Case study · Natspec
37 meetings that put specialist FE on the record
We took Natspec into 37 meetings at Westminster and in Cardiff Bay, briefed ten opposition candidates before the election, seven of whom now sit as MPs, launched its manifesto in the Palace of Westminster, and turned the meetings into questions to ministers, debate speeches and letters on the record.
pieces of coverage
outlets and editions
countries
audience reach*
Westminster · Natspec
The parliamentarians who took up the case
Westminster, meetings with MPs, Peers, candidates and advisers
Cardiff Bay, meetings with Members of the Senedd and Welsh MPs
9 people
Dr Lisa Cameron MP
launch sponsor
Conservative
Helen Hayes MP
speech at the launch
Labour
Seema Malhotra MP
speech at the launch
Labour Co-op
Lord Addington
attended the launch
Liberal Democrat
Jesse Norman MP
attended the launch; championed Hereford College (Connect East Midlands, 7 Mar 2024)
Conservative
Florence Eshalomi MP
attended the launch
Labour Co-op
David Davis MP
met in November 2023; opened the January 2024 Commons SEND debate
Conservative
Peter Aldous MP
raised specialist FE capital funding in the Commons SEND debate, 11 January 2024
Conservative
Sir Keir Starmer
petitioned directly by a Hereward College student, 2024 (undated in the storyboard)
Labour
Brief
The brief
The brief
Specialist FE colleges occupy a niche position in the education landscape, often overlooked in favour of school-level SEND provision. Natspec sought capital funding, greater consultation in policy development and VAT relief for Specialist Post-16 Institutions, and needed Parliament to take notice.
The national membership association for organisations that offer specialist provision for students and young adults aged 16–25 with learning difficulties and disabilities.
Objectives
- 01Secure an urgent one-off capital improvement fund for specialist FE colleges.
- 02Ensure greater government consultation in SEND and FE policy development.
- 03Integrate specialist FE colleges more fully into SEND and FE policy.
- 04Exclude Specialist Post-16 Institutions from proposed VAT changes.
The approach
How we approached it
A targeted 18-month public affairs engagement programme across Westminster and the Welsh Parliament, building a cross-party coalition through individual meetings and generating sustained parliamentary interventions.
Stakeholder mapping and monitoring
We updated stakeholder maps to identify MPs, Peers, Senedd Members and officials with an interest in SEND and FE, and implemented a parliamentary monitoring system to track relevant debates and opportunities.
Cross-party coalition building
Through 37 individual meetings across Westminster and Cardiff Bay, we built a cross-party coalition, converting awareness into Parliamentary Questions, ministerial correspondence and debate interventions.
Manifesto launch at Westminster
We organised the Natspec manifesto launch at the Palace of Westminster, sponsored by Dr Lisa Cameron MP, with speeches from Helen Hayes MP and Seema Malhotra MP and attendance from Lord Addington, Jesse Norman MP and Florence Eshalomi MP.
Coverage
The moment
A student from Hereward College petitioning Sir Keir Starmer directly.
The campaign's impact extended beyond Parliament. A student from Hereward College, inspired by the manifesto launch and its cross-party momentum, petitioned Sir Keir Starmer to commit future government support to specialist FE colleges. The kind of organic advocacy that no media placement can generate, earned through 18 months of relationship-building.
The outcome
37 meetings at Westminster and in Cardiff Bay, a manifesto launched at Westminster, and a student who went straight to the next Prime Minister: the groundwork for a policy change under the incoming Labour Government.
The impact
- 0127 Westminster meetings with MPs, Peers, candidates and advisers, and 10 in Cardiff Bay with Members of the Senedd.
- 02Ten opposition candidates briefed in November 2023; seven were elected MPs in July 2024.
- 03Peter Aldous MP pressed for specialist FE capital funding in the Commons; Jane Hunt MP drew a £95,000 capital confirmation for Homefield College from the Skills Minister.
- 04In Cardiff Bay, Paul Davies MS tabled Natspec’s ALN Code ask twelve days after meeting us, and named the meeting in the chamber.
- 05In the Lords VAT debate, the Minister confirmed further education institutions would not be affected.
