Fight for Ordinary Campaign
At Kids, we believe every child deserves the chance to thrive – whether in school, in their community, or at home. That’s why we’re proud to be part of the Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP) and launch a new campaign, Fight for Ordinary.
What is the Fight for Ordinary Campaign?
The Fight for Ordinary campaign, co-produced with young people and their parents, carers, and families, is a powerful call to Government to fix the broken system that supports children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
The campaign sets out exactly what children, young people, and families want to see in a reformed SEND system. It aims to influence the upcoming SEND White Paper, expected this autumn, which could lead to significant changes in the laws and systems that govern how children and young people with SEND are supported across education, health, and social care.
Why it matters
The Government itself has recognised that the current SEND system is not working well for many children and families. While SEND support is often thought of in terms of education, many children also need coordinated help from health professionals like speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, and educational psychologists.
The upcoming White Paper represents a once-in-a-generation chance to get it right. The Government is signalling that most children with SEND should be supported to learn and thrive in mainstream schools, but that support needs to be guaranteed, effective, and well-resourced.
What we’re asking for
- Legally guaranteed support for all children with SEND, whether they have an EHCP or not.
- Nurseries, schools and colleges have the right training, tools and expert support to meet the needs of children with SEND.
- Every local area to have a clear plan for education, with the right mix of mainstream and specialist places, and enough therapists and educational psychologists.
- Children’s progress and experiences are measured to make sure no one is left behind.
- The system is properly funded and the right funding incentives for these reforms to work.
Kids’ role
Our CEO, Katie Ghose, is Vice-Chair of the Disabled Children’s Partnership, and we have been involved in shaping the Fight for Ordinary campaign. Over the past year, we have worked closely with DCP partners and families we support to share real evidence about what’s not working and what needs to change.
Join the campaign
Your support is vital! Here’s how you can get involved:
Write to your MP
Send a message to your MP to tell them why it’s important to make the SEND system work better for children, young people and families. Click the link below to fill in a quick form.
Share the campaign on social media
Like and share the campaign video to help spread the word and together, we can #FightforOrdinary
Learn more
If you’d like to learn more about the campaign, here are some handy resources.
Campaign report
Read the full report shaping the campaign’s priorities and recommendations to Government.
Focus group research on EHCP
Findings from parent carer focus groups about Education, Health and Care Plans.