Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

The SEND system in Surrey is broken. In 2023, just 16.2% of Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) were issued on time. While this rose to 70% in 2024, many remain inaccurate or inadequate. Over 1,800 local SEND children missed more than a third of school last year, leaving families exhausted and unsupported.

Since becoming MP, Al Pinkerton has taken on over 140 active cases, exposing EHCPs with the wrong names, incorrect diagnoses, and inappropriate support. He has challenged Surrey County Council for hiding tribunal figures and downgrading official complaints to avoid scrutiny. Parents are being forced to leave work to care for their children full-time, while schools are stretched beyond capacity, and some children are left without any education for years.

In Parliament, Al has demanded urgent reform. He is calling on the Government to publish the long-overdue SEND White Paper, protect EHCP rights, and ensure councils are properly funded. With a £5 billion national SEND deficit and Surrey £118 million in the red, change is urgent.

The Liberal Democrats are pushing for a stronger national framework, fair funding, and immediate action to open long-delayed special schools. Reform must be done with families, not to them. Children in Surrey Heath deserve better.