Every year, parents with Neuro-Diverse children are penalised by the Dept of Education and accused of being bad parents because they have no option but to take their children out of school in order to give them and their family a holiday.
The term SEND means Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) This includes several mental health conditions e,g, autism, ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and includes those with an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) or an Individual Education Plan (IEP).
SEND Children typically experience:
* Emotional and behavioural difficulties.
* Cognitive difficulties (understanding, processing and learning)
* Trouble with speech, language and communication
* Sensory or physical difficulties (including medical conditions and visual or hearing impairments)
Legally, a child has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or a disability that needs special educational provision.
Gemma, who is part of the CWU NW Mental Health Network WhatsApp group, has highlighted this very important and currently relevant petition:
The Riley family, tired of paying fines and receiving accusary letters from the Dept of Education, started a petition aimed at putting pressure on the Government to change the law.
In the petition, Riley Jones writes:
"As parents of a child with complex ADHD and high autistic traits, we understand the unique challenges faced by families like ours. Our stepson, who has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), struggles to cope during busy periods. This makes it impossible for us to take him on holiday when most families do. To avoid overwhelming him, we have no choice but to schedule our annual break during term time.
Despite his consistent attendance record outside of these necessary breaks, we are penalised as parents for taking him out of school once a year. This is our only respite - a much-needed break that allows us all to recharge and return better equipped to handle the daily challenges posed by his special needs.
We believe this is an issue that affects many other families in similar situations across the country. According to data from the Department of Education in 2019, there are over 1.3 million children in England identified as having Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND). These children also deserve consideration when it comes to term-time holidays.
We urge policymakers and educational authorities alike to reconsider their stance on this matter. Allow all SEND children one holiday during term time per year without punishing their parents or guardians - it's not just about leisure; it's about mental health and family resilience too.
Please sign this petition if you believe in fair treatment for SEND children and their families who need flexibility around school holidays due its impact on their wellbeing."
His wife, commented:
"So back story...me and my husband, like many others have been fined for taking our son out of school for an annual holiday!
According to the letter being "neglectful" parents of his education.
We have always paid the "fine" that then drops through the door....only THIS time there has been a big mess up!
And basically I've been found "guilty" and now need to pay £500+ in court costs despite the original fine being paid!!
In short we really struggle to take our boy anywhere in school holidays, the busy environment, the noise, the over stimulation causes huge meltdowns which then overall do not make for an enjoyable time.
We want to fight for the right for the kids on the SEND register to be able to have a limited time out of school to enjoy holidays as neurotypical children do.
In addition, we are not opposed to the charges at all, in fact I'll happily pay the £60 to do it BUT let's make it a "fee" rather than a fine for neglectful parenting when in reality we are doing the EXACT opposite for our children.
Let's NOT make parents of ND children then be chased by the law and courts."
Source: Change / Action For Children / Gemma, CWU NW Mental Health Network Whats App Group / Nationwide Children's
