'Every Pair Tells a Story' as parents across UK lay children’s shoes to protest SEND crisis

Wednesday, 29 October 2025 08:36

By David Murphy

A powerful national protest will see rows of children’s shoes laid outside council buildings in 92 towns and cities this week, representing the thousands of children failed by the SEND system.

Parents from across England and Scotland will gather outside local authority offices on Monday 3 November to take part in Every Pair Tells a Story, a powerful protest highlighting the national crisis in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision.

At exactly 10.30am, families will line up children’s shoes on the steps of 92 town halls. Every pair represents a child whose education has been delayed, denied, or destroyed by what campaigners are calling a “broken and discriminatory system.”

Some of the shoes were never worn, because the children they belong to were never offered a school place. Others were worn briefly before pupils were excluded, isolated, or withdrawn due to lack of support.

“This is about the loss of childhoods, opportunities and hope,” said Aimee Bradley, founder of national parent campaign group The SEND Sanctuary UK, which is organising the event in partnership with Let Us Learn Too and Let’s Make a Difference.

“Every pair of shoes is a child’s story, and together they form a message too powerful to ignore.”

Despite political promises, families say they are still forced to battle every step of the way. According to the most recent national data:

Over 600,000 children in England are currently identified as having special educational needs.
More than 70,000 are waiting for legally required Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
Thousands of children have been left without a school place entirely.

Campaigners argue these figures represent widespread breaches of legal obligations, and years of neglect. Many parents report being forced to leave jobs to educate their children at home, while others have been left in financial and emotional crisis.

“This isn’t just about missing school,” said Bradley. “It’s about the failure of a system to treat children with dignity and give them a future.”

The protest comes just as the UK government prepares to roll out long-awaited reforms to SEND and Alternative Provision. However, campaign groups say trust in the process is low.

“The government must listen to parents,” said Bradley. “We are not the problem. We are the evidence of the problem. Our children deserve more than words. They deserve action, fairness and a future.”

The protest will last until 1pm. After each demonstration, volunteers will collect the shoes to be sorted and donated to children’s charities. “No shoes will be left behind,” say organisers.

The SEND Sanctuary UK, which represents over 35,000 families, describes the protest as a “nationwide stand for every child left behind by a failing system.”