even Labour MPs pushed back on plans that could "strip children of rights."

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📌 The government also announced £740 million to create 10,000 new places in mainstream settings — but these places risk being unfit for purpose without trained staff, co-production, or proper support.

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This is not just about SEND. It’s about every person in society who doesn’t have a voice in the room when decisions are made.

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Who We Are — And Why We’re Speaking Up

SpeakToMe was created to represent the unheard. That includes disabled children in education. It includes adults navigating benefit changes post-COVID. It includes families and carers who are tired of fighting a system that’s meant to support them.

We are not a campaign that only focuses on one issue — we are a movement for representation, access, and respect across the board.

We work with young people, with carers, with disabled adults — and we’re calling for the government to do the same.

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We’re Calling For:

✅ No roll-back on legal rights. EHCPs must remain accessible for those who need them — not just those with “complex” cases.

✅ True co-production. Disabled people and their families must be part of the conversation at every stage.

✅ Genuine support in mainstream settings. Funding alone isn’t enough — it must be backed by training, culture, and legal accountability.

✅ Reform that listens. Speak to us — the people in classrooms, at kitchen tables, in colleges, workplaces, and homes. We are the experts in our own lives.

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We know the system is under pressure. But the answer isn’t to shut people out — it’s to bring people in.

We’re ready to work with government. We’re ready to share knowledge and solutions. But we won’t stand by while disabled people’s rights are rewritten behind closed doors.

So if you want to change the system — speak to the people who know it best.

Because we’re still here.

And we always will be.