You Are Not Alone. Together We Can Make Change Happen
Some days it feels like you’re the only one in the world fighting for your child’s education. Endless letters, missed deadlines, meetings where you feel invisible or worse, like your child is invisible.
It’s lonely, it’s exhausting, and it makes you wonder if anything will ever change.
But here’s the truth: you’re not alone. Not even close.
Across the country, families just like ours are standing up every single day. Parents are learning their rights, supporting each other, sharing knowledge, and proving again and again that change is possible. Families win 98-99% of SEND Tribunal appeals. That means when we push, when we act, we get results.
Why Standing Together Matters
When we share our stories, other parents feel less alone.
When we understand our rights, we can guide someone else through theirs.
When one family wins, it creates ripples that help many more.
The system works best when it isn’t about "parents vs council," but about parents and councils working as a team for the sake of children. Right now, that balance is broken. But it can be rebuilt.
Building a Better Way Forward
Councils need to stop seeing us as a problem to manage, and start seeing us as partners who share the same goal: giving our children the education and support they need.
And we, as parents, can keep reminding them — by standing together, by speaking up, by refusing to disappear quietly — that we are not obstacles. We are allies waiting to be heard.
“If you just keep doing the right thing, it will work out. It’s hard and it’ll take time, but it will work.” - Fighting for your family and your child is ALWAYS the right thing.
So if you’re reading this and feeling worn out: take a breath. Remember this: you are not fighting alone.
Every story, every voice, every parent who refuses to give up is part of something bigger. Together, we are many. Together, we are stronger. And when councils finally learn to work with us instead of against us? That’s when real change will happen.
Resources & Support
Purple Facebook Group - A supportive community for parents and carers to share experiences, advice, and strength.
Join here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EvtyLiDoW/
Strengthening Families, NNC Children’s Trust - Local support helping families of children with SEND.
Learn more: https://nctrust.co.uk/support-for-children-and-families/support-for-children-with-special-education-needs-and-disabilities/
SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years - Statutory guidance on the SEND system for children and young people aged 0 to 25.
Read here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25
First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) - How to appeal council decisions about SEND.
Visit here: https://www.gov.uk/courts-tribunals/first-tier-tribunal-special-educational-needs-and-disability
IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice) - Free, independent legal advice for families navigating SEND law.
Access resources: https://www.ipsea.org.uk
