Teachers and campaigners have launched a call for more funds to pay for special needs education.
The National Education Union handed in a petition signed by 14,000 people at Downing Street and organised 25 events across the country to support the demand for more support.
It says special needs provision in England has lost £1.2bn since 2015 because of shortfalls in funding increases from central Government while the number of children and young people with an education health and care plan has increased.
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: 'This is clearly a crisis, with pupils and parents bearing the brunt of real-terms funding cuts and the wholly inadequate planning by Government.
'Last year, when the NEU won an additional £350m for children and young people with additional needs, the Government admitted that more needs to be done.'
Beccy Forrow of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said the special educational needs system was in 'complete crisis'.
'The Treasury and the Department for Education must urgently look at the mountains of evidence and consider the many simple, cost-effective solutions that could begin to avert this crisis.'
