UK groups champion legal rights of SEND kids
Who's saying what and why?
A broad coalition of advocacy organizations in the United Kingdom launched a campaign to thwart efforts to alter the UK educational system in ways that they say will deny children’s rights to appropriate educational services. The coalition, which calls itself “Save Our Children’s Rights,” maintains that, in the service of budgeting, government changes would reduce students’ right to education, health, and care plans and other Special Education Needs supports.
The group released a video called “Dear PM” that features individuals with disabilities, their parents, and others decrying removal of legal rights.
Richard Adams of The Guardian published a story 12 January 2025 about the campaign. It is entitled “New campaign urges Starmer not to diminish legal rights of Send children: Backed by actor Sally Phillips and MPs across parties, group raises concerns about overhaul of provision in England.” Mr. Adams covered background issues and connections about the groups’ campaign.
Readers who have interest in additional information may want to consult other sources, too. For example, people from Special Needs Jungle were among those whom one might review. On 13 January 2026, SNJ published “Campaigners and cross-party MPs hand in petition to #SaveOurChildrensRights. We’re just getting started.” It touted the breadth of support for the effort to protect children’s rights. There are a wealth of links in the SNJ article (including other video).
Comment
To be sure, this coalition’s efforts are clearly tied to situation in the UK, but I see them as illustrating a much broader concern. In the US, there are frequent expressions of concern about redundant services and costs of special education; Jim Kauffman wrote about considering similar efforts in a rational way just a couple of months before he passed away in these very pages (see “Fix or buy new?”).
Jim’s analysis shows the same tension. Legal protections of our kids and government finance1 is not parochial…well, it is local, but it is actually everywhere. It’s happening all around Earth. These UK efforts deserve our support, but we need advocacy in the next town over, the next city nearby, the next larger location, the next government organization….
Footnote
I recognize that disagreements about ways to provide services are not solely based on funding. To be sure there are philosophical debates, for example, in this mix, too.