Education Campaigns

Cost's Less To Say Yes – EHCP Campaign

Right First Time UK's campaign asks whether more timely assessments, earlier support and better first-time decision-making could reduce delays, tribunal disputes and public-sector costs while helping children sooner.

• Earlier EHCP assessment and decisions
• Better first-time decision-making
• Less avoidable tribunal conflict
• Resources directed toward children rather than disputes

Ask Ellie Support

A Right First Time UK external-resource page signposting the Ask Ellie support resource. It can sit alongside campaign material so families can find practical help as well as campaigning information.

Protect legal right to support for children with SEND

Calls for legal SEND protections to be preserved during reform, including concerns around EHCPs, individual provision and appeal rights.

Closes: 14 October 2026. The petition has passed 10,000 signatures and received a Government response.

Ban FPNs and prosecutions related to school attendance

Calls for legislation to end school-attendance fixed penalty notices and prosecutions, arguing support and root causes should be addressed instead of punishment.

Closes: 24 September 2026. It passed 100,000 signatures and is to be considered for a Parliamentary debate.

Protect rights to EOTAS/EOTISC for children and young people with SEND

Asks Government to retain legal access to education otherwise than in school/college where no conventional placement can appropriately meet a child's needs, and to retain Tribunal safeguards.

Closes: 21 November 2026.

Launch a public inquiry into the SEND system in England

Calls for a statutory public inquiry into SEND provision following whistleblower allegations and wider concerns about delays, unmet provision and systemic failures.

Closes: 7 February 2027.

Mandatory autism-specific training for speech therapists

Calls for additional autism-specific training for prospective and practising NHS speech therapists, including communication, AAC, language processing and speech disorders.

Closes: 21 October 2026.

Make school libraries statutory in all secondary schools

Calls for every secondary school to have a school library with a dedicated full-time librarian.

Closes: 18 September 2026.

Improve funding, pay and professional recognition for the Early Years workforce

Calls for increased funding plus national frameworks around pay, progression and professional recognition for early-years educators.

Closes: 6 September 2026. It has passed 10,000 signatures and received a Government response.

Give students a legal right to unrestricted toilet access in school

Challenges restrictive toilet policies and calls for reliable access, with particular concern for pupils with health conditions, disabilities, autism and menstrual needs.

Closes: 24 September 2026.

Require accessible, SEN-friendly menus in school canteens

Calls for simple language, visual information, clear allergen information and consistent layouts to improve access and independence at school mealtimes.

Closes: 14 November 2026.

Make neurodiversity education mandatory in the national curriculum

Calls for pupils to be taught about neurodiversity as part of the national curriculum.

Closes: 24 October 2026.

Require schools to carry out autism, ADHD & dyslexia testing

Calls for schools to provide testing where neurodevelopmental or dyslexia needs are suspected, with the stated aim of identifying needs earlier.

Closes: 5 November 2026.

Require developmental assessments before children start school

A petition seeking developmental assessment before school entry to identify potential support needs earlier.

Closes: 8 October 2026.

Fund behavioural coaches in all UK primary schools

Calls for Government funding for dedicated behavioural coaches or therapists, arguing that distress behaviours can be communication of unmet or neurodivergent needs.

Closes: 30 January 2027.

Free school meals for all pupils and cover compulsory uniform costs

Calls for universal free school meals and national help with compulsory school-uniform costs.

Closes: 19 November 2026.

Save Our Children's Rights / #SaveSENDLegalRights

A joint SEND campaign supported by organisations including IPSEA, Special Needs Jungle and SOS!SEN. It is campaigning against weakening legal SEND rights during reform.

• Protect existing SEND legal rights
• Protect enforceable individual provision
• Retain meaningful access to the SEND Tribunal
• Increase accountability when support is not delivered

The coalition organised national demonstrations in London and regional locations during 2026 and continues to encourage families to contact MPs.

IPSEA – Manifesto for SEND Reform

IPSEA's August 2026 campaign asks ministers to commit to four principles before the Education for All Bill:

• Protect legal rights for children with and without EHC plans
• Retain legally enforceable provision
• Protect children unable to attend school, including EOTIS
• Preserve appeal rights and strengthen accountability

Contact – Protect EHC plans and Tribunal rights

Contact is campaigning through the 2026 SEND reform process and says EHC plans must be safeguarded, rights protected and access to support improved. It has opposed weakening Tribunal powers.

ALLFIE – SEND Reform: Inclusion Works

The Alliance for Inclusive Education campaigns for disabled children and young people to have a right to inclusive education and is challenging reform proposals it believes could increase segregation.

