The education secretary, Gillian Keegan, has described her family’s battle to get the right support for her nephew, who has Down’s syndrome, as the government prepares to publish its improvement plan for special educational needs and disabilities (Send) in England.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Keegan said the experiences of her 16-year-old nephew Joseph and his family had shown her first-hand how parents of children with Send have to fight every step of the way for the support they need.
The government’s long-awaited Send improvement plan is expected to be unveiled on Thursday, almost a year after the review was first published as part of a green paper consultation. It has since attracted thousands of responses, including from families struggling to negotiate the system.
“Every family in the country with anyone with special educational needs will have felt at times like they’re battling the system,” Keegan said. “I’ve seen that myself for my own family as well. I have a nephew with Down’s syndrome and from the very moment that you have a baby with special educational needs, you know that you need support.”
