Children out of education

‘The Revised Statutory guidance for local authorities in England to identify children not receiving a suitable education’

This response is made by the Independent Panel for Special Education Advice, a registered charity providing advice and support for parents of children with special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities.
IPSEA was established in 1983 and currently assists over 3,000 parents and carers of children with SEN and disabilities every year, including over 25% of those appealing to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SEND). Our opinions are therefore based on evidence from an extensive sample of actual legal cases involving SEN and disability throughout England and Wales.

IPSEA has invested considerable time and resources over the past three years to supporting parents of children with SEN/disabilities who have been excluded from school, thanks to a major grant from the National Lottery. This has included advising parents of their children’s rights under SEN law (the Education Act 1996) and disability discrimination law (the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001) and representing parents at appeals to SENDIST over their children’s special educational provision and claims to SEND against disability discrimination by schools (mainly in situations where children have been excluded for reasons relating to their disabilities).