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Parents have come together to highlight their worries for the lack of support available for children with special educational needs. Speaking outside Gloucestershire County Council's Shire Hall where dozens of pairs of shoes had been laid, independent Send advisor, Jo Roberts said families "have to wait years and years to get anything at all". Cirencester mother, Daisy Giles said it had been "really difficult" to get support for her son Tommy who was waiting for a specialist setting but is currently at home. Ms Giles said "I'm not a teacher, he needs people that understand and people that are trained". She is concerned he "doesn't have any education at the moment". Leader of Gloucestershire Council, Lisa Spivey said they have seen a "three-fold increase" in the number of children who had Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) in the last five years. She added, historically Gloucestershire has been "underfunded compared to other local authorities...but we absolutely want to make sure that our young people can really thrive".
