Parents call on council to listen to Send pupils

Parents in Cornwall have called on the local authority to listen to the needs of their neurodiverse children.

A crowd, including students, gathered outside Cornwall Council's headquarters in Truro on Monday.

Barbara Ellenbroek, cabinet holder for children and families, said: "I would say we do the very best that we can with the resources we have."

But parent Hayley warned that "kids in the right environment will succeed and thrive, but take away that environment and you take away their opportunities".

Her daughter Jaymie added: "The school I went to basically kept shutting me down and my education started slipping.

"I went from a seven in English in Year 7 to a three in Year 11."

Jenna said her daughter "thrived" in education, before she was "pushed" into a new specialist school where she had "crumbled".

"She made lots of progress but now she's taken 30 steps backwards."

Reading out a letter written by her daughter, Daisy, she said: "Why do my views get ignored when talking about what is best for me?

"I want to learn with my tutor, I want to have a really good education but I can't do that in school."

A spokesperson for the local authority said: "Cornwall Council has worked with partners to introduce a range of interventions to support children and young people with autism.

"This includes a new school which opened last year specifically aimed at supporting neurodivergent children who are anxious, particularly in relation to participation at school.

"Ofsted inspectors have commended its curriculum."

The spokesperson said the authority had always worked "closely with the children, families and schools to overcome any challenges".

They added: "We continue to work hard on improving Send (special educational needs and disabilities) provision in Cornwall and a second new independent specialist school will be opening in 2025 in Gunnislake."

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