Every piece
All the coverage
DA 56
UNITED KINGDOM
Labour's 2024 General Election Manifesto
DA 56
UNITED KINGDOM
Liberal Democrat Manifesto - A Plan to Save the NHS and Reform Education
DA 55
UNITED KINGDOM
Natspec National Conference relocates to Manchester following hotel fire
DA 55
UNITED KINGDOM
Condition of Funding changes will prove detrimental to SEND learners
DA 55UNITED KINGDOM
Time to put an end to specialist FE's political neglect
DA 20UNITED KINGDOM
Jesse Norman MP champions Hereford College in parliamentary manifesto launch for specialist further education
DA 55
UNITED KINGDOM
Spring Budget 2024- Sector Response on Public Service Productivity Plan and More
DA 55
UNITED KINGDOM
Shadow Ministers Unite for Specialised FE Commitment in Future Labour Government
DA 55UNITED KINGDOM
David Johnston appointed children’s minister as Coutinho promoted
Special Needs JungleDA 49
UNITED KINGDOM
A new SEND minister NOW? Disabled children deserve better than to be a government testing ground for ambitious MPs
UNITED KINGDOM
"It completely opens up their entire world"
DA 50
UNITED KINGDOM
Students star in top regional sporting event for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
DA 55
UNITED KINGDOM
Students star in top regional sporting event for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
DA 57
UNITED KINGDOM
Education body CEO awarded OBE after 25 years’ work in education
DA 42
NIGERIA
Derby-based chief executive awarded OBE after 25 years’ work in education
DA 54
UNITED KINGDOM
Derby-based chief executive awarded OBE after 25 years’ work in education
DA 55
UNITED KINGDOM
Derby-based chief executive awarded OBE after 25 years' work in education
DA 84UNITED KINGDOM
Corrected oral evidence: Access to public services for young disabled people
DA 56UNITED KINGDOM
Six specialist colleges honoured at Natspec Innovation Awards 2023
DA 56UNITED KINGDOM
DfE opens college capital loans applications
The meetings
37 meetings, every one named
meetings at Westminster, with MPs, Peers, candidates and advisers
meetings in Cardiff Bay, with Members of the Senedd and Welsh MPs
of the 10 opposition candidates we briefed in 2023 now sit as MPs, elected in July 2024
Westminster
27 meetings · MPs, Peers, candidates and advisers
| Date | Who | College, format | What it produced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Sep 2023 | Dr Lisa Cameron MPMP, East Kilbride; chair, APPG for Disabilities · SNP (Conservative from 4 Oct 2023) | ·Teams | Went on to sponsor the manifesto launch, 19 Feb 2024 |
| 13 Sep 2023 | Jo Gideon MPMP, Stoke-on-Trent Central · Conservative | ·Teams | |
| 20 Oct 2023 | Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MPMP, The Cotswolds · Conservative | National Star CollegeZoom | Signed the capital funding letter |
| 30 Oct 2023 | Preet Kaur Gill MPMP, Birmingham Edgbaston · Labour | Queen Alexandra CollegeZoom | QAC followed up in writing |
| 3 Nov 2023 | Chi Onwurah MPMP, Newcastle upon Tyne Central · Labour | Choices CollegeZoom | |
| 3 Nov 2023 | Edward Timpson MPMP, Eddisbury · Conservative | Petty Pool CollegeCollege visit | Co-signed the letter to the children's minister with Peter Aldous |
| 20 Nov 2023 | Lizzi CollingeElected 2024Labour candidate, Morecambe and Lunesdale · Labour | Beaumont CollegeOpposition candidates roundtable (Teams) | |
| 20 Nov 2023 | Patrick HurleyElected 2024Labour candidate, Southport · Labour | Arden CollegeOpposition candidates roundtable (Teams) | |
| 20 Nov 2023 | Abtisam MohamedElected 2024Labour candidate, Sheffield Central · Labour | Freeman CollegeOpposition candidates roundtable (Teams) | |
| 20 Nov 2023 | Louise JonesElected 2024Labour candidate, North East Derbyshire · Labour | Landmarks CollegeOpposition candidates roundtable (Teams) | |
| 20 Nov 2023 | Olivia HoneymanLiberal Democrat candidate, Wealden · Liberal Democrat | The Mount Camphill CommunityOpposition candidates roundtable (Teams) | |
| 21 Nov 2023 | Griffin MasonLabour education adviser · Labour | ·Call | |
| November 2023 | Peter Aldous MPMP, Waveney · Conservative | · | Wrote to David Johnston MP; raised specialist FE capital funding in the Commons |
| November 2023 | David Davis MPMP, Haltemprice and Howden · Conservative | · | Opened the January 2024 Commons SEND debate |
| November 2023 | Kirith EntwistleElected 2024Labour candidate, Bolton North East · Labour | Birtenshaw College | |
| November 2023 | David CampanaleLiberal Democrat candidate, Sutton and Cheam · Liberal Democrat | Orchard Hill College | |
| November 2023 | Jack DaviesLiberal Democrat candidate, New Forest West · Liberal Democrat | Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy | |
