SEN shoes protest

More than 100 pairs of shoes for tiny and teenage feet have formed an emotive protest outside a Derbyshire council HQ to highlight years of failure over special educational support.

Letters attached to each of the 115 pairs of shoes displayed in a “silent protest” outside Derbyshire County Council’s Matlock headquarters at County Hall included many stories of vulnerable children who have missed out on months, terms and even several years of education.

The Matlock protest yesterday (Monday, November 3) was one of 70 displays organised by non-profit The SEND Sanctuary UK in a bid to turn around the fates of “every child failed by broken promises and endless red tape”.

In Derbyshire, the latest figures published by the authority in October show 8,778 children have an education, health and care plan (EHC Plan) which outlines their legal requirements for additional support in school, overseen by the county council.

This represents a 135 per cent increase since 2020, alongside a 30 per cent surge in EHC assessment requests since 2014 to 2,058 in the last year.

Meanwhile, the council says only 35 per cent of EHC plans were issued on time in 2024.

Cllr Simon Mabbott, the county council’s new cabinet member for education as of October 20, was approached for comment but has not responded as of this article’s publication.

Campaigners said Cllr Mabbott had attended the protest and pledged to arrange a meeting to discuss their issues at length as soon as possible, which was welcomed.

Lacey-Louise Hanrahan, a healthcare assistant from Wingerworth, whose 12-year-old son Spencer has the rare genetic condition MPS6, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that when she tried to arrange her son’s transition to secondary school last June, there were no special school spaces available for him in Derbyshire.

Lacey-Louise Hanrahan, a healthcare assistant from Wingerworth, whose 12-year-old son Spencer has the rare genetic condition MPS6. Video: Eddie Bisknell

She claims she has been “lied to”, “gaslit” and “brushed off” by the county council and is not able to pursue legal matters due to the lack of legal aid capacity and the cost of private litigation.

Ms Hanrahan said: “SEND is not fit for purpose, and it is not just Derbyshire, it is a national crisis, and I am not going to stop until I get change. I am not just doing it for my son but for every child. 

“When we can’t look after the most vulnerable children in our society, what does that say about us?

“These children are our future, but we can’t invest in them having a better future.

“It is disgusting. It is beyond abhorrent, if I’m honest. Not only am I upset, but I am angry.

“As you can see by the number of shoes here today, I am not the only one affected by this, and there isn’t a family with a SEN child in Derbyshire that I have met that hasn’t been affected by this. I am hearing horror stories.

“I am sick of it.”

Natalie Elliott, from Marehay, whose nine-year-old daughter Evie has special educational needs, said: “We are laying shoes out for all the children who have been failed by SEND.

Natalie Elliott, from Marehay, whose nine-year-old daughter Evie has special educational needs. Video: Eddie Bisknell

“Across the country, although we are in Derbyshire, which has one of the worst records, the issue is widespread, and it must change.

“It needs to get better and people’s lives need to improve.

“A lot of the time, these children have been out of education for over a year, and it is simply not good enough.

“We need to make this issue too hard to ignore.”

One note for a five-year-old child attached to a small pair of brown boots claimed the county council rejected an application for education at home after 27 negative school consultations, and as a result, the child has never attended school, and their parents are now pursuing a tribunal.

A note attached to a pair of black pumps told the story of 13-year-old Chloe. The note states that it took her four years to receive sufficient support, including 88 weeks to obtain an EHC Plan – more than four times the 20-week deadline.

Sophie’s note, attached to a tiny pair of beige boots, details how an EHC assessment request was submitted in July last year for her neurological conditions, but a plan has not yet been finalised.

Black pumps were displayed for Toby, aged 12, who has autism and has missed seven months of school due to being unwell, but was not provided with any alternative education.

A small pair of black school shoes had a note for Riley stating: “Failed by school. EHC Plan issued a year late. Misunderstood and judged. Excluded and not included. Told not to use ADHD as an excuse when unable to cope.”

Black and green trainers had a note for Ellis, which said: “Out of school for 10 years as his needs weren’t recognised or met. Successfully home-educated, then education other than at school (EOTAS) following Derbyshire’s horrendous behaviour during the tribunal process.”

On a note attached to a pair of blue trainers was the story of a 14-year-old child with ADHD and anxiety and on the autistic spectrum, which said they were left suicidal due to “school-based trauma and unmet needs”.

It claimed the child was “failed at every turn by the local authority” and left them without education for three years, saying parents were being “ignored and forced to fight relentlessly for even basic support”.

The note said: “The impact has shattered not only our child but our entire family. Our physical and mental health destroyed.”

More than 100 pairs of shows displayed outside County Hall in Matlock, headquarters of Derbyshire County Council, as a SEND protest. Credit: Eddie Bisknell