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We are listening - SEND Summit

Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and ideas with us to inform the SEND Summit.

Your input (building upon the learning we have done previously) will play a crucial role in shaping the future of SEND in 2 ways - our SEND Summit and SEND strategy.

Watch councillor Mark Watkin announce the Summit and explain what the listening activities were (55 seconds):

What feedback did we collect?

We wanted understand the experiences of families, including what is working well, what could be better, and what should be the priorities for our next SEND Strategy. 

  • We ran surveys for parent carers, children and young people and professionals in Hertfordshire. We had over 900 responses.
  • County Councillors heard the views of parent carers and young people at 6 SEND listening events across the county and online.
  • The Local Offer team attended family events in Hertfordshire and fed in the listening they did with families. 
  • Between the listening events and the views gathered by the Local Offer team, over 200 families were heard.

What’s working well in accessing support?

We asked families what has helped them, they told us:

  • Supportive schools and settings, when children are accessing the right learning environment they are doing really well
  • Proactive SENCOs and Education, Health and Care Coordinators, positively impacting families experiences of the EHCP process
  • Accessing charities and community support, such as ADD-vance, Space, SENDIASS and others has been important in many families journeys
  • Information shared on the Local Offer is helpful for many families
  • Inclusive activities and holiday schemes that provide respite for parent carers are well received, and would like to see more of them
  • Listening activities such as the ones held over the summer help families to feel heard.

What will be the key themes discussed at the SEND Summit?

The findings from the listening activities reinforce our understanding of the challenges in the system. We have used the feedback to inform the key themes which will be discussed at the SEND Summit. These key themes can be grouped into 6 main areas:

  1. Accessing the right learning environment
  2. Ensuring timely and effective EHCP delivery
  3. Enhancing communication and collaboration
  4. Building workforce capacity in education, health and care services
  5. Improving equitable access to health services across the county
  6. Strengthening transitions and post-16 support

SEND Summit and SEND Strategy 2026 - 31

The SEND Summit

Monday 15 September

The event will be attended by councillors, representatives from health education and social care, and parent carer representatives. Parent carers will make up about one third of the attendees, and our Experts by Experience (young people with SEND) will represent children and young people.

The Summit will use all of the listening, and improvement work that has come before, to decide on the key areas and approach to SEND, which will be laid out in the new SEND Strategy 2026 - 31.

Can I attend the Summit?

The SEND Summit will be live streamed from 10am - 12.15pm with a BSL interpreter. You are able to join this livestream through MS Teams. This will allow you to hear from:

  • Hero Slinn, Director of Inclusion and Skills
  • Executive Member for Education Councillor Mark Watkin
  • Angie Ridgwell, Chief Executive of Hertfordshire County Council
  • Dame Christine Lenehan, independent Chair and Department for Education

Joining details

The livestream will take place from 10am - 12.15pm and you can join at any time.

Save this link: 

Join the meeting now

Or dial in to MS Teams using these details:

Meeting ID: 367 431 247 851 8

Passcode: jX3Zv9dk

Submit a question for the Q and A

There will be a question and answer session with a panel of SEND professionals across the partnership. If you are joining the livestream, you will be able to submit a question at the time, or you can submit a question beforehand too:

Sumbit a question for the Q and A

Need more information?

Please do email us SENDstrategy@hertfordshire.gov.uk.

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