School standards minister: ‘We want to change it so nobody has to fight for their education’

I’m Riley Holden, 15, from Chorley, and I’m a disabled person. I was born at 26 weeks’ gestation weighing 2lb 8oz. I was on oxygen until nine months old and I had a grade 3 bleed to my brain and developed hydrocephalus. I had my first brain operation at five months old and have had over 30 operations since.

I have a VP shunt for life which needs changing when it breaks, gets blocked or I outgrow it (they coil in my stomach to allow for growth). I also have cerebral palsy which means my coordination is not very good. I developed this at birth due to damage on my brain. And I suffer with learning difficulties, memory and perception.

I never know when my operations are going to be as they are not planned. They only happen when the shunt fails, breaks or gets blocked. That causes me to worry. At school I should receive a one-to-one in my core subjects at school due to my education, health and care plan (EHCP). Often, the teaching assistant is supporting the whole class, leaving me alone and confused about the lesson. 

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

I have suffered since 2022 with low mood, anxiety, anger and mental health struggles. My mum has tried getting me help with my mental health and to get an autism diagnosis, but due to the support I’m supposed to get in school and the EHCP, I get denied from local services. This is the reason I go to my OnSide Youth Zone as they check up on me. 

Without the Youth Zone I don’t know what would happen. They support me unconditionally and provide me with a place to calm down, help me understand my emotions, learn right from wrong, become a better person and improve my skills.

I wanted to find out why people like me are being let down by the government, so Big Issue arranged for me to speak to the minister for school standards, Catherine McKinnell, about the government’s plans.

Riley: I have an EHCP and there’s a rumour going around that it will be taken away. Will it be taken away?

Catherine McKinnell: Do you find that the EHCP is important for making sure you get the support that you need at the moment?

R: Yeah. 

CM: I guess what you’ve said, though, is that you don’t always get the support that you hope to get and you think you need. I know you’ve asked a specific question about the education, health and care plans, but to be honest, I don’t want to get ahead of what we might do exactly to fix the system. We want to fix the challenge that you’ve outlined, which is that all children get the support they need and that schools are being supported to provide that. I assume you’re in a mainstream school? 

R: Yeah.

CM: That’s brilliant. We want as many children as possible to be in their local schools so they don’t miss out on building friendships and having a brilliant education. Some children absolutely need to be in a special school if they have complex needs. But actually, if there’s the right support, you can have a brilliant education in a mainstream school. We think every child should have an excellent education and all the opportunities that come from that. That’s not happening at the moment, so we want to change the system. How exactly that will work, we haven’t finalised those plans. But even this conversation is part of making those plans.  

Read more:

• The story behind our Big Issue special edition created entirely by young people
• Big Issue hands the reins to young people from disadvantaged areas for landmark special issue
• The number of UK children unhappy with their lives hits decade high

R: In my EHCP, I’m supposed to have a one-to-one in all my core subjects, but it’s not being met. It’s more like one to the whole class. I don’t like going to school, because I don’t really understand what’s happening. My school is a small school and there’s not enough teaching assistant

CM: I find that really concerning to hear. You’ve got an EHCP, which is great. There’s an awful lot of young people who don’t get them in a good time, and often a huge amount of time and energy goes into creating the paperwork associated with providing that support. People who would be brilliant at providing support are busy doing paperwork, rather than working with young people.

There’s two things we’re focused on. One is that children get the support as early as possible. Clearly, you’ve had a real journey throughout your life. It’s fantastic that you’re here doing this interview today. But to get that support early is the key. Children aren’t getting their needs identified at an early enough stage, and the needs only get bigger if you don’t address them.

The second thing is making sure that schools have the resources. We’re putting in money so that schools can adapt their buildings. For example, if you had a physical challenge getting into school, the school could adapt their entrance ways. Sometimes you need time in a quieter place, getting more one-to-one support. It’s making sure schools have those opportunities to provide that. If that means building another room, we want to make sure they’ve got money to do that. We’ve already announced that funding. We want to make sure funding is going where it’s needed. You’re absolutely right to identify that that’s not happening, and that’s why we want to change the system to make it better.

R: I was supposed to get tested for ASD [autism spectrum disorder]. But because I’m barely in school, and because I already have an EHCP, I can’t get tested for ADHD or anything. How does it make you feel that they won’t even see me?

CM: That sounds like the system isn’t working for you. For some people, needs will change and develop as you grow. The system needs to change and adapt with you. We need a system that is flexible and responsive, and that targets a resource where it’s needed. Far too many people are just on waiting lists for assessments for autism or for other neurological or neurodiverse conditions. It shouldn’t be that you’re waiting for a diagnosis and not getting support in the meantime. We want to make sure that schools are there to support people regardless of any diagnosis. And obviously, we need to tackle those waiting lists.

R: In November last year, it came to a point where I would get a TA twice a month instead of in all the lessons. My mum actually went to my county council. We had an emergency EHCP meeting to discuss everything. Apart from my mum and my Youth Zone, there’s not really much support out there. What would you do to change that?

CM: We hear this all the time. It’s often families that need to fight, and often mums as well. I know it can have a real impact on the whole family. You deserve your education, and the system should be there to make sure you get it. It’s not straightforward. You can’t just click your fingers and change it overnight, because you have to make sure that the parts are in place. That means making sure we’ve got the teaching workforce, making sure we train teachers in recognising additional needs and teaching a range of needs. You’re getting towards the higher end of your education journey. But it’s brilliant you are campaigning on this and raising awareness. That is going to help so many people coming through the system. We want to change it so nobody has to fight for their education.

R: Would you say there should be more Ofsted inspections to make sure? 

CM: That’s another thing we’re looking at. Reforming Ofsted. A school will always be measured on how well the children are learning and what those outcomes are, but how inclusive is that school being? How much do the children want to belong in that school? Ofsted are looking at the system independently. But as a government, we’ve been clear we want a system that looks at a broader range of measures that will drive better outcomes for children. We’re looking at teacher training. We’re looking at the curriculum. We’re making sure it’s modern, inclusive, and it’s a curriculum that young people want to engage in. There’s a lot we can do to make the education system better, and we’re working hard to achieve that.

Riley’s impressions of his interview with the school standards minister

I felt that the minister answered my questions and I think the system will change and things will get better. I also think that mainstream schools, and the complex needs schools, will get more support eventually but it will take some time. I feel more confident and comfortable knowing that the system will change.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play