Parents in Leicestershire say they are being "absolutely failed" by council bosses as they try to ensure their special needs children get the help and education they deserve.

A protest was held outside Leicestershire County Council headquarters in Glenfield on Wednesday, October 7, as parents and campaigners called on council bosses to do more to ensure those with special educational needs receive support and school places.

Parents told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) about how they face long wait times for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), sometimes being refused one, then being told to wait years to challenge the decision at a tribunal.

Some parents also spoke about how their children have been out of school for more than a year and sometimes face complete silence as they try to get responses and answers from council education bosses.

The LDRS spoke to Sharanjeet Rodrigues, who helped organise the protest, and was forced to homeschool her son, Xavier, after council delays and red tape denied him a place at a specialist school equipped to handle his needs

The Leicester mum told the LDRS: "There are lots of people in the same situation as me. It wasn't an isolated issue.

"I was getting absolutely nowhere with the county council – at all. My son wasn't thriving in a mainstream school; he was spending more time outside the classroom than in it.

"Education should not be about parents who shout the loudest, and that's what this protest is about."

Ms Rodrigues shared that her son has since been placed in a specialist therapeutic school, but added she feels like the council has been "completely failing" parents.

The county council faces a major issue with soaring Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) costs, driven by what it has called an "unprecedented" demand for EHCPs among children in recent years.

It has been said that demand for EHCPs is continuing to grow, meaning not every child can get the school place or support they need.

Meanwhile, the Department for Education estimated that 143,500 children across England were missing education at some point during the 2024/25 academic year, either because they were not registered at a school or because they received inadequate education.

Her words were echoed by other parents, including South Wigston mum Martina O'Neill, who has faced ongoing problems finding a school place for her seven-year-old autistic and non-verbal son Reggie.

In July 2023, he finished pre-school but Reggie had no school place for 13 months. She was forced to home-educate him until 2024, and she finally found a place for him.

However, safeguarding concerns led Ms O'Neill to take Reggie out of school because he had become withdrawn and no longer wanted to attend.

Reggie has been out of school for five months with no full-time education, but gets between six and eight hours of tutoring.

Ms O'Neill says she asked for additional provisions for Reggie, but none were supplied. Now she faces a tribunal to try and get him into a SEND school – but faces a wait until January 2028.

She said: "When I read this [the tribunal date], I felt physically sick. This isn't fair.

"My son is being failed, he's being left out, and he is without interaction with children of his age. He can't tell me how he's feeling.

"I feel like I'm failing my son."

Amy Bryan, 47, who lives in Quorn, said the process of obtaining EHCPs for her children had been "shocking".

She added: "It's really hard. It's really difficult. And the impact it has on the parent – it's really hard to watch them go through that."

Mrs Bryan said her 17-year-old child was originally refused an EHCP and then appealed the decision.

The decision was eventually overturned, but she said it took 10 months before her child was in an alternative school.

She continued: "It's exhausting because you're trying to think of everything when you're trying to think of what to do.

"You're trying to be one step ahead and make sure you do the right forms, give the right information, because it's not always very clear what you need to do.

"I haven't been able to go out and work yet because my kids have needed me."

Tara Evatt, 53, from Thrussington, said she had been fighting with the council for two and a half years.

She was initially refused an EHCP for her 13-year-old daughter, who suffers with autism, ADHD and dyslexia – before eventually being given one after threatening to go to a tribunal.

Her daughter went into a mainstream education setting, but Ms Evatt said it didn't last long as the 13-year-old showed signs of severe mental health problems, and she said they "tried everything they could".

She eventually pulled her daughter out of school, but for the past 18 months, her daughter has been without school, forcing Tara to try to homeschool.

She told the LDRS: "I've been trying to work, homeschool, and manage emotional needs and everything else. It's had an impact on both and my daughter."

She added: "The amount of paperwork and emails that you have to send as well as the law you need to know – it's just so hard."

Ms Evatt's struggles led her to lodge a complaint with the county council in March in an effort to get an online education provision for her daughter – but she claims the council has "refused" and "hasn't listened".

Leicester City councillor and long-time health campaigner Zuffar Haq also attended the protest after parents outside the city had contacted him about their issues – something he calls "totally unacceptable".

He added: "Leicester is doing pretty well when it comes to special needs children. Most of the cases I have dealt with as a councillor have been dealt with.

"There is a disparity. For reasons, Leicestershire County Council has children who have been waiting for months, or even a year, for school places. That's totally unacceptable"

Cllr Haq also said he believes the Government should fine councils for failing to find a school place for a child.

He added: "How is it fair that parents get fined for taking their children out for a holiday and yet the county council shouldn't be fined for not finding a school place for a child.

"It needs to be equitable".

A Leicestershire County Council spokesperson said: "We know that specialist places are not always immediately available and understand the concern this causes for families.

"Demand for specialist education in Leicestershire has risen significantly, with the number of Education, Health and Care Plans increasing by 22.5% in just one year. Around a third of children with an EHCP require specialist provision and, despite creating more than 600 additional places over the last five years, demand is continuing to exceed capacity.

"A key challenge is that Government funding to create new specialist places has not kept pace with this rapidly growing demand. This means that, despite significant investment locally, there are currently not enough specialist places available for every child who needs one immediately.

"We recognise how difficult this is for children and families and are continuing to increase capacity. This includes an accelerated programme of new specialist bases across the county and a new £30m, 252-place special school in Harborough, planned to open in September 2028."