The Minister for School Standards, Georgia Gould MP, has visited Rochdale to see how the borough is delivering support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) ahead of the rest of the country.
The visit, on Thursday 11 June, was hosted by Paul Waugh, MP for Rochdale, alongside Sharon Hubber, the council’s Director of Children’s Services, and Cllr Rachel Massey, cabinet member for children.
It came as the Government rolls out its new national “Experts at Hand” programme, a £1.8 billion plan to give mainstream schools direct access to speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, educational psychologists and specialist teachers from September. Rochdale has been delivering this model of early, expert support since beginning its SEND transformation in 2022.
That approach is already showing results. Waiting times for some early speech and language support in the borough have been cut by 85 per cent in a single year, with specialists now working directly in schools and family hubs rather than families waiting for a referral.
Rochdale’s progress has also been recognised nationally. In April, the borough won the Shared System Vision for SEND award at the Council for Disabled Children’s What Works in SEND Awards, which celebrate the strongest SEND systems in the country.
During the visit, the Minister met the teams behind the Raising Rochdale partnership, including the Neurodiversity Hub, the SEND Advice Service and staff supporting mental health in schools. She heard from Designated Clinical Officer Frankie Soan on how speech and language support is reaching children earlier, before joining a lunch at Rochdale Town Hall prepared by pupils from Redwood, a SEND school in the borough.
One in six children in Rochdale has a special educational need or disability.
Paul Waugh, Labour and Co-operative MP for Rochdale, said:
“It was a privilege to host the Minister and show her what Rochdale has built. When children get the right help early, it changes the course of their lives, and that is exactly what is happening here.
“This work started in 2022 and the teams behind it have put in years of effort. To be recognised with a national award for the strength of our SEND system is a credit to every one of them, and now the rest of the country is being asked to follow Rochdale’s lead.
“The lunch prepared by the young people from Redwood was a real highlight, and a reminder of what this is all about: giving every child with SEND the chance to show what they can do.
“This Labour Government is backing that work with serious investment and a national plan. My job is to make sure Rochdale gets every penny and every bit of support it has earned.”