Protestors gathered outside Suffolk County Council's headquarters at Endeavour House to show their anger at the authority's handling of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision.
The peaceful protest saw parents with children and young people with SEND.
Aggrieved parents created banners and signs highlighting the issues they have been facing with getting their children the support that they need.
One of the organisers of the protest, Toni Wasag, said: "I am here because I want children and parents to be listened to.
"I want Suffolk County Council and schools to be held to account.
"Their biggest failing is not listening.
"They don't listen to parents who are screaming, telling them that something needs to be done."
She has been fighting throughout the entirety of her child's primary school education for his Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to be given.
Now, her child will have to travel 45 minutes each way to attend a specialist unit as none of the closest schools can meet his needs.
Another mum, Michelle Staunton, said: "My son's primary school has been failing him.
"He's been failed for the last four years and the school keep saying they can't meet his needs.
"We are completely stuck.
"Every communication I make with the school is being ignored and it has become a battle to simply get my son the education that he deserves."
Danielle Thorpe said that her three-year-old will have no school provision come September.
She said: "In September, there is nowhere for him to go.
"No support has been put in place and I have been given no answers.
"I had to turn down a spot in Sudbury because it is simply too far away for us to take him every day, and it's ridiculous there is nothing closer."
Rebecca Jasper, from Parents and Carers Together, was in attendance, representing other families who couldn't make it to the protest.
She had statements from 14 families who had written messages to the council that were handed to councillors.
She said: "I think Suffolk County Council should be holding on to their policies and making sure schools are providing an environment for children and young people to feel happy and safe."
Emma Eveleigh, a mum of two with SEND, said: "My children have just been constantly let down by Suffolk.
"They haven't been supported appropriately in schools and have had to fight to get an EHCP for them.
"I think between my two children, I've had six appeals to the SEND tribunal and I've had four complaints upheld."
The protests took place between 12pm and 2pm, with councillors coming out to face the protestors mid-way through.
In July 2022, the Department for Education inspected Suffolk County Council's SEND provision, saying it had seen 'reassuring progress' made in the reform.
Findings from the report, found that there had been "significant investment in staffing the neurodevelopment pathway, mental health services and language therapy".
The report also noted improved quality assurance arrangements for EHCP across Suffolk County Council and health services.
Rachel Hood, cabinet member for education, SEND and skills at Suffolk County Council, said: "Since I took up my position, I have been clear that I wanted to see significant change and improvement in the council's SEND provision.
"I am pleased that experts within the Department for Education have been able to recognise the progress we have made to date, and are reassured by our ongoing efforts.
"There is still more to do.
"Transforming a programme as complex as the delivery of essential services for children and young people is never quick or easy, and we recognise that not every family’s experience is where we would like it to be.
"However, SEND reform continues to be the council’s biggest priority."
Ipswich MP Tom Hunt said: "I have a lot of sympathy with constituents who feel badly let down by the SEND system here in Suffolk.
"This week we’ve seen a new national improvement plan for SEND published with many positive proposals but it’s incredibly important that we see significant improvement on a local level as well.
"We’ve seen two new special schools in Ipswich over the past few years and this week the government revealed there is going to be another new special school for Suffolk.
"However as was made clear by the Suffolk SEND review the service provided to many of my constituents has been unacceptable.
"I know many at the county are working hard to turn the situation around and there have been some positive developments.
"But there is still a long way to go and also a long way to go when it comes to restoring trust with many young people with complex needs and their parents who often feel badly let down."
Jack Abbott, Labour parliamentary candidate for Ipswich, also attended the protest.
He said: "A SEND system which leaves children and parents feeling isolated, exhausted and broken is a system completely unfit for purpose, yet that is what is facing families in Suffolk.
"I know the importance of new specialist provision - and I was pleased to play my part in helping deliver more than 800 more school places across the county - but the problems are extensive and deep-rooted.
"New school places alone aren’t a silver bullet.
"The failure to produce timely, quality EHCPs, the pushing of families towards tribunals, the huge exclusion rates in primary schools, and families being left with no choice but to home school, are all examples of issues which are simply not being tackled.
"For years we've fought for real change, but progress has been glacial and the lived experiences of many families haven’t improved.
"We’ll keep fighting for the children who deserve so much better than this."
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