UK is losing out on best minds because of SEND failures, Rory Bremner warns

Rory Bremner says failures in support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) risk wasting their abilities and contributing to poor outcomes later in life. Ahead of a cross-party campaign launch in Parliament, he has criticised plans that presume mainstream schooling is best for every child, arguing some need specialist provision.

Bremner, who was diagnosed with severe ADHD as an adult, cites findings that young people with SEND are about 80 per cent more likely to be not in education or full-time training, and government estimates that up to half of adult prisoners may be neurodivergent. Around one in five schoolchildren are identified as having special educational needs, while Department for Education research found 15 per cent of teachers would not feel confident identifying SEND. He says neurodivergent people can bring valuable strengths to fields including technology and the arts.