With such an important topic, such as systemic inequalities in education, particularly the disparities amongst children with SEND from racially marginalised groups, the data analysis has to be about more than technical competence. Neil has the skill to interrogate complex datasets with honesty and precision, while never losing sight of the individual, their families, and the systems those numbers represent...Neil has written a book that not only challenges the education system to look honestly at itself but also presents the data to enable us to do so.
Frances Akinde is a leading UK-based SEND and inclusion consultant, author, and anti-racist schools coach. The author of ‘Be an Ally, Not a Bystander’ and the forthcoming Routledge publication ‘Together we rise: exploring intersectionality in schools, voices on race and send for advocacy and change’.
Neil Alexander Passe exposes what many families and educators have long recognised: the system does not assess or support all learners equally. This book matters because it moves beyond anecdote. It provides data and analysis that reveal what has too often been dismissed as individual failure. This book is a call to action. It challenges us to rethink how we assess, listen & respond. Equity is not about treating everyone the same; it is about recognising difference and addressing injustice.
Marcia Brissett Bailey is an award winning speaker and educator specialising in dyslexia, neurodiversity and intersectionality. A Black dyslexic woman of Jamaican heritage and author of ‘Black, Brilliant and Dyslexic’.
‘SEND and the Silence of Inequality’ exposes that truth clearly and powerfully. It demonstrates that systemic bias in the identification of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities is not a collection of isolated incidents but the product of structures, cultures, and long-standing practices that still shape outcomes unevenly…Importantly, this book does not simply highlight problems; it sets out practical, evidence-informed pathways to improvement. These align with the values I have championed throughout my career: fairness, proportionality, accountability, and the belief that every child has the right to be understood before they are judged.
Keith Fraser is the Chair of the Youth Justice Board. He is a Senior Independent Panel Member for UK Government appointments, and his tenure as UK Commissioner was applauded when many of his recommendations were adopted by the Government.
This book provides the reader with an insight and a balanced perspective on the inequalities and biases experienced by children and young people due to discrimination and disadvantage arising from the intersections of SEND and ethnicity.
Associate Professor Chandrika Devarakonda is a leading UK academic in early childhood education, inclusion, diversity, and social justice, based at the University of Chester. Devarakonda
