SEND in the Spotlight - Schools Minister, Anna Maxwell Martin, Kellie Bright

Download Schools Minister, Anna Maxwell Martin, Kellie Bright

It's a defining moment in the SEND story. The government will publish its delayed Schools White Paper in the New Year, and is now conducting an extended listening exercise on the changes it could contain.

School Standards Minister Georgia Gould joins Nuala McGovern to lay out the complexity of the work ahead, and answers criticism from parents, educators and workers in the sector.

Also with Nuala in the SEND in the Spotlight studio, three parents who know the system from the inside out - actors Kellie Bright and Anna Maxwell Martin, plus Jason, who's been to tribunal three times to try and get his children the support they need.

BBC Education reporter Kate McGough gives the lowdown on how we got here, and we put nine-year-old Henry, who's autistic, in the spotlight - he's been called the kindest boy in Burnley, and he's also one of the most entrepreneurial!

Get in touch with the podcast by emailing send@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson
Digital Producer: Olivia Bolton
Executive Editor: Karen Dalziel

Produced by BBC Audio

Published on Monday, 8th December 2025.

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