Autistic young people speak up on behalf of SEND pupils in Parliament

This week, two autistic young people from our Ambitious Youth Network travelled to Westminster to tell the country’s decision makers about the challenges autistic pupils face in school.

On Wednesday, Joanna Hall, aged 22, and Madeline Thomas, aged 19, gave evidence to the House of Commons Education Select Committee as part of its inquiry into the SEND crisis.  

The committee, which examines the work of the Department for Education, launched the inquiry at the end of last year. Its focus is on how to improve the SEND system and achieve better outcomes for pupils with special educational needs.  

Joanna and Madeline spoke openly about the challenges they faced in school which lead to them losing out on vital learning.  

Joanna said: 

My school couldn’t support me because they didn’t have the right facilities. Mainstream schools can’t cope with all the other pupils, let alone those with disabilities.

Madeline said: 

I had to leave mainstream school and be educated online. This was the best thing for my education as I was able to get away from the busy, stressful, and struggling school system that couldn’t give me the right support.

If the issues I was having at school had been picked up earlier by teachers, I would have been able to stay in mainstream education.

Both talked about the impact on their mental health and called for better autism and SEND education and training in schools, as well as more flexibility when it comes to strict school policies.

Madeline added:

Each child is an individual and should be treated as a whole person, rather than a statistic.

Helen Hayes MP, who chairs the committee, thanked the young people for their contributions which she said would “directly inform” the committee’s recommendations to the Government.

Earlier in the week, our Chief Executive, Jolanta Lasota, also attended Parliament. Jolanta gave evidence to the House of Lords committee’s inquiry into the Autism Act and the progress of the Autism Strategy.

Jolanta explained the vast challenges autistic children and young people currently face, including long waits for diagnosis, leading to problems accessing support in education, health and social care.

She told the committee: 

We need to stop thinking of SEND as a burden and start thinking about it as an opportunity. Autistic children and young people and adults have a huge amount to offer our society, and we must focus on investing in them early on.

Read our latest report on lost learning and its impact on autistic children and young people and their families.