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For ages, I was eager to produce a documentary focusing on Send.

Perhaps you know me as Linda Carter, but I am equally a mum to an neurodivergent son diagnosed with dyslexic traits and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Required months of perseverance and hard work from both of us to obtain the right schooling for him. At times, it seemed like a struggle.

This is the reason I decided to make this film, so I could connect with other families experiencing the same thing, and discuss with teachers, local authorities, and the government about how Send children are educated in the UK.

The Scope of Send in the UK

Currently, there are more than 1.7 million young people in England with special educational needs. This represents a broad group, encompassing autistic children and individuals who face challenges in speech and language, have attention disorders, and mobility issues, along with other needs.

Schools in England do offer some support to these students, but if parents believe their child needs additional support, they can make an application to their council for an EHCP.

An Education, Health and Care Plan is a crucial document because it is legally binding, specifies where a child should go to school, and outlines how much additional help they should receive.

We spent hours completing the application forms to apply for an plan, and many families find the process extremely challenging.

A Mother and Son's Journey

Shortly after I meet 15-year-old Buddy, he shows me his beloved stuffed animal, his comfort object.

He is on the autism spectrum, which means his brain experiences and reacts to the world in a different way from many people's. He struggles with socializing his own age, understanding his emotions, and nervousness. Buddy prefers to keep his toy nearby.

Following their move to London from Scotland in last autumn, his mother, the parent, began searching for educational placements. She explains she contacted at least 11 schools, but many of them didn't get back to her, and those that did indicated they were full or could not give her son extra support without an Education, Health and Care Plan.

By the beginning of this year, more than 638,000 plans had been issued to students in the country, a significant increase on the previous year and an substantial growth in six years.

This rise is partly because parents and schools have become more skilled at recognizing children who have Send, especially autism spectrum disorder, as opposed to there being an increase with special needs.

It is the repeat the family have sought an EHCP. Their initial request was turned down before Buddy was evaluated. Local authorities decline about a 25% of EHCP applications at the assessment stage, as per official figures.

When they lived in the Scottish system, the mother notes they were not required to apply for the comparable of an Education, Health and Care Plan. His comprehensive school provided support for his learning, but not for his well-being.

The Scottish system has a alternative approach for helping children with Send; educational institutions aim to deliver more support without the requirement for families to apply for the similar of an EHCP.

"It's a madness," Tunde says. "[Securing help] was so easily done, and it should be easily done again."

Although the teenager is not able to attend classes, the local authority is providing him with 19 hours of lessons per week in the local library.

Tunde explains the procedure of applying for an EHCP has been so time consuming she had to stop working as a midwife and health visitor for a period.

"I can't do the parenting. I cannot take him to these sessions, and work at the same time… I was unable to get my son seen in the right amount of time and attend to other people's babies in the necessary period. It became a toss up - and my son won," she says.

We catch up with the youth after a lengthy speech and language evaluation.

"Draining… that is the only word I've got for you," he says as he rests on a barrier, Reindeer Dog held close.

Finding a Place for Buddy

It's September and while countless children start term, he is still be educated in the public library. 60 days after I first met him, he's getting an Education, Health and Care Plan but his education is still not settled.

The council agreed to Tunde's request that he attend an independently run school that specializes in children who struggle in standard education.

Before Buddy can begin there, the school has assumed responsibility for the sessions he receives in the library setting. But the parent's now not sure the school will be able to provide what she thinks her son requires to enhance his interpersonal abilities and confidence with children his own age.

"We had been all prepared for the start of term… and he remains without a school place, he's still having one-to-one lessons," she said.

"In my view … preparing to be with fellow students and then still just being one-to-one with adults has really knocked him back and made him be reluctant to go to school."

Southwark Council says it views the family's worries very seriously and it will keep assist her household to make certain they obtain the provision they require without further delay.

Officials note it knows how hard it can be for parents to navigate the system, and how upsetting holdups in securing support can be.

It says it has invested in a dedicated information and advice service, and now ensures children are assessed by expert educators at the initial phase, and it is willing to reviewing the circumstances when families are worried about education placements.

Existing Framework is Broken

I am aware there is another side to this story.

The significant increase in the quantity of EHCPs is putting councils under severe financial pressure. According to projections that English councils are set to run up a total accumulated special needs shortfall between £4.3bn and £4.9bn by March 2026.

The government says it has committed a significant sum to help authorities fund plans and further investment on new Send school places.

I went to West Sussex County Council to speak with one of few officials in local government willing to discuss publicly about special needs financing.

Jacquie Russell is a Conservative councillor and cabinet member for children, young people and learning.

"Today's framework is in fact very adversarial. Our parents are increasingly tired and anxious and fed up of battling… Staff sickness levels are really, really high at the moment," she explains.

"This system is ineffective. It is broken. It's not delivering the optimal results for children."

Demand for EHCPs is currently exceeding funding in the region. In 2015, the council had about 3,400 children with an EHCP. Now there are over 10,000.

As a result the Send deficit has been increasing annually, so that at the end of 2025 it stands at over £123m.

"These funds is really essentially intended for local services. {That would have|