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

Families across Milton Keynes will unite this November as part of Every Pair Tells a Story, a powerful national movement organised by The SEND Sanctuary UK in partnership with Let Us Learn Too and Let’s Make a Difference.

The symbolic event will take place outside Milton Keynes City Council, Civic Office, Silbury Boulevard, 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.

Milton Keynes, like many local authorities, continues to face growing strain on its SEND system.

• There are now over 4,000 children and young people with an EHCP in Milton Keynes, an increase of around 50 per cent since 2019.
• Families are waiting 25 to 35 weeks for plan decisions, far exceeding the legal 20-week limit.
• Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission identified ongoing weaknesses in joint working between education, health and care.
• Parents continue to raise concerns about a shortage of special school places and lack of communication during the EHCP process.

These issues reflect the national crisis, with more than 600,000 children in England identified as having special educational needs and over 70,000 waiting for EHCPs.

“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 70 local events being coordinated across England 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
• Milton Keynes City Council, Civic Office, Silbury Boulevard, Central Milton Keynes, MK9 3EJ
• 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.