- Lived experiences from parents and professionals living in South London
A new report from Black Child SEND produced by Global Black Maternal Health reveals that Black children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) face systemic barriers to receiving adequate support. Despite being more likely to be identified as having SEND, Black students are less likely to get the help they require.
Factors contributing to these racial inequities include: heavy reliance on parent advocacy to secure support, links between poverty and educational outcomes, and racial bias among school staff. This translates into Black children’s behaviours being misinterpreted as deviant rather than indicative of disability, and can result in delays in support provision, and harsher disciplinary measures.
This report demonstrates the “disturbing irony” that the very children most in need of additional help face the greatest obstacles to accessing it. It calls for policy and cultural changes to address racial disparities, poverty, and bias in the education system. “Every child has a right to achieve their full potential. We are failing Black children with SEND.”
