Bristol parents of SEND pupils 'feel unwanted'

This year, 47 children in Bristol delayed their entry to primary school to stay in an early years setting

Parents of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) "feel like schools don't want their children", say headteachers.

The demand for SEND support for children in early years education has doubled over the past five years.

The headteacher of St Philip's Marsh Nursery School in Bristol said the situation was "a bit brutal".

A council spokesperson said they were working with schools to "help mitigate national pressures".

Some pupils with SEND are held back in nursery for an extra year before starting primary school, local education bosses were told at a meeting of the schools forum at Bristol City Council.

Schools turn away prospective pupils for a variety of reasons, and sometimes being held back for a year can help a child's development, local headteachers said.

Local education bosses heard the issues with early years SEND education during a meeting of the schools forum

During the meeting on 12 July, nursery headteacher Simon Holmes said parents were often left feeling primary schools did not want their child.

This meant parents came back to the nursery and asked to stay for another year, which he thinks is "an issue".

In 2018, 312 Bristolian children were provided SEND support, compared to 637 children this year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The cost to provide support also doubled over the same time, from £919,205 to £2.1M.

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Tonya Hill, headteacher of New Fosseway School, added: "It isn't that they don't want to meet the need or they can't quite meet the need.

"It's more that actually sometimes the needs are so complex, or especially at that early age not very clear, it's a sense of what can we do to best suit this child's needs so that we give them the best start possible?

"That's where it's coming from, rather than 'we don't want you'."

A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said they were "working alongside education settings in Bristol, both mainstream and specialist, to help them mitigate national pressures."

They said: "The mayor committed to delivering 450 new specialist provision places by 2024, a target we're set to exceed, with 297 already provided and a further 190 in development."

"The newly announced special free school for Bristol will also provide additional capacity, as we work with local parents and carers to deliver further progress," they added.

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