Jen Craft prompts DfE intervention over disabled child's access to school events

The Prime Minister has asked the Department for Education to contact an academy trust after the Thurrock MP raised a constituent's case.

The Prime Minister has asked the Department for Education to contact an academy trust after the Thurrock MP raised a constituent's case.

Jen Craft MP. Photo: UK Parliament (official portrait).
Jen Craft MP. Photo: UK Parliament (official portrait).

Jen Craft has prompted the Department for Education to intervene in a dispute over a disabled child's ability to attend events at his sibling's school.

The Thurrock MP said a local family was effectively excluded from parents' evenings, Christmas plays and other events because the school would not accommodate a child requiring round-the-clock specialist care.

Craft told the Commons that Catalyst Academies Trust had declined to make an exception or meet her to discuss a solution.

The Prime Minister said the case worried him and confirmed that he had asked the Department for Education to speak to the trust.

He said the situation should be resolved without delay and should not continue causing stress to the family.

The intervention is a direction to seek a resolution, not a published finding that the trust has breached its legal duties. The department and trust must now determine the practical response.

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  • published this page in News 2026-10-15 13:56:33 +0100

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Jen Craft prompts DfE intervention over disabled child's access to school events

Jen Craft prompts DfE intervention over disabled child's access to school events