Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

Too many families across Surrey Heath are being let down by a SEND system that is too slow, too adversarial and too often unable to provide the support children need. Parents regularly contact Al about lengthy struggles to secure appropriate education, inaccurate Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), and exhausting appeals and tribunal processes.

Al has hundreds of active SEND cases, giving him first-hand insight into the challenges facing children, families and schools across Surrey. He has repeatedly challenged Surrey County Council's poor record on SEND provision in Parliament and joined fellow Surrey MPs in calling for Government intervention and an independent, judge-led investigation into the crisis.

Expanding local specialist provision has been a key focus of his campaigning. Al has pressed both Surrey County Council and the Education Secretary for progress on the former Lakeside Primary School site in Frimley and welcomed confirmation of Government funding for Frimley Oak Academy, which will provide 170 specialist places. The new school will help more children access suitable education closer to home and reduce the need for long and disruptive journeys.

Al has also urged Ministers to prioritise specialist autism provision in West Surrey, securing agreement to further discussions on unmet need and future investment. He is determined to ensure that Government funding reflects the scale of SEND demand across the future West Surrey Council area, with the needs of children and families at the heart of local government reorganisation.

Al believes that increasing specialist places must go hand in hand with earlier intervention, fairer funding, stronger support for mainstream schools, protection of EHCP rights and properly resourced specialist services, so that families can access the support they need without having to fight for it.