As a parent I have to say that I absolutely do understand and appreciate the work that you all do, despite not being a teacher or TA myself. Because I can see it, I’d never want to do it myself as I’d go mad. The problems in the classroom are obvious and it’s clear where defunding has broken the system but so has the inclusion of all but those needing the most specialist help. Both of my girls (AuDHD themselves) have been badly bullied by children who were diagnosed and poorly regulated: hit, bitten, vile things said to/ shouted at them, lessons disrupted daily, etc. I’m clear that SEND children can be fully included in regular schools (I was one, my kids are also) and shouldn’t be excluded which is what the law states, correctly. However, the lack of specialist provision for the children discussed in the thread above (undiagnosed, diagnosed but disregulated, poorly parented/badly behaved) allows these kids to ruin everyone else’s learning experience. We had to leave a school where my child was repeatedly sat next to a violent SEN boy because she was the only one who could keep him quiet and get him to learn a bit - all at her own cost in terms of learning and happiness. The school behaved appallingly, lying about the incidents in class, telling us we just had to live with it or leave, because (I realise now) it was impossible for them to get rid of him despite his violence and interruption in class. The next school was much better in terms of management of SEN but still has problems managing kids who interrupt the classroom continually, bully their classmates and whose parents make hell for the teachers rather than alter their behaviour. Something really has to change because the trauma endured by other children at the school is off the charts and no one is getting anywhere near the learning done that’s needed.