The weight of the evidence: Parental advocacy and resource allocation to children with statements of special educational need

Although the 1981 and 1993 Education Acts were intended to provide equal access to extra resources for children with identifiable need, the outcomes may not have been as equitable as planned. Jean Gross provides convincing evidence that some forms of statutory procedures favour children whose parents are literate and vocal, at the expense of those who are less well informed or educated. This suggests that local authorities should seriously reconsider their existing procedures.