I have met with the Secretary of State for Education and the Minister for Schools to draw their attention to the crisis in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Surrey. The Conservative Leader of Surrey County Council was forced to apologise after me and the other Surrey Lib Dem MPs highlighted the chronic failure in SEND provision.
In preparing this response, I am drawing on my constituency casework since being elected as the Member of Parliament for Esher and Walton in July 2024, and on consultation meetings I have held with parents, educators, children and young people.
I've joined my Surrey Liberal Democrat MP colleagues in writing to the Minister for School Standards to request a meeting, so we can share what we're hearing on the ground and work constructively towards better outcomes for Surrey's children.