Efforts are being made to improve the transition from primary to secondary school for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in the Towns.

Medway Council is working on a "protocol" document to guide schools how to support those making the move, which is more complicated for children with learning difficulties or disabilities.

Cllr Wendy Purdy (Con) has raised worries about some "falling through that gap".

She said: “I still have concerns primaries don’t always send the paperwork to secondary schools, so when a child has got SEN problems the information doesn’t go through and their requirements don’t get picked up.

“You’re still getting them falling through that gap, and what worries me is if schools haven’t got teachers that have got that SEN understanding then children will still fall through.”

The authority’s head of integrated disability services for those aged up to 25 admitted transition between schools is a “big issue for young people” and that more can be done to support them.

Wendy Vincent talked of introducing specific open days for those with SEN to help them familiarise themselves, as well as primary and secondary schools meeting in person for "handovers".

She added: “Some children feel very well supported at a small primary school, but to move into a large academy is quite difficult for them.

"It’s something Medway Parents and Carers Forum has raised with us strongly.

“It’s a concern to us, and I’m pleased to say we’re doing some work around establishing what we’d like to call a protocol – to look at what would be the best practice to assist these young people.

“Our aim is to have a document that will be accepted by the schools and adopted by them as good practice when we’re transitioning young people from primary to secondary.

“That would be given to parents who can then wave it in front of secondary schools and say this is what should be happening.”