| 28 Nov 2023 | Lee Anderson MPMP, Ashfield · Conservative (Reform UK from Mar 2024) | Portland CollegeTeams | Wrote to David Johnston MP the same day |
| 7 Dec 2023 | Gareth SnellElected 2024Labour candidate, Stoke-on-Trent Central · Labour | Newfriars CollegeCollege visit with principals | |
| 8 Dec 2023 | Zarah Sultana MPMP, Coventry South · Labour | Hereward CollegeCollege visit | |
| 16 Jan 2024 | Simon OpherElected 2024Labour candidate, Stroud · Labour | St Martin's CentreCollege visit with principals | |
| March 2024 | Baroness Wilcox of NewportShadow education spokesperson, House of Lords · Labour | · | |
| March 2024 | Baroness TwycrossShadow education spokesperson, House of Lords · Labour | · | |
| March 2024 | Clare ScallyAdviser, Labour Lords office · Labour | · | |
| March 2024 | Mark Eastwood MPMP, Dewsbury · Conservative | · | |
| 5 Apr 2024 | Simon Lightwood MPMP, Wakefield · Labour | Camphill WakefieldCollege visit | |
| August 2024 | Education special advisersDepartment for Education, new government | · |
Cardiff Bay
10 meetings · Members of the Senedd and Welsh MPs
| Date | Who | College, format | What it produced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov 2023 | Paul Davies MSMS, Preseli Pembrokeshire · Conservative | Coleg PlasTeams | Offered to table questions; asked an oral question on the ALN Code |
| 17 Nov 2023 | Lesley Griffiths MSMS, Wrexham; Trefnydd · Labour | Aspris College North WalesTeams | |
| 17 Nov 2023 | Jonathan Edwards MPMP, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr · Independent | Coleg ElidyrZoom | Given a letter to send to the minister |
| 28 Nov 2023 | Sam Rowlands MSMS, North Wales · Conservative | Cambian Pengwern CollegeTeams | College visit arranged, 1 Mar 2024 |
| 28 Nov 2023 | Dr James Davies MPMP, Vale of Clwyd · Conservative | Cambian Pengwern CollegeTeams | |
| 1 Dec 2023 | Andrew RT Davies MSMS, South Wales Central; leader of the Welsh Conservatives · Conservative | Beechwood CollegeTeams | |
| 1 Dec 2023 | Mark Isherwood MSMS, North Wales; chair, Cross-Party Group on Disability · Conservative | Cambian Pengwern CollegeTeams | Followed up on questions, an opposition debate and the cross-party group |
| 15 Jan 2024 | Laura Anne Jones MSMS, South Wales East; shadow education minister · Conservative | Aspris College South WalesTeams | |
| 19 Jan 2024 | Jane Hutt MSMS, Vale of Glamorgan; Minister for Social Justice · Labour | Beechwood CollegeTeams | |
| May 2024 | Tom Giffard MSMS, South Wales West · Conservative | ·At the Senedd |
On the record
What the meetings put on the record
questions to ministers, Westminster and Senedd
ministerial answers on the record
debate contributions
letters from MPs to the minister
November 2023
Letter to a minister
Peter Aldous MP and Edward Timpson MP
Conservative · House of Commons · to David Johnston MP
Followed the meeting
Capital funding of specialist FE colleges: a one-off capital improvement fund and equitable access to future rounds.
20 Nov 2023
Written question
WQ89683
Paul Davies MS
Welsh Conservatives · Senedd
Tabled 12 days after our meeting at Coleg Plas
Asked the Minister to confirm that learners with complex additional learning needs whose needs cannot be met by their regional further education institution will not be disadvantaged by statutory guidance in the ALN Code.
Answer, Jeremy Miles, Minister for EducationWhere local provision cannot meet a learner’s complex needs, a local authority may consider other institutions (ALN Code, chapter 17).
28 Nov 2023
Question on a ministerial statement
Question on the ALN reforms statement
Paul Davies MS
Welsh Conservatives · Senedd
Names the Natspec meeting on the record
“I recently met with the national association of specialist colleges.” Pressed the Minister on the end of the Welsh Government’s discretionary powers over placements for 19-year-olds and whether post-16 funding would be ring-fenced.
Answer, Jeremy Miles, Minister for EducationThe Welsh Government keeps funding decisions on specialist placements from year 13 up to age 25 during the transition; the Minister offered to write.
28 Nov 2023
Letter to a minister
Lee Anderson MP
Conservative · House of Commons · to David Johnston MP
Followed the meeting
Capital funding of specialist FE colleges.
11 Jan 2024
Debate
SEND Provision and Funding, backbench debate
Peter Aldous MP
Conservative · House of Commons
After his meeting and his letter to the minister
“Specialist FE colleges play a vital role and, although they are publicly funded, they are not currently eligible for the capital revenue support to address RAAC… That inequality should be removed.”
