New campaign urges Starmer not to diminish legal rights of Send children

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Richard Adams Education editorJanuary 12, 2026 at 08:01 AM

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A new national campaign, "Save Our Children's Rights," is urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to protect the legal rights of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England. The campaign, backed by actress Sally Phillips and a cross-party group of MPs, fears the government's upcoming schools white paper will diminish these rights in an effort to cut costs. The coalition, which includes groups like Special Needs Jungle and Ipsea, is launching a video and delivering a petition with 130,000 signatures to Downing Street. They claim the government plans to alter how children qualify for support, potentially removing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which are legal agreements detailing necessary support. Campaigners argue weakening the legal framework would leave families without recourse and undermine progress toward inclusive education.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Neil Duncan-Jordan 40% Greg Stafford 40% Daisy Cooper 40% Conservative Party 50% Special Needs Jungle 50% Madeleine Cassidy 50% Labour Party 50% Liberal Democrats 50% Sally Phillips ×260% Ipsea ×270% Save Our Children’s Rights 70% Keir Starmer ×490%

Keywords

special educational needs 100% legal rights 90% send children 80% keir starmer 70% ehcps 60% schools white paper 60% inclusive education 50% education, health and care plans 50% save our children’s rights 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.60

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Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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special educational needs legal rights send children keir starmer ehcps schools white paper inclusive education education, health and care plans save our children’s rights

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