Parents lose hope as watchdog says Send system broken

“I was so relieved – but when I gave it to the school, there was no real additional support,” Mrs Dyson, from Huddersfield, says.

Dylan was struggling in mainstream school but his needs did not require a special-needs environment “so was kind of in between”.

“It’s an emotional and mental battle – but you have to smile through it and get through it, as you’ve got this little person there that needs you to fight,” Mrs Dyson says.

Now home-schooling Dylan, she agrees with the report’s recommendation to build a more integrated system that includes the NHS.

“I find doctors don’t speak to schools, schools don’t speak to health professionals,” Mrs Dyson says.

“If everybody was on the same page and communicated better, years waiting for a diagnosis would be cut, so you wouldn’t be fighting for so long.”

Kirklees Council said it, like most local authorities, was under increasing pressure to support those with additional needs and had argued for many years the funding it received had not kept pace with demand.