• Inclusive mainstream education
• Rights-based SEND reform
• Action through MPs and campaign events

National Autistic Society – Let's Get SEND Right

Campaigning around the 2026 Schools White Paper and SEND reform so autistic children receive appropriate support, families remain meaningfully involved and education staff receive stronger autism training.

Ambitious about Autism – Absence Notes

Autistic young people and families write an “absence note” to Government explaining why autistic pupils are missing education or present but not properly included.

• Put autistic voices at the centre of reform
• Protect and strengthen rights
• Fund and train for genuine inclusion
• Improve joint working across education, health and care

Ambitious about Autism – Written Off?

Campaign originally launched to protect funding and legal rights and highlight exclusion of autistic pupils. It continues to call for existing laws and funding protections to be upheld.

National Deaf Children's Society – UK Campaigns

Campaigns across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for deaf children to have the specialist support, communication access and educational opportunities they need.

Current work includes Teachers of the Deaf, BSL access, SEND reform, school accountability and audiology.

British Dyslexia Association – Unlocking Dyslexic Potential

The BDA's 2026–2030 strategy includes campaigning for earlier identification, better support, fairer exams and adjustments, more knowledgeable professionals and less discrimination.

Special Needs Jungle

Independent SEND information and campaigning platform covering SEND reform, legal rights, EHCP protections, Tribunal issues, accessibility, exclusions and parent advocacy.

Allocate the full consequential funding to Additional Learning Needs (ALN)

Senedd petition asking for additional funding intended for ALN to be directed to support learners and schools in Wales. The petition closed on 27 July 2026 with 11,451 signatures and is under consideration by the Petitions Committee, with the 10,000-signature debate threshold met.

National Education Union Wales – ALN Manifesto 2026

Calls for the Welsh ALN system to be fully funded, universal access to specialist support and funding that follows the needs of each child, including Welsh-language provision.

SNAP Cymru

Welsh organisation supporting children and families with additional learning needs and helping parents understand education rights, dispute resolution and the ALN system.

National Deaf Children's Society – Wales

Part of NDCS's four-nation campaigning to improve specialist services, education, communication access and outcomes for deaf children.

Allow ASN education funding to access alternative education

Calls on the Scottish Government to allow parents of children with ASN to use local-authority education funding toward alternative provision such as private schools, forest schools or other alternatives.

Published: 2 July 2026.

Scottish Children's Services Coalition – Additional Support Needs

Campaigns for increased, high-quality, well-resourced and easily accessible services tailored to children and young people with ASN.

Children in Scotland – Additional Support for Learning

The organisation's 2026 manifesto called for greater specialist provision, more support staff and professionals, and a renewed Additional Support for Learning Action Plan.

National Autistic Society Scotland – Act Now for Autistic Rights

Campaigning for the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill to be brought forward, with a 2026 petition urging the Scottish Government to put the Bill into its legislative programme.

CPAG Scotland – School Shouldn't Cost

Young people's education-and-poverty campaign calling for basics such as meals, uniform support, devices/resources and opportunities to participate in school life without family income creating barriers.

Caleb's Cause NI

Campaign seeking legislation and clearer statutory support for young people with SEN after leaving special school at 19, addressing what campaigners describe as a “cliff edge” in services and opportunities.

The Northern Ireland Assembly debated the issue on 18 May 2026 and agreed a motion supporting Caleb's Cause NI's work and calling for legislation and joined-up transition planning.

Northern Ireland SEN Regulations & Reform

During 2026 the Assembly Education Committee took evidence on proposed SEN Regulations and the wider transformation programme, including evidence from unions, parent representatives and Caleb's Cause NI.

National Deaf Children's Society – Northern Ireland

Campaigns within Northern Ireland as part of NDCS's four-nation work to improve education and services for deaf children and young people.

The Missing Million

Raises awareness that children and young people with Developmental Language Disorder can be overlooked in SEND reform.

• Recognition of DLD
• Better support
• DLD included in SEND policy

Fight for Ordinary

Promotes practical and cost-effective changes intended to improve everyday life and reduce the need for expensive crisis intervention.

Transforming SEND

Campaigns for a more inclusive SEND system where communication needs are understood and children can participate fully at school.

A Perfect Storm

Highlights the overlap between speech/language challenges and mental-health difficulties and calls for earlier, coordinated support.

Support Not Sanctions

Campaigns for school behaviour systems to recognise communication difficulties rather than unfairly punishing children for needs that are misunderstood.

Getting In Early

Promotes early identification and intervention, support for early-years professionals and better school readiness.

1.7 Million Young Futures

Research-led campaign highlighting children struggling with talking and understanding words, calling for better training and support.

Speaking Up for the Covid Generation

Highlighted pandemic-era speech and language delays and called for targeted recovery support.

