Parents, carers and children are currently gathered outside Milton Keynes City Council Civic Office, laying out rows of children's shoes.
The 'Every Pair Tells a Story' initiative is part of a national campaign organised by The SEND Sanctuary UK, in partnership with Let Us Learn Too and Let's Make a Difference.
Milton Keynes is one of 90 local authority areas taking part at the same time across England and Scotland, uniting families to call for accountability, inclusion and meaningful reform.
Each pair of shoes represents a child who has been failed by the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.
Organisers say the shoes, 'symbolise children who have been denied education through delayed plans, lack of support, exclusion, or isolation within unsuitable settings.'
“This is not just about missing education,” said Aimee Bradley, founder of The SEND Sanctuary UK. “It is about the loss of childhoods, opportunities and hope. Every pair of shoes is a child’s story, and together they form a message too powerful to ignore. We are standing for every child who has been left behind.”
The government is preparing to roll out its SEND and Alternative Provision reforms, and parents are demanding genuine change that listens to families, ends the postcode lottery in provision, and restores trust in a system that has been failing children for too long.
“The government must listen to parents,” Aimee continued. “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.”
