Kellie Bright, familiar to millions as EastEnders' Linda Carter, recently swapped the soap set for a far more personal stage: the world of special educational needs and disabilities (Send) in England. Her Panorama documentary, airing October 6, 2025 on BBC One, lays bare the struggles faced by families—including her own—as they navigate the maze of securing the right support for children with complex needs.
Bright’s motivation isn’t just professional curiosity. She’s a mother to a son with autism, dyslexia, and ADHD. "It took months of perseverance and hard work from my husband and I to try to get the right education for him. At times, it felt like a battle," she wrote for the BBC. Like so many parents, Bright and her husband found themselves spending countless hours filling in forms, fighting for what’s known as an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)—the golden ticket for children with Send to receive tailored educational support.
In England today, more than 1.7 million children are identified as having Send. This includes a wide range of needs: from autism and ADHD to speech and language difficulties and physical disabilities. Mainstream schools offer some support, but when a child requires more, parents must apply through their local council for an EHCP. This legally binding document spells out not only what support a child should get, but also where they should go to school. It’s the difference between a child thriving or falling through the cracks.
The numbers tell a story of rising demand. As of January 2025, over 638,000 EHCPs had been issued in England—a staggering 10.8% rise from the previous year and an 80% jump over six years, according to the Department for Education. The increase isn’t necessarily because more children have Send, but because parents and schools are getting better at recognizing the signs, especially with conditions like autism. Yet, about a quarter of EHCP applications are rejected at the assessment stage, leaving many families in limbo.
The documentary follows the journey of Buddy, a 15-year-old autistic boy, and his mother, Tunde. Their story is emblematic of the hurdles many face. After moving from Scotland to London in October 2024, Tunde applied to at least 11 schools. Most didn’t respond; those that did were either full or said they couldn’t provide extra support without an EHCP. Their first EHCP application was turned down before Buddy was even assessed. In Scotland, by contrast, Tunde says support was arranged directly by the school, without a lengthy application process. "It's a madness," she told Bright. "[Getting extra support] was so easily done, and it could be easily done again."
While waiting for a school place, Buddy receives 19 hours of lessons per week in a local library. The process has taken such a toll that Tunde had to temporarily stop working as a midwife and health visitor. "I can't do the parenting. I can't get him to these appointments, and work at the same time… I couldn't get my son seen in the right amount of time and see other people's babies in the right amount time. And it was a toss up – and my son won," she said. After a draining speech and language assessment, Buddy summed up the experience in one word: "Draining… that's all I've got for you."
By September 2025, Buddy finally received an EHCP, and the council agreed he could attend an independently run school for children who struggle in mainstream environments. But Tunde remains uncertain. "We were all prepared for September… and he's still not at school, he's still having one-to-one," she said. "I think … preparing to be around other kids and then still just being one-to-one with adults has really knocked him back and made him not want to go to school."
Southwark Council, responsible for Buddy’s case, acknowledged the challenges. In a statement, they said they take Tunde’s concerns "very seriously" and will continue to support the family to ensure they receive the provision they need without further delay. The council has invested in specialist information and advice teams and now ensures early assessment by specialist teachers, emphasizing their willingness to review situations when parents raise concerns.
But the pressures aren’t only on families. The surge in EHCPs is straining council budgets to breaking point. The Department for Education estimates that English councils could face a total accumulated Send deficit of £4.3bn to £4.9bn by March 2026. West Sussex County Council is a case in point: in 2015, it had about 3,400 children with an EHCP; by 2025, that number had soared to over 10,000, with a Send deficit exceeding £123m. Jacquie Russell, Conservative councillor and cabinet member for children, young people and learning in West Sussex, didn’t mince words. "The current system is actually very adversarial. Our parents are increasingly tired and anxious and fed up of fighting… Staff sickness levels are really, really high at the moment," she told Bright. "The current system doesn't work. It is broken. It's not delivering the best outcomes for children."
The government is well aware of the crisis. It has invested £1 billion to help councils fund EHCPs and an additional £740 million for new Send school places. But money alone may not fix what many now see as a fundamentally flawed system. Minister for school standards, Georgia Gould, told Bright that reforms set for 2025 are designed to provide earlier support. "We're wanting to put more support in earlier," she said. "Where people have fought for support, and that's in place, we want to make sure that that support continues." She was clear that reforms would not take support away from families: "There will always be a legal right to additional support." Gould emphasized that the aim is to work with parents to get the reforms right and to ensure families get help at the "earliest possible point rather than having to battle."
Last month, the tension spilled out onto the streets. Worried parents rallied in Westminster, holding up signs that read, "My child isn't broken the system is!" Their message was clear: the system must change, and soon.
For Bright and thousands of parents like her, applying for an EHCP isn’t just paperwork—it’s a fight for their child’s future. "Who does not want the best possible education for their son or daughter?" she wrote. But with every parent fighting, there’s a council counting the cost. As government reforms loom, all eyes are watching to see if the pressure on families—and local authorities—can finally be eased.
As the debate continues, the stories of children like Buddy remind us what’s at stake: not just numbers on a balance sheet, but real lives waiting for a chance to thrive.