11 Mar 2024
Oral question
Education questions
Jane Hunt MP
Conservative · House of Commons
Three weeks after she attended the manifesto launch
Raised Homefield College in Loughborough, “a community-based independent specialist college”, and asked what the Department is doing to promote and support such colleges.
Answer, Robert Halfon, Minister for SkillsPraised Homefield College and told the House it had been “recently allocated £95,000 for capital spend”.
8 May 2024
Debate
Petition debate, reform of the ALN Code
Sam Rowlands MS
Welsh Conservatives · Senedd
After the Cambian Pengwern College visit we arranged, 1 March 2024
“I had the pleasure recently of visiting Pengwern College in my region… the ALN code… was at the top of their agenda when they met with me.”
5 Sep 2024
Debate
Independent Schools: VAT Exemption, take-note debate
Baroness Monckton of Dallington Forest
Conservative · House of Lords
Briefed for the debate
Speaking as chair of Team Domenica, a specialist post-16 institution: “Where does that leave specialist colleges such as ours, of which there are 130 in England?”
Answer, Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister for SkillsHMRC will publish bespoke guidance on VAT registration.
5 Sep 2024
Debate
Independent Schools: VAT Exemption, take-note debate
Baroness Barran
Conservative · House of Lords
Briefed for the debate
“It would be helpful if the Minister could clarify if [specialist further education colleges] will be impacted by this.”
Answer, Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister for Skills“I can also confirm… that further education institutions will not be affected by these provisions.”
Results
The results, 2023-04 to 2024-06
20 pieces across 2 countries
continents
estimated readers*
*audience reach and estimated readers, Portal Coverage Builder, September 2026. Portal Coverage Builder: one audience-reach figure per outlet domain (the maximum reported), summed across every domain; estimated readers is the sum of views across every piece. Figures reproduce the portal's own method exactly; a title that carries several pieces is counted once for reach (its highest reported figure) but every piece counts toward readers.
PIECES PER MONTH, 2023-04 TO 2024-06
The June 2023 spike of 8 pieces is the busiest month in the book. Months with no coverage stay at zero.
The launch
The launch photographs
The manifesto launch at the Palace of Westminster on 19 February 2024, and Sir Keir Starmer with a Hereward College student.
Index
Index of coverage
All 20 pieces, by country
United Kingdom
19 pieces · 9 outletsFE News Labour's 2024 General Election Manifesto · United Kingdom
13 Jun 2024
FE News Liberal Democrat Manifesto - A Plan to Save the NHS and Reform Education · United Kingdom
10 Jun 2024
FE News Natspec National Conference relocates to Manchester following hotel fire · United Kingdom
20 May 2024
FE News Condition of Funding changes will prove detrimental to SEND learners · United Kingdom
26 Mar 2024
FE Week Time to put an end to specialist FE's political neglect · United Kingdom
24 Mar 2024
Connect East Midlands Jesse Norman MP champions Hereford College in parliamentary manifesto launch for specialist further education · United Kingdom
7 Mar 2024
FE News Spring Budget 2024- Sector Response on Public Service Productivity Plan and More · United Kingdom
6 Mar 2024
United Kingdom, continued
FE News Shadow Ministers Unite for Specialised FE Commitment in Future Labour Government · United Kingdom
20 Feb 2024
FE Week David Johnston appointed children’s minister as Coutinho promoted · United Kingdom
31 Aug 2023
Special Needs Jungle A new SEND minister NOW? Disabled children deserve better than to be a government testing ground for ambitious MPs · United Kingdom
31 Aug 2023
That's TV Manchester (X) "It completely opens up their entire world" · United Kingdom social
30 Jun 2023
About Manchester Students star in top regional sporting event for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities · United Kingdom
29 Jun 2023
FE News Students star in top regional sporting event for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) · United Kingdom
28 Jun 2023
Bdaily Education body CEO awarded OBE after 25 years’ work in education · United Kingdom
23 Jun 2023
United Kingdom, continued
FE News Derby-based chief executive awarded OBE after 25 years’ work in education · United Kingdom
20 Jun 2023
TheBusinessDesk.com Derby-based chief executive awarded OBE after 25 years' work in education · United Kingdom
20 Jun 2023
UK Parliament Committees Corrected oral evidence: Access to public services for young disabled people · United Kingdom
7 Jun 2023
FE Week Six specialist colleges honoured at Natspec Innovation Awards 2023 · United Kingdom
25 May 2023
FE Week DfE opens college capital loans applications · United Kingdom
25 Apr 2023
Nigeria
1 piece · 1 outletThe Paradise Derby-based chief executive awarded OBE after 25 years’ work in education · Nigeria
20 Jun 2023
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