Lorraine Beavers MP: 'The SEND system in Blackpool and Fleetwood does not work'

Last week I met with Georgia Gould, the Minister for School Standards, to talk about SEND provision.

Before that meeting, I asked constituents to share their experiences with me. The response was incredible. I heard from parents, carers, teachers, school staff and young people across Blackpool North and Fleetwood. Thank you to everyone who took the time to write to me, often about deeply personal and difficult experiences.

After reading every comment and speaking to local parents and teachers, one thing was clear: the current system is broken.

After more than a decade of underfunding, and after years of rapid change in the world around us, Government policy has not kept pace with the reality facing children, families and schools. Too often, people are being expected to cope inside a system that simply does not work for them.

In my meeting with the Minister, I raised two points in particular.

First, we need a full and honest assessment of specialist places. We need to know what support is needed in each area, and where the gaps are. If we commit to building more specialist school places and expert SEND teams, we can take pressure off families and classrooms much more quickly than by expecting every mainstream setting to meet every need without the right support.

Secondly, I raised the need to stop punishing schools for supporting children with SEND. Too many schools are judged against targets and standards that do not properly reflect the challenges they face. Attendance rules, performance measures and funding systems should not pit families and schools against each other. They should help them work together.

As a Government, I believe we have a responsibility to relieve pressure, not add to it. Children with SEND deserve support that is early, practical and properly funded. Parents deserve to be listened to and treated with respect. Teachers deserve the tools, training and specialist backup they need to do their jobs well.

I know there is no simple fix. The scale of the challenge is huge. But a realistic plan is possible: proper investment, targeted reform, and a system shaped by the people who understand it best.

I was pleased that the Minister took the concerns of people in Blackpool North and Fleetwood seriously. I could not include every comment I received in the meeting, but I want everyone who wrote to me to know this: your voices were heard, and they made the case stronger.

I will keep consulting parents, carers, teachers and school staff, because you are the real experts.

On Saturday, I was also proud to join the Blackpool Pride parade. Somehow, it even stayed dry! I was delighted to hand out pride flags and stand alongside the LGBT+ community across Blackpool and the Fylde Coast.

Pride is a celebration, but it is also a reminder of hard-won rights, and of the work still ahead so everyone can live safely, freely and proudly as themselves.