Panorama: Kellie Bright – Autism, School And Families On The Edge is on BBC One at 8pm on Monday, October 6
An EastEnders actress has described her struggle to secure the right education for her autistic son, as she meets other families in similar positions in a documentary. Kellie Bright’s son has autism, dyslexia, and ADHD.
The actress portrays Linda Carter on the popular soap on the BBC. Her Panorama documentary discusses how children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are educated in England. “It took months of perseverance and hard work from my husband and I to try to get the right education for him,” she said.
“At times, it felt like a battle.” Kellie and her husband spent countless hours completing paperwork to request an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This legally binding document outlines the support a child with SEND requires.
In the BBC documentary, Kellie also interviews 15-year-old Buddy, who is autistic, and his mother, Tunde. After moving to London in October 2024, Tunde applied to at least 11 schools for Buddy but was met with silence, full capacity or inability to provide additional support without an EHCP.
Buddy’s initial application for an EHCP was rejected before he even had an assessment, according to Kellie. Tunde had to apply a second time to secure support for Buddy, while the council arranged for him to receive 19 hours of lessons in a library.
The process of applying for an EHCP was so time-consuming that Tunde had to pause her career as a midwife and health visitor. “I can’t do the parenting,” she said.
“I can’t get him to these appointments, and work at the same time… I couldn’t get my son seen in the right amount of time and see other people’s babies in the right amount of time.” She later added: “And it was a toss up – and my son won.”
As of September, Buddy is receiving an EHCP but is still being taught in the library rather than in school. The council agreed he could go to an independent school that works with children struggling in mainstream schools, but Tunde is not sure the school will be able to deliver what she thinks Buddy needs to improve his confidence with other children.
Southwark Council said it takes Tunde’s concerns very seriously and it will continue to support her family to ensure they receive the provision they need without further delay.
As part of the documentary, Kellie also spoke to Jacqui Russell, Conservative councillor and cabinet member for children, young people and learning at West Sussex County Council. “The current system is actually very adversarial,” Ms Russell told Kellie.
“Our parents are increasingly tired and anxious and fed up of fighting… Staff sickness levels are really, really high at the moment…The current system doesn’t work. It is broken. It’s not delivering the best outcomes for children.”
Councils across the country have been facing spiralling high needs deficits as demand for EHCPs has grown. The latest Department for Education (DfE) figures show there were 638,745 EHCPs as of January this year, compared with 353,995 in 2019.
Local authorities have a statutory obligation to deliver the support set out in plans, so the huge increase has meant councils were looking at combined high needs deficits of an estimated at least £3.3 billion by 2024.
The Government will set out how it will reform the Send system in the Schools White Paper later this year. There have been concerns that EHCPs may be cut under the Government reforms. However, education minister Georgia Gould has previously said there ‘will always be a legal right to additional support’ for young people with SEND.
Ms Gould told Kellie the reforms will not take support away from families. “We’re wanting to put more support in earlier,” she said. “Where people have fought for support, and that’s in place, we want to make sure that that support continues.”
She later continued: “For me, and thousands of other parents of Send children, applying for an EHCP feels like a battle about your child’s future.”
Panorama: Kellie Bright – Autism, School And Families On The Edge is on BBC One at 8pm on Monday October 6 and on BBC iPlayer now.
