EastEnders’ Kellie Bright reveals parenting struggle that left her family ‘drained and maddened’ as she makes desperate plea to schools
EastEnders star Kellie Bright has opened up about how her fight to get her autistic son an education left her family ‘drained and maddened’.
The actress, 49, best known for her portrayal of Linda Carter in EastEnders, explained that her son is one of the 1.7 million SEND children in England – those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
The term is used to refer to those with a number of conditions, including physical disabilities and neurodivergent conditions like ADHD, which her son also has.
In a new BBC Panorama documentary, she explored the difficulties parents face under the current system, which requires them to apply for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) if they believe that their child needs legally binding additional support – a process which took her and her husband ‘hours’.
She said: ‘You might know me as EastEnders’ Linda Carter but I’m also a mum to my autistic son. He’s also dyslexic and has ADHD.
‘It took months of perseverance and hard work from my husband and I to try to get the right education for him. At times, it felt like a battle.’
EastEnders’ star Kellie Bright, 49, has opened up about how her fight to get her autistic son an education left her family ‘drained and maddened’ – she is pictured here with Charis, 12, whose parents are also experiencing the frustrating the process
The actress said that her son’s struggles motivated her to make the Panorama film to shed a light on the ‘frustrating’ process of obtaining an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in England
The actress said that her son’s struggles motivated her to make the Panorama film to shed a light on the ‘frustrating’ process.
She explained: ‘That is why I wanted to make this film for Panorama, so I could meet other families who were going through the same thing, and speak to teachers, councils and the government about how SEND children are educated in England.
‘My husband and I spent hours filling in the forms to request an EHCP and many families find the process very frustrating.’
As part of her investigation into the issue, Kellie met a teenage boy called Buddy, who has autism.
Kellie said: ‘Buddy’s autistic, meaning his brain experiences and reacts to the world in a different way from many people’s.
‘He struggles with meeting people his own age, understanding his emotions and anxiety. Buddy likes to keep [his favourite cuddly toy] Reindeer Dog close to him.’
Since moving to London in October 2024 from Scotland, his mum Tunde has struggled to find a school that can accommodate his additional needs without an EHCP.
Despite trying ‘at least 11 schools’, Tunde either did not hear back from them about possibly educating his son, or she was told that ‘they were full or could not give Buddy extra support without an EHCP.’
As part of her investigation into the issue, Kellie met a teenage boy called Buddy (M), who has autism, pictured here with his mother Tunde (L)
Tunde described the system as ‘madness’ and said that obtaining extra support was ‘so easily done’ in Scotland, where there is a different system.
She explained to Kellie that the process of obtaining an EHCP for her son has taken up so much of her time that she was temporarily stopped from working as a midwife and health visitor.
She said: ‘I can’t do the parenting. I can’t get him to these appointments, and work at the same time…’
In the interim, Buddy is being provided with 19 hours of lessons at his local library.
The mum continued: ‘We were all prepared for September… and he’s still not at school, he’s still having one-to-one.
‘I think … preparing to be around other kids and then still just being one-to-one with adults has really knocked him back and made him not want to go to school.’
Jacquie Russell is a Conservative councillor and cabinet member for children, young people and learning, described the situation as ‘very adversarial’.
She said: ‘Our parents are increasingly tired and anxious and fed up of fighting… Staff sickness levels are really, really high at the moment.’
Both the government and councillors have agreed that the current system is not working, but the exact method of reforming it remains up in the air
Jacquie added: ‘The current system doesn’t work. It is broken. It’s not delivering the best outcomes for children.
‘That [money] is really essentially meant to be for local services. That would have ordinarily gone to repair your roads… and other local services.’
Kellie discovered that the government is now planning ‘major reforms’ of the current SEND system in England, although they have yet to be finalised.
The minister for school standards, Georgia Gould, told the actress: ‘We’re wanting to put more support in earlier.
‘Where people have fought for support, and that’s in place, we want to make sure that that support continues.’