City student to attend SEND protest in capital

A PLYMOUTH teenager will be attending a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) protest in London next month, to stand up for children and families like her who she says have been let down by the system.

- By ALISON STEPHENSON

The 16-year-old is advocating for change after she says a lack of support left her without full time education and declining mental health.

She is calling for a range of reforms which will make a “huge difference” to the lives of many young people with SEND in Plymouth

In this report we refer to the student as 'Isabel' to protect her identity as she is under 18.

Isabel is autistic with complex additional needs and a year ago she was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND) which causes symptoms such as seizures and sensory issues.

She says since 'year nine' her support in school has been “significantly reduced” and there have been inconsistencies in her education, health and care plan (EHCP), which details what help she needs.

She says although there were times when she received 100% support, on occasions she only got 40% from Notre Dame school, where she is a pupil.

And she refers to a recent occasion when she was alone in the school’s sensory room during a seizure, despite there being a medical care plan put in place by the school.

“I woke up with my polo shirt covered in blood from biting my tongue and was inconsolably crying in distress,” she said.

“Staff were unable to answer basic but vital safeguarding questions, such as how long the seizure lasted or what type of seizure it was.”

Isabel said her EHCP was formally put in place last December, but her 1:1 support had started earlier, as emergency funding had been granted to the school after several incidents where she had difficulty in managing emotional responses, which led to extreme reactions, a condition called dysregulation.

But she said her 1:1 support in lesson time was often interrupted when learning assistants were pulled away for other matters deemed “urgent” or to engage with other students, often for extended periods.