MPs hear evidence on School absence of disabled children

SSIF • June 6, 2023

MPs hear evidence on school absence of disabled children

MPs must address the disproportionate number of children with complex special educational needs (SEN) among severe-absence statistics, a parliamentary committee heard last week.

Speaking on behalf of the Special Education Consortium, of which Contact is a member, Dr Daniel Stavrou told MPs: “It feels misguided to approach this in a punitive way.”


The Education Committee listened to evidence from charity professionals as part of its inquiry into persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils.


We submitted evidence to the inquiry earlier this year. In our submission, we identified the biggest factor contributing to absence among children with SEN as unmet need. Just under 40% of calls to our helpline come from parents who say the school or local authority is not providing the right support for their child. Many parents are resorting to home schooling their child as schools become less willing to make reasonable adjustments.



We also hear from parents that the school environment and culture is detrimental to their child’s needs. Schools are under pressure to strive for high attendance from both OFSTED and the Children’s Commissioner. Chasing attendance figures is coming at the cost of pupil wellbeing and good relationships with parents.


A culture shift is needed

o rectify this, we suggest a culture shift. The government must look beyond the quantitative figures collected by OFSTED and focus on how schools are supporting pupils with barriers to attendance.


We would suggest seeking solutions by documenting good practice in schools achieving high rates of attendance for pupils with SEN.


Schools should also be building and fostering strong relationships with families. Parents should not be facing threats from schools for persistence absence, particularly where absence is authorised for medical reasons.


Schools should look into bespoke options for supporting children with SEN, including flex-Schooling.


School attendance advice for families in England

We have advice about school attendance on our website, including information on what your rights are if your child is absent due to medical reasons.



If you are considering home educating your child, visit our Home Education webpage to understand what your duties and options are.

Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) Annual Reviews

April 2, 2025
SSIF invite ParentCarers of Children with SEND to their penultimate Seminar this year. ‘Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCP) Annual Reviews,’ is the fifth in a series of valuable and informative events for ParentCarers that will run throughout the year. This seminar is aimed at ParentCarers who have an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) in place for their Child or Young Person but would like to find out more about the Annual Review process. We will aim to answer questions such as: What does an Annual Review entail? Which services are involved? What can I do if my Child or Young Persons Annual Review is delayed? What does the Law say? I have never had an Annual Review, should I have? What is my role and responsibility as a ParentCarer? We have a panel of professionals from the Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) Team, Health and Education, who will talk about the assessment process. They will also bust some common myths. We are inviting ParentCarers to submit any questions they have for the panel by email, by Thursday 1st May 2025, via email, to jody@southendsendindependentforum.org.uk. This is to save time in the room on the day as our speakers will build their presentations around the answers to these questions. There will also be an opportunity for people to participate in a co-production session to develop a useful route map/flow chart of the EHCP Annual Review process. Please Note: Babies, Children and Buggies. For insurance reasons and Health and Safety reasons we apologise but babies, children and buggies cannot be accommodated at these sessions. Parking. There is limited parking available at the main Civic Centre Car Park. Other nearby car parks are available at Civic Centre East Car Park SS2 6LR, and the Beecroft Car Park SS2 6EU. Book your FREE ticket. 

NNPCF attend a Roundtable meeting with Minister McKinnell, Minister of Education

March 14, 2025
The NNPCF together with other Stakeholders attended a Roundtable meeting this week with Minister McKinnel, the Minister of Education which focused on Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND). The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the ongoing speculation surrounding SEND and Inclusive Education. The Minister shared insights into the government’s direction and engaged with key stakeholders. Read more about the meeting.

NNPCF Announcement on NHS England being brought back into the Department of Health and Social Care

March 14, 2025
SSIF are members of the National Network of Parent Carers (NNPCF). The Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that the government plans to abolish NHS England and bring it into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the government believe that this will remove a layer of bureaucracy and will eliminate duplication between DHSE and NHSE. NNPCF have delivered a statement in response to the announcement confirming what work they intend to do to represent the voices of ParentCarers and children and young people with SEND. Read both the press release and the NNPCF statement.

DROP-IN FRIDAYS. Come and meet your ParentCarer Forum

March 10, 2025
We know that some of you have shared that coffee mornings can be difficult to attend so we have organised a Drop-In Event once every half term. The session is open to everyone, ParentCarers looking to find out more about what the Forum does, professionals who want to understand our role and those who would just like to join us for a hot drink and a natter. We will be sharing the dates of the sessions on our social media channels so be on the lookout for future dates. We look forward to seeing you there!