Natspec

Specialist FE colleges occupy a niche position within the education landscape, with responsibility split across skills, FE, and SEND policy.

As a result, these institutions are often overlooked in favour of school‑level SEND provision.

Natspec sought to:

• Secure an urgent one‑off capital improvement fund

• Ensure greater government consultation in policy development

• Integrate specialist FE colleges more fully into SEND and FE policy

• Exclude Specialist Post‑16 Institutions (SPIs) from proposed VAT changes

We delivered a targeted public affairs engagement programme across Westminster and the Welsh Parliament.

This included updating stakeholder maps to identify MPs, Peers, MSs, and officials with an interest in SEND and FE, alongside implementing a parliamentary monitoring system to track relevant debates and policy developments.

Engagement activity focused on building a coalition of parliamentary support through one‑to‑one meetings and encouraging interventions in debates, parliamentary questions, and ministerial correspondence aligned with Natspec’s policy priorities.

Over the course of the 18‑month campaign, our programme generated sustained political engagement and increased parliamentary visibility for specialist FE policy issues.

Parliamentary Engagement

We secured:

• 27 meetings with MPs in Westminster

• 10 meetings with Members of the Senedd in Wales

These engagements resulted in:

• Written and oral Parliamentary Questions in both Westminster and the Welsh Parliament

• Ministerial correspondence supporting Natspec’s priorities

• Policy interventions relating to capital funding, VAT relief and ALN reform

Policy Visibility

Key campaign priorities were raised in:

• A Commons debate on SEND provision in early 2024 by David Davis MP and Peter Aldous MP

• The House of Lords by Baroness Barran and Baroness Monckton

• A Westminster Hall debate by James Wild MP and Esther McVey MP

These contributions broadened awareness of the funding and policy challenges facing specialist FE colleges and helped embed the issue within wider SEND and FE reform discussions.

Manifesto Launch in Parliament

A major milestone was the launch of the Natspec manifesto in Parliament on 19 February 2024.

Sponsored by Dr Lisa Cameron MP, Chair of the APPG for Disabilities, the event featured speeches from Helen Hayes MP and Seema Malhotra MP, alongside attendance from senior parliamentarians including Lord Addington, Jesse Norman MP and Florence Eshalomi MP.

The event demonstrated growing cross‑party interest in specialist FE provision in both England and Wales.

Strategic Impact

Campaign activity helped to:

• Increase parliamentary awareness of specialist FE funding challenges

• Build a coalition of supportive policymakers across England and Wales

• Elevate capital funding and VAT relief as recognised policy issues

• Lay the groundwork for further engagement under the incoming Labour Government in 2025

The launch event’s impact extended beyond Parliament, with a student from Hereward College directly petitioning Sir Keir Starmer MP to commit future government support for specialist FE colleges.