Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Break Tha Cycle has worked with hundreds of children over the last 9 years and we have supported 70% of children who have a diagnosed need or who are on the neurological pathway.

Supporting

Break Tha cycle has worked with hundreds of children over the last 9 years and we have supported 70% of children who have a diagnosed need or who are on the neurological pathway. It gives us nothing but joy to see the milestones that our children have made, from completing their first puzzle to learning to wait patiently in a line, plus other skills including but not limited to building of self-esteem and confidence, making new friends, taking part in a variety of activities.

There have been so many beautiful moments, learning, reflection and adapting our services to manage the individual's needs.

Overlooked

Children with Special Educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are often 'forgotten' and 'overlooked'. This was exasperated during lockdown where an unprecedented number of children didn't get the support, they needed. (IPSEA)

Special educational needs (SEN) can affect a child or young person’s behaviour, reading and writing, concentration levels, ability to understand things, or their physical ability (Gov.uk 2016).

SEN and EHCs

Not all children and young people with SEN have a learning disability. In 2019/20, 80,135 children in England with a statement of SEN or an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan had a primary SEN associated with learning disability or difficulty. This is only 29% of all children with a statement of SEN or an EHC plan (Gov.uk, 2020).

However, at the broader level of SEN support (previously School Action and School Action Plus), 228,315 children in England had a primary SEN associated with learning disability (Public Health England, 2020).

Inclusive Education

Research has shown that inclusive education, where SEN provision is incorporated into mainstream schools, is beneficial for academic achievement and social skill development (Wang, 2009).

However, pupils with SEN and their families can face challenges accessing the right educational support:

According to a 2019 Department for Education survey (DfE, 2020), 22% of teachers did not feel they were able to meet the needs of SEN pupils.

Ofsted Parent View data showed that in 2019 nearly a third (29%) of parents of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities would not recommend their child’s secondary school to another parent. This was nearly double the rate for parents of pupils without SEN (15.2%; CSJ, 2021).

A 2018/19 survey found that only 14.9% of parents of disabled children surveyed said their child’s school provided information in a format accessible without them needing to make additional requests (ALLFIE, 2019).

Special educational needs are more commonly identified in boys than girls.

In 2019/20, 73.1% of all pupils with an EHC plan in England and 64.6% of pupils with SEN support were boys (Gov.uk, 2020).

Children with SEN are more likely to be eligible for free school meals than those without SEN.

The percentage of pupils in England with SEN support eligible for free school meals in 2019/20 was 29.9%, nearly double that for pupils with no SEN (14.9%; Gov.uk, 2020).

What People Say...

Break tha Cycle have worked with Waltham Forest since 2022 delivering the Department for Education funded Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programmes for children on benefit related free school meals during the Easter, Summer and Winter holidays.

The programmes have always been well received and feedback from parents and children have always been positive. Break tha cycle offer a varied programme with fun enriching and physical activities for the children to participate in. They offer additional SEND support for children with additional needs ensuring that they offer an all-inclusive programme and children have returned to the club due to the relationships children have built with the staff.

Feedback from parents