Louise Haigh MP is asking parents and carers across Sheffield to share with her their experience of getting Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) support for their child.

Since becoming a MP in 2015, Louise has worked hard to support parents and carers in her constituency of Sheffield Heeley to ensure that their children get the support they need to help them achieve their full potential.

Louise now wants to hear directly from parents and carers and practitioners who work with young people to hear their first-hand experiences to help share best practice and knowledge of how to navigate a complex system. Louise has created a short online survey.

Research obtained from the House of Commons library finds that in 2022 15% of students attending schools in the Sheffield Heeley constituency with SEND support and 6% of students had a EHC plan. This is higher than the national average of 13% with SEND support and 4% with EHC plans.

Louise Haigh MP for Sheffield Heeley, said:

“I’ve been working and fighting alongside parents and carers for more than eight years to try and get children with SEND needs the help and support they need. Over the years, I’ve seen how hard parents and carers need to fight to get help and how hard it is to navigate the systems and processes.

“We know that our education system has been chronically underfunded by successive Tory government’s and it’s our children who are paying the price of their failures. A Labour government will end the tax breaks for private schools and invest in delivering brilliant education for every child, including supporting teaching staff with the skills they say they need to support children who have SEND needs.

“I want to hear from parents and carers from across the city to understand their experiences and to share best practice, so that others can ensure they can get the help and support their children need, in an easy and understandable way.”

Complete the online survey here.