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For ages, I was eager to produce a documentary focusing on special educational needs and disabilities.

You might recognize me from my EastEnders role, but I'm also a mum to an neurodivergent child diagnosed with dyslexic traits and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Required many months of perseverance and effort from my husband and I to obtain the right education for him. Sometimes, it felt like a battle.

That is why I wanted to make this documentary, so I could connect with other families experiencing the same thing, and discuss with educators, local authorities, and the government about how Send children are supported in England.

The Scope of Send in England

Currently, there are more than 1.7 million young people in the country with Send. It is a broad category, encompassing autistic children and individuals who face challenges in speech and language, have ADHD, and mobility issues, among other conditions.

Schools in the UK do offer some support to these pupils, but if families think their child requires additional support, they can make an application to their council for an Education, Health and Care Plan.

An Education, Health and Care Plan is a crucial document because it is legally binding, states where a pupil should go to school, and details how much additional help they should receive.

My husband and I spent countless hours filling in the forms to request an plan, and many families describe the process extremely challenging.

Buddy and Tunde

Not long after I meet teenage Buddy, he shows me his favourite cuddly toy, Reindeer Dog.

Buddy's autistic, meaning his mind processes and reacts to the world in a unique manner from others. He faces difficulties in socializing his own age, understanding his emotions, and nervousness. He prefers to keep Reindeer Dog nearby.

After moving to London from Scotland in October 2024, his mother, Tunde, started applying for educational placements. She explains she tried at least 11 institutions, but many of them failed to respond, and those that did indicated they were at capacity or could not give Buddy the necessary help without an Education, Health and Care Plan.

By the beginning of this year, more than 638,000 EHCPs had been granted to students in England, a significant increase on the previous year and an substantial growth in half a decade.

This rise is in part because families and educators have got better at recognizing children who have Send, particularly autism spectrum disorder, as opposed to there being an increase with special needs.

This marks the repeat the family have applied for an EHCP. Their first application was turned down before Buddy was evaluated. Local authorities reject about a 25% of requests at the evaluation phase, according to government data.

When they lived in Scotland, the mother says they did not have to apply for the equivalent of an EHCP. His secondary school provided assistance for his academic needs, although not for his well-being.

The Scottish system has a different system for helping children with Send; educational institutions strive to deliver greater assistance without the need for families to apply for the similar of an EHCP.

"It's chaotic," Tunde states. "[Securing help] was straightforward, and it could be easily done again."

While Buddy is unable to attend classes, the local authority is offering him with 19 hours of tuition per week in the community library.

Tunde tells me the procedure of applying for an plan has been so time consuming she had to pause her career as a birth attendant and community nurse for a period.

"I can't do the parenting. I can't get him to these sessions, and work at the same time… I was unable to secure appointments for my child in the appropriate timeframe and see other people's babies in the necessary period. It became a difficult choice - and he won," she comments.

I reconnect with the youth after a long communication evaluation.

"Draining… that's all I have for you," he remarks as he leans against a fence, his toy tucked under his arm.

Finding a Place for Buddy

As autumn begins and as countless children start term, he is still be educated in the public library. Two months after I initially encountered him, he's receiving an EHCP but his schooling is still not settled.

The local council approved Tunde's appeal that he go to an private institution that specializes in children who have difficulties in mainstream schools.

Before he can begin there, the institution has assumed responsibility for the lessons he receives in the library. But Tunde's now not sure the place will be able to provide what she believes her son needs to improve his interpersonal abilities and self-assurance with peers his own age.

"We were all prepared for the start of term… and he's still without a school place, he continues to receive one-to-one instruction," she stated.

"In my view … getting ready to be around fellow students and then still only having solo with adults has really knocked him back and made him be reluctant to attend school."

The local authority states it takes Tunde's concerns very seriously and it will continue to assist her family to ensure they receive the support they require without additional waiting.

Officials note it knows how hard it can be for families to manage the system, and how upsetting delays in securing support can be.

It says it has invested in a dedicated information and advice service, and currently guarantees children are assessed by specialist teachers at the earliest stage, and it is open to reassessing the situation when parents are worried about school placements.

Existing Framework is Broken

I know there is a different perspective to this story.

The huge rise in the number of EHCPs is putting councils under intense budgetary strain. According to projections that English councils are set to accumulate a combined special needs shortfall of £4.3bn and £4.9bn by spring 2026.

The government states it has invested a significant sum to help authorities fund plans and additional funds on new Send school places.

I traveled to a local authority to interview among the few people in public service willing to talk to me on the record about special needs financing.

The councillor is a elected representative and official for education and youth.

"Today's framework is actually very adversarial. Our parents are more and more tired and anxious and frustrated of fighting… Staff sickness levels are really, really high at the present time," she says.

"The current system doesn't work. It has failed. It's not delivering the best outcomes for students."

Demand for plans is currently outstripping resources in the region. In 2015, the council had about 3,400 pupils with an EHCP. Today there are over 10,000.

As a result the special needs budget gap has been increasing annually, so that at the conclusion of the fiscal year it reaches more than £123m.

"That [money] is primarily intended for local services. {That would have|