'SEND pupils fall through cracks' - forest school

Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are falling through the gaps, a forest school founder says.

Huckleberries forest school in Elstead, Surrey, said mainstream schools in the area "don't fit" pupils whose families are instead turning to them to teach their children in nature.

It comes as parents of pupils at the school say they "have to fight" for any sort of support", with councils nationally struggling with how to provide SEND support.

A Surrey County Council spokesperson said it was investing £211 million to try and increase its capacity to help children.

Beverley Cook, who founded the school having been a governor for 13 years previously, said: "It [the school] is hugely beneficial and gives them the time to be themselves and connect with people in a way they can't in mainstream schools.

"It's challenging. There's a lot more children needing provisions than there are providers for it.

"Our children fall in the gap in support, and without that support their mental health just declins because they don't get the support they need."

In March, Surrey County Council was found to have been formally sanctioned in 38 SEND tribunal hearings in the space of five months.

Headteachers in the county also previously said trust was "diminishing" in the council's ability to provide services for children with SEND needs.

Ange, whose son goes to the Huckleberries school, said they had faced a "tough, tough three years" trying to seek support, having made the decision to take him out of mainstream schooling.

Sarah, who also has a child at the school, said it was "extremely difficult" prior to going to the forest school, but that her son had "grown in confidence" and now is about to transfer to a specialist school.

A spokesperson for Surrey County Council said 9% of all children in the county now hold Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which "reflects both increased demand and better identification of need".

Helyn Clack, the council's cabinet member for children, said: "Many more children receive SEND support in schools that meets their needs and enables them to make progress.

"We work with schools and settings to strengthen that provision to ensure that children with additional needs receive the support they need, at the earliest stage, alongside working to improve access to mental health services."

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