Leeds mum with a child with special educational needs understands why parents quit job to home school
Parents have been forced to give up their careers because their children's needs are not being met
Nearly two in five parents have been forced to educate their disabled child at home because of a lack of suitable provision or funding, a survey has found.
A third (33%) of parents of disabled children have had to go to tribunal to have their local authority agree to fund their child's education, according to the poll for disability charity Sense.
Parents have been forced to give up their careers because their children's needs are not being met, while others have had to spend their children's savings to fight for support, the charity said.
It's not something Hannah, from Leeds has done, but she tells us she understands why other parents do it.
Her five-year-old son has autism and pica, she told us: "We've been on the waiting list for an education, health and care plan for over a year now and we're only just getting to the end of it. I think parents, they get declined, they probably give up.
She also said: "Although I haven't quit my job to educate my little boy, obviously everything that has been going on the past few years has been a big contributing factor."
Asking about home-schooling, Hannah said: "yeah I can completely understand why parents would want to home school."
The survey, of 1,001 parents and guardians of disabled children under the age of 18 in the UK, found 46% struggled to get an EHC plan in place for their child, and a similar proportion (45%) said they had faced difficulties in getting the plan delivered.
The charity has estimated that around 200,000 disabled children in England are having problems getting the right support through an EHC plan.
An EHC plan is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support.
These plans identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: "For too long, children and young people with Send have been let down by a system that is not working, with parents too often battling to get their child the support they need and, more importantly, deserve.
"We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise within mainstream schools, as well as making sure special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.
"There is no 'magic wand' to fix these deep-rooted issues immediately, but we have already started and will act as quickly as possible to ensure that every child gets the best start in life."