Parents fined because their SEN children won’t go to school

It’s tough enough for children with special educational needs, let alone getting the help they need from the school system.

We’re investigating the issue all this week and how getting the right support can be a long battle.

Without the right provisions, many children simply begin refusing to go to school.

Across England, three quarters of a million pupils were persistently absent in the last term of 2018.

Parents can face prosecution or fines if their children continually fail to meet attendance targets, and last year more than 27,000 parents were taken to court in England and Wales, leaving many feeling they’re being punished rather than getting the help they so desperately need.