Usually, the start of the school holidays mean booking a trip away, and a chance for families to make the most of more time together as a family.

But I know that for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), as welcome as the break can be, this change to routine and the loss of round-the-clock support means these weeks can bring challenges as well as moments of joy.

For parents unable to access the SEN support their children desperately need, these challenges are year-round and heartbreakingly, it's an issue affecting hundreds of families in our constituency.

All children, no matter who they are, should have the chance to achieve their full potential through high quality education. However, I know from speaking to young people, parents and carers, this just isn't the reality for far too many locally.

Across the country the system is broken. Parents are having to fight at every stage of the process to get their child's needs met. Education, Health and Care Plans are delayed for months.

Children are stuck on ever-growing waiting lists for services like occupation therapy or speech and language support.

In our area, the challenges with SEND support are especially acute. Reports have shown that both Central Beds and Hertfordshire County Councils have been failing young people, even against the difficult national context.

This simply can't be right.

advertisement

Against this heart-breaking backdrop, I'm inspired by the parents, teachers and groups that are going above and beyond to support young people through this broken system. But they'd shouldn't have to do so alone.

As our MP, it's my job to ensure they don't have to. That's why I'm actively engaging with school leaders, parents and local organisations, and will be looking to work with Councillors from all parties across the constituency to hold Hertfordshire and Central Beds councils accountable for delivering robust improvement plans.

My team and I will be continuing to support parents too, raising individual cases with schools and local authorities and fighting their corner in a system that all too often seems set against them.

While I will keep up the fight locally, it's clear that we also need urgent action from our new Government.

Labour's plans for 6,500 new teachers, teacher training to support children with SEN, and specialist mental health support in every school is cause for hope that this crisis is finally being addressed. But there will be more to do, and I want to make sure our local experience is at the heart of shaping my work on this important issue.

That's why I've secured a Westminster debate on SEN provision in Hertfordshire and Central Bedfordshire. I want to highlight the heartbreaking reality of far too much of the SEN provision in our area, with a focus on what we can do to finally start the hard work to improve things.

The debate is on 5 September at 4pm and I want local voices to be at its heart. So, if you have been affected by SEN provision, and want your story shared, please email me on [email protected]