A Stockport mum has shared how her seven-year-old son came home from school saying he 'wants to kill himself' because of a lack of support for his additional needs.

The parent, aged 30, said her son has an ADHD diagnosis but is being let down by a lack of support for kids with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

She was speaking at an event in Stockport today about the problems families are experiencing around the country. She asked not to be named because of her job.

The concerned mother told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "The system doesn't work, my little boy doesn't want to go to school anymore and he's only seven.

"He came home once saying he wanted to kill himself, he doesn't really mean that or understand it, but it's his way of showing how stressed he feels.

"He's got an ADHD diagnosis and is bright enough to recognise that other children don't struggle as much as he does with some things.

"He comes home from school everyday feeling that no one likes him.

"Mainstream school is the right place for him, he's very bright, but he just needs a trusted relationship with an adult for his social and emotional needs.

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"This week it's half term so he's been at home and he's been delightful every day, because he gets the right support at home."

In a seperate instance, a couple explained how their child has 'complex' needs and that they've been trying to get her a place in a local school without success since September.

Simon Geach, 48, and Chevy Geach, 37, moved to Stockport from the United States five months ago with their 11-year-old daughter Keira.

Simon and Chevy Geach, who moved to Stockport from the US five months ago with their 11-year-old daughter Keira (Image - LDRS)

Keira has now been offered a place at the Pear Tree High School in Stockport this September, the couple said, after they were supported by local Councillor Wendy Meikle.

The Pear Tree is a purpose-built SEND school in the borough.

"It feels like the whole system is in crisis," Simon said.

"Keira is a very happy child at home, but she's lonely at the moment because she's not around other kids, and she's not really settled in, so she's very isolated.

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"As a family we're always arguing about how to deal with it, it's putting a lot of stress on us."

Today, the Lib Dem national party have made calls for SEND provision to be treated as 'critical infrastructure', similar to services such as water and energy, which they say would give the government more powers over the SEND market.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey told the LDRS: "It's broken I'm afraid, and those sorts of stories make you feel incredibly upset and frustrated that it's been allowed to get to this point.

"I myself, my party, and parents have been raising this issue with the Conservative government and I'm afraid they didn't do anything.

"In fact, they have allowed private equity companies to exploit the system, it's private equity companies who are running these schools, they're making tens of millions of pounds in profit, which should be going to help the children, young people.

"There are other ways of doing it, there are not-for-profits, charities, and state schools who are really good, and they've not had the investment they need.

"To help that child and so many like him, we need to change the system."

Cheadle MP Tom Morrison said the UK's SEND system is 'completely broken' and needs urgent attention.

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"We've somehow found ourselves in a schooling system where there is a whole raft of children who have just been written off at such an early age.

"Parents who are looking after the one person they love more than anything in this world, are having to fight tooth and nail just to give their kid a chance, and it shouldn't be like this.

"We should have an education system that's there to support kids, and we haven't got it."