Case study · Natspec
Thirty-seven parliamentary meetings across Westminster and Cardiff Bay turned into ten PQs and eight ministerial replies.
We built a cross-party coalition of 37 parliamentarians, secured 10 parliamentary questions, 8 ministerial responses and launched a manifesto at the Palace of Westminster, with a Hereward College student petitioning Keir Starmer directly.
pieces of coverage
outlets and editions
countries
audience reach*
Westminster · Natspec
The parliamentarians who took up the case
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
Commons debate intervention
Conservative
Peter Aldous MP
Commons debate intervention
Conservative
Sir Keir Starmer
petitioned directly by a Hereward College student, 2024 (undated in the storyboard)
Labour
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.
The results, 2023-04 to 2024-06
20 pieces across 2 countries
pieces of coverage
outlets and editions
countries
continents
estimated readers*
audience reach*
*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.
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
Every piece
All the coverage
DA 56UNITED KINGDOM
Labour's 2024 General Election Manifesto
FE News, Exeter · 13 Jun 2024
DA 56UNITED KINGDOM
Liberal Democrat Manifesto - A Plan to Save the NHS and Reform Education
FE News, Exeter · 10 Jun 2024
DA 55UNITED KINGDOM
Natspec National Conference relocates to Manchester following hotel fire
FE News, Exeter · 20 May 2024
DA 55UNITED KINGDOM
Condition of Funding changes will prove detrimental to SEND learners
FE News, Exeter · 26 Mar 2024
DA 55UNITED KINGDOM
Time to put an end to specialist FE's political neglect
FE Week, London · 24 Mar 2024
UNITED KINGDOM
Jesse Norman MP champions Hereford College in parliamentary manifesto launch for specialist further education
Connect East Midlands, Derby · 7 Mar 2024
DA 55UNITED KINGDOM
Spring Budget 2024- Sector Response on Public Service Productivity Plan and More
FE News, Exeter · 6 Mar 2024
DA 55UNITED KINGDOM
Shadow Ministers Unite for Specialised FE Commitment in Future Labour Government
FE News, Exeter · 20 Feb 2024
DA 55UNITED KINGDOM
David Johnston appointed children’s minister as Coutinho promoted
FE Week, London · 31 Aug 2023
UNITED KINGDOM
A new SEND minister NOW? Disabled children deserve better than to be a government testing ground for ambitious MPs
Special Needs Jungle, Guildford · 31 Aug 2023
UNITED KINGDOM
"It completely opens up their entire world"
That's TV Manchester (X), Manchester · 30 Jun 2023
UNITED KINGDOM
Students star in top regional sporting event for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
About Manchester, Manchester · 29 Jun 2023
DA 55UNITED KINGDOM
Students star in top regional sporting event for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
FE News, Exeter · 28 Jun 2023
DA 57UNITED KINGDOM
Education body CEO awarded OBE after 25 years’ work in education
Bdaily, Newcastle upon Tyne · 23 Jun 2023
NIGERIA
Derby-based chief executive awarded OBE after 25 years’ work in education
The Paradise, Lagos · 20 Jun 2023
DA 54UNITED KINGDOM
Derby-based chief executive awarded OBE after 25 years’ work in education
FE News, Exeter · 20 Jun 2023
UNITED KINGDOM
Derby-based chief executive awarded OBE after 25 years' work in education
TheBusinessDesk.com, Nottingham · 20 Jun 2023
UNITED KINGDOM
Corrected oral evidence: Access to public services for young disabled people
UK Parliament Committees, London · 7 Jun 2023
DA 56UNITED KINGDOM
Six specialist colleges honoured at Natspec Innovation Awards 2023
FE Week, London · 25 May 2023
DA 56UNITED KINGDOM
DfE opens college capital loans applications
FE Week, London · 25 Apr 2023
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 parliamentary meetings, 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 generating 10 Parliamentary Questions and 8 ministerial responses.
- 0210 Welsh Senedd meetings extending the campaign across England and Wales.
- 03Cross-party Commons debate interventions by David Davis MP and Peter Aldous MP.
- 04Manifesto launch attended by senior Labour, Conservative, LibDem MPs and Lords.
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