Every pair tells a story: Wigan families unite to expose the SEND crisis

The symbolic event will take place outside Wigan Life Centre South, where pairs of children’s shoes will be displayed to represent every child across England who has been failed by the education system and their local authority.

This movement is not only for children missing from education. It stands for every child whose needs have been ignored, misunderstood or dismissed. It is for those isolated in classrooms without the right support, pushed into unsuitable mainstream schools, or waiting months and years for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) that are delayed, denied or disregarded.

Every pair tells a story of exhaustion, heartbreak and families forced to fight for the very basics that every child deserves: education, inclusion and respect.

The Every Pair Tells a Story campaign follows the success of The Fight for Ordinary, a large-scale rally held in London earlier this year, organised by The SEND Sanctuary UK in partnership with the Disabled Children’s Partnership. The rally was attended by more than 800 parents and young people and supported by Sir Ed Davey MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, and Helen Hayes MP, Chair of the Education Select Committee. Both MPs pledged their support for urgent improvement to SEND provision and meaningful reform that places families at the heart of the system.

Wigan, like many areas across Greater Manchester, continues to face serious challenges in meeting the growing demand for SEND provision.

• There are now over 4,000 children and young people in Wigan with an EHCP, an increase of almost 60 per cent since 2019.
• Families report waiting over 30 weeks for EHCP assessments, exceeding the 20-week legal timeframe.
• Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission identified weaknesses in consistency and coordination of provision across services.
• Parents have raised concerns about a shortage of specialist placements and children being educated out of area or at home.

These local challenges mirror the wider national SEND crisis, with more than 600,000 children in England identified as having special educational needs and over 70,000 waiting for EHCPs to be processed.

“These shoes tell the stories of children who want to learn, play and be included,” said Aimee Bradley, founder of The SEND Sanctuary UK. “No child should be left behind because the system decided their needs were too complex or too inconvenient. This is about every child failed by broken promises and endless red tape.”

Every Pair Tells a Story is a national movement, with more than 80 local events being coordinated across England, Scotland and Wales on the same day, and more locations being added daily. Each one shares the same goal: to make visible the children and families who have been left behind by a system that promises inclusion but too often delivers isolation.

Families are calling for urgent action and accountability from both local authorities and central government. With government SEND reform changes on the horizon, parents are clear that they will not be silenced. Any reform that does not listen to the lived experiences of families risks repeating the same failures that have already left thousands of children without the education and support they are legally entitled to.

“The government must listen to parents,” Aimee added. “We are not the problem. We are the evidence of the problem. Our children deserve more than words. They deserve real change, and they deserve it now.”

Why Shoes?

Shoes are something everyone has. They are universal.

For some children, these shoes were never worn because they were never given the right school place.

For others, they were only worn for a few days or weeks before everything fell apart.

Those shoes now sit at home, by the wall or under the stairs, while parents look at them and grieve the normal school life they imagined.

The shoes symbolise absence. Empty, still, waiting.

They represent children with school anxiety, those on part-time timetables, and those denied the legal education they deserve.

Each pair tells a story of a child who should be in school, but is not.

Event Details:

• Monday 3rd November 2025
• 10:30 AM – 1 PM
• Wigan Council, Life Centre South, College Avenue, Wigan, WN1 1NJ
• The public are welcome to attend or donate a pair of children’s shoes to be displayed on the day
• Organised by The SEND Sanctuary UK in partnership with Let Us Learn Too and Let’s Make a Difference

After the event, all donated shoes will be collected and given to local charities supporting children and families in need.

About The SEND Sanctuary UK

The SEND Sanctuary UK is a national parent-led community of over 35,000 families campaigning for change, accountability and inclusion for children with special educational needs and disabilities.