Families are expected to gather outside Swindon Borough Council’s offices as part of a protest demanding urgent reform to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.
The demonstration, called Every Pair Tells a Story, will take place on Monday, 3 November between 10.30am and 1pm, outside the Euclid Street offices. It forms part of a coordinated national action across more than 90 towns and cities in England and Scotland.
A protest will also take place outside County Hall in Trowbridge, the Wiltshire Council HQ.
Organised by The SEND Sanctuary UK, in partnership with Let Us Learn Too and Let’s Make a Difference, the Swindon protest will see rows of children’s shoes displayed to represent every child the campaigners say has been failed by the education system.
Each pair symbolises a story: children unable to access education, those forced into unsuitable settings, or waiting months and years for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
In Swindon, there are now more than 3,000 children and young people with an EHCP – a 55% increase since 2019. Families report waiting up to 35 weeks for decisions, far exceeding the 20-week legal timeframe.
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission have also identified weaknesses in communication and consistency of support across education and health services.
The protest follows the success of The Fight for Ordinary, a rally held in London earlier this year by The SEND Sanctuary UK and the Disabled Children’s Partnership. That event attracted more than 800 parents and young people and was supported by MPs including Sir Ed Davey and Helen Hayes.
Aimee Bradley, founder of The SEND Sanctuary UK, said: “This is about every child failed by broken promises and endless red tape.
“These shoes tell the stories of children who want to learn, play and be included. No child should be left behind because the system decided their needs were too complex or too inconvenient.”
Parents say the shoes also represent absence – children who should be in classrooms but are not. Some were never worn because their owner never received a school place. Others sit at home, reminders of the education that was lost.
“This is not just about missing education. It is about the loss of childhoods, opportunities and hope,” Aimee added.
“Every pair of shoes is a child’s story, and together they form a message too powerful to ignore.”
Families want to see reform made a priority from both local and national government, warning that upcoming SEND changes should be shaped by lived experience, not bureaucracy.
“The government must listen to parents,” Aimee said. “We are not the problem. We are the evidence of the problem. Our children deserve more than words. They deserve action, fairness and a future.”
Members of the public are welcome to attend the Swindon event or donate a pair of children’s shoes to be displayed.
All shoes will later be given to local charities supporting families in need. For more information about the campaign, visit www.sendsanctuaryuk.co.uk
