From Tears to Triumph – And Why the System Needs to Change

In February this year, my daughter Beth was a child who cried most mornings. School was a place of overwhelm. The noise, the light, the pressure — it was all too much.

Beth has barely attended school throughout her secondary years. Partly due to Covid, but mostly due to her neurodiversity. As I’ve written before, it wasn’t the fault of her mainstream school — they tried their best — but the truth is, the system is broken for many neurodivergent young people trying to fit into the mainstream education model.

And yet here we are today, in June, and she’s completed every one of her GCSE exams. I still can’t quite believe it.

Everything changed just three months ago, when Beth was referred to a small SEN school for girls aged 15–17 in Tonbridge. From the moment she joined in February, things shifted. They understood her. They gave her the space, belief, and confidence she needed to start turning up every day — and eventually, to sit every single one of her GCSEs.

Let me be completely honest: I don’t care what her results are. The fact she turned up, every day, and completed them is the victory. That is the win. In the space of three months, she’s gone from being a non-attender — deeply anxious, withdrawn, and without much hope for her future — to someone who has not only faced the challenge head-on, but come out stronger, braver, and more certain of who she is.

We owe so much to that school — and to the team who gave her the place and the extra support she needed to learn.

On the drive home from her final exam today, I told her just how proud I was of her. Beth doesn’t always take praise or instruction that easily (especially from her dad), but when I said, "Your resilience is incredible — what you’ve done in three months proves you can do anything you want to,” she looked at me and simply said:

“I know I can. And I will.”

Then she told me she’s going to train and set up her own school for SEN kids — “because there are more kids like me who need that chance.”

And she’s right.

As proud as we are, we’re also painfully aware that not every child like Beth got that same opportunity. Many will have missed out completely — missed their exams, missed the chance to feel seen and supported, missed the chance to thrive.

That’s what makes Beth’s next dream so powerful — and so important. Because this isn’t just about her. It’s about changing the system for the better, for every neurodivergent child who deserves more than just to survive school. They deserve to belong. To grow. To succeed.

We need more schools like hers. And I truly believe Beth will be the one to build them.