Bercow: 10 Years On

Reviewed progress after the original Bercow review and identified continuing gaps in speech, language and communication support.

The Bercow Report

Landmark review and campaign period that raised national attention to speech, language and communication needs and services.

National Year of Reading 2026 – Go All In

A Department for Education initiative delivered with the National Literacy Trust to re-engage people with reading and reading for pleasure. Schools, early-years settings, libraries, families and communities can access events and resources throughout 2026.

National Literacy Trust

Works to improve literacy among children, young people and adults, with programmes including reading challenges, school resources, early language work and community literacy.

• Reading attainment
• School readiness
• Family literacy
• Disadvantaged communities

World Book Day

Major annual reading campaign promoting reading for pleasure, access to books and engagement through schools, libraries and families.

National Numeracy Day – Count on Your Community

The UK's national everyday-maths campaign brings schools, workplaces and communities together to improve confidence with numbers. The 2026 campaign ran on 20 May, with free resources remaining available.

National Numeracy reported more than 1.6 million actions to improve numeracy during its 2026 campaign.

National Numeracy Challenge

Free tool helping adults build confidence and improve everyday maths skills at their own pace.

More Than A Score

Parents, teachers, heads and education experts campaigning to change England's high-stakes primary testing and accountability system.

• Reform or removal of high-pressure SATs
• Reduce test-driven pressure on children
• Better assessment methods
• Greater attention to SEND and wellbeing

Campaign for State Education (CASE)

Campaigning since 1960 for an inclusive, properly funded and democratically accountable education system. Current work includes academy accountability, school wellbeing and responses to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Department for Education – School Attendance

The Government's attendance drive focuses on reducing persistent absence and increasing attendance. It is included here because it is a major national education campaign/policy programme, although it is a Government initiative rather than an independent campaign.

Square Peg

Campaigning and advocacy around barriers to school attendance, especially where absence is connected with SEND, mental health, unmet need or unsuitable provision.

Not Fine in School

Parent-led organisation raising awareness of school attendance barriers and supporting families where children struggle to attend because of distress, anxiety, SEND or unmet needs.

School Cuts / Stop School Cuts

Run by the National Education Union and supported by education organisations. It campaigns for greater school funding, gives communities tools to examine funding and encourages people to contact MPs.

• Reverse real-terms school cuts
• Fund staffing and resources
• Support SEND and specialist provision
• Mobilise parents, educators and school communities

WorthLess?

Headteacher-led campaign that became a major national voice on school funding and the impact of funding pressures on staffing and educational provision. It was included in the original Right First Time UK campaign list.

National Education Union Campaigns

Campaigns on education funding, teacher and support-staff pay, workload, SEND provision, child poverty, curriculum and working conditions.

Education Support

Charity focusing on the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff, including research and advocacy around workload, burnout and workforce retention.

Bite Back – Big Food in Schools / Fix School Food

Youth-led campaign examining school food standards and pushing for healthier school meals, stronger monitoring and enforcement, and young people's voices in school-food reform.

Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)

Campaigns to reduce child poverty and education costs, including expansion of free school meals and policies that reduce the financial barriers children face at school.

School Food Matters

Campaigns so children do not miss out on nutritious school food and delivers food-education programmes with schools, parents and pupils.

YoungMinds – Future Minds

Campaign calling for greater investment in children and young people's mental-health services, expansion of Mental Health Support Teams, open-access community support and a stronger workforce plan.

YoungMinds – Fund The Hubs

Campaigning for early-support mental-health hubs so young people can access help in their community without waiting until they reach crisis.

Hello Yellow

YoungMinds' annual awareness and fundraising campaign involving schools, workplaces and communities wearing yellow to show young people they are not alone.

Place2Be – Children's Mental Health Week

Annual campaign raising awareness of children's and young people's mental health and encouraging schools, families and communities to talk about wellbeing and support.

Safer Internet Day 2026 – Smart tech, safe choices

UK Safer Internet Centre campaign focused in 2026 on safe and responsible use of AI. More than 3,500 organisations registered support and campaign resources remain available.

Internet Matters

Campaigns and educational resources on online safety, digital literacy, social media, cyberbullying, gaming and emerging technology.

Childnet International

Works with children and young people on online safety, digital citizenship and resilience and is one of the partners behind the UK Safer Internet Centre.

STEM Learning

National programmes supporting science, technology, engineering and maths education, including STEM Ambassadors, computing and teacher development.

British Science Association

Runs British Science Week, CREST Awards and public-engagement activity designed to make science more accessible and inclusive.

The Sutton Trust

Campaigns and researches education inequality, access to universities, apprenticeships, early years and social mobility.

IntoUniversity

Works with young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods through academic support, mentoring and aspiration-building to improve access to higher education and opportunity.