Keep up to date with everything SEND in Lambeth. Here you will find the most recent SEND news and events.
SEND College Fair 2025
If you are a young person with SEND thinking about your next steps towards adulthood or are a parent/carer looking for information, come along to a drop-in event to find out more about local college providers and courses.
Meet representatives from Roots and Shoots, The Park College and Care Trade (The Autism Project), ask questions and gather valuable insights to help make informed decisions about your next steps in education and beyond. We will also be joined by the team from Share Community and Southwark Stars, two more high quality SEN providers.
Date: Tuesday 21 January 2025, midday to 4:30pm
Location: The Park College, Bishops House, 5 Kennington Park Place, SE11 4AS
No need to book, you can just come along on the day.
Apply for a Lambeth Project SEARCH supported internship
Supported internships are a great way for young people with learning disabilities to develop new skills through work experience. The DFN Project SEARCH programme provides real work experience combined with training in employability and independent living skills delivered in a business setting to help young people make successful transitions to productive adult life. Applications to join the 2025 intake of Project SEARCH interns are now open.
If you or a young person you know would like to apply to the Project SEARCH supported internship programme, please complete the application form. Applicants will then be invited to attend an assessment day in March 2025.
Apply for a Lambeth Project SEARCH supported internship 2025 - 2026
Summary of consultation on Jubilee resource base for deaf children
Following the recent public consultation on the proposal to close or relocate the Jubilee resource base for deaf children, Lambeth has concluded that the resource base will remain open at its current location.
Here are the key findings from the consultation:
- Strong support for continuation at Jubilee: 80% of respondents expressed a clear preference for keeping the deaf resource base at its current location. Many highlighted the need to maintain the base until a viable and equivalent alternative is established, if relocation were ever considered.
- Concerns about closing the base: a recurring theme among respondents was the belief that closing the base is not a viable option. They emphasised the critical importance of on-site qualified Teachers of the Deaf, specialised support staff, and regular access to services such as educational audiologists.
- Specialised local support is crucial: there was a consensus that deaf children deserve access to specialised educational support in a local setting. Respondents highlighted the importance of maintaining a sense of community and identity for deaf children, as well as providing emotional and social support.
- Opposition to relocation: many respondents questioned the rationale behind relocating the base, citing potential challenges such as increased travel times, disruptions to routines, and logistical difficulties for families.
Moving forwards, the consultation emphasised the value of the Jubilee resource base as a cornerstone of inclusive education in the borough. Respondents called for assurance that the base will receive sustained support, with efforts to enhance its resources and visibility. Maintaining specialised staff and fostering community among deaf children were identified as key priorities.
Lambeth’s decision to continue supporting the base in its current location reflects the overwhelming sentiment of respondents and reinforces the commitment to meeting the educational and social needs of deaf children.
For any further information please email sendsupport@lambeth.gov.uk
Come along to the Early Years SEN holiday stay and play
If you have a child age 0-5, join our Early Years SEN team at this free session and celebrate a fun-filled year together with other local families. Meet friendly faces and play with the outdoor and indoor toys.
Time: 10am to 11.30am
Date: Wednesday 4 December 2024
Address: The Spinney, Windmill Drive, London, SW4 9DE
For more information, please email rdeacon@lambeth.gov.uk
No need to book, you can just come along on the day.
Lambeth's Winter of Food and Fun is open for applications
Lambeth's Winter of Food and Fun runs from Monday 23 December 2024 to Friday 3 January 2025.
The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is aimed at helping local families with children and young people aged 4 to 16 who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals.
Join us and get access to:
- free healthy meals
- fun physical activities to suit different tastes and ages
- guidance on food and nutrition for the whole family
Activities and services are intended to be inclusive to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Find out more about the full list of winter HAF activities
Celebrating young talent in Lambeth: SEND strategy artwork competition winner announced
Lambeth Council has announced the winning entry in a competition for children and young people with SEND to use their creativity to design artwork to be showcased in the new SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy. The strategy will support young people in school and the council asked children to create a design that represented ideas important to them.
These themes included local community, leisure, building independence, the importance of friends and family, and having their voice heard. The competition brief was to create a piece of art inspired by these themes.
The winning design was submitted by Arianna Frisby from Allen Edwards Primary School for her beautiful piece ‘Free as a bird’. Congratulations to Arianna and the runners up.
Free Makaton taster session for parents and carers
Makaton is a unique communication programme that enables people to communicate using symbols (pictures), signs (gestures), and speech.
Join our Early Years SEN team at this free and friendly taster session and learn how Makaton can support your child’s communication development.
Time: 12.45pm to 1.45pm
Date: Wednesday 4 December 2024
Address: Effra and Triangle Nursery School, 35 Effra Parade, London, SW2 1PL
To book your free place at the workshop or for more information, please email rdeacon@lambeth.gov.uk.
Lambeth Project SEARCH supported internships
Are you age 16 to 24 and have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan? With Project SEARCH, you can discover exciting opportunities to gain valuable skills and experience that can be transferred to the workplace or into paid work including:
- hands-on experience in a professional environment
- job coaching and onsite support
- tailored career guidance and skills development
- employability and independence
For more information or assistance, and to let us know if you’re interested in joining the 2025/26 Project SEARCH intake, please email inclusiveemployment@lambeth.gov.uk.
Read more about supported internship opportunities
Supporting a child with autism at home workshop for parents and carers
If you have a child age 0 to 5, join our Early Years SEN team at this free and friendly session and learn about:
- how to create an ‘autism-friendly’ home
- using visual aids (objects of reference, visuals, PECS) at home
- strategies to manage difficult behaviours at home
Time: 9am to 10am
Date: Wednesday 20 November 2024
Address: Effra and Triangle Nursery School, 35 Effra Parade, London, SW2 1PL
To book your free place at the workshop or for more information, please email rdeacon@lambeth.gov.uk.
Lambeth SEND young inspectors inspect the Local Offer
The Lambeth SEND Young Inspectors Programme is a part of Lambeth's commitment to becoming a child friendly community, in partnership with UNICEF UK. The programme ensures that young people with SEND have a meaningful role in shaping local decisions, services and spaces.
The programme was piloted with 6 young inspectors aged 11 to 15, reviewing the ‘I’m a young person' section of Lambeth’s Local Offer and providing their feedback and recommendations on how to improve it. These young people had a range of special educational needs and disabilities, including autism, ADHD, hearing loss, and visual impairment.
The inspection, held at Dunraven Secondary School, focused on looking at website navigation, accessibility and website content. The young inspectors provided valuable feedback that was analysed to identify key areas for improvement.
We returned to Dunraven to present the findings report to the young inspectors, enabling them to review and sign off on the findings. We will continue to check in and update the inspectors on the changes being made to the SEND Local Offer.
Thank you to all the young inspectors for their valuable feedback and recommendations.
Read the young inspectors Local Offer inspection report (PDF 582KB)
Supported Opportunities After 16 event
Lambeth Council will be hosting an event for parents and carers of young people in year 9 and above to learn about supported employment pathways.
Date: Wednesday 13 November 2024
Time: 6pm to 8pm
Location: Lambeth Assembly Hall, 1 Brixton Hill, London SW2 1RW
Discover supported employment pathways for young people completing school, get detailed information on supported internships and how they can unlock opportunities, and connect with experts to explore future options tailored to young people in Year 9 and above.
Book your free place at the Supported Opportunities After 16 event
SEND Family Survey 2024 findings report
To ensure that children and young people with SEND in Lambeth receive the best support possible, we conducted our second annual SEND Family Survey to hear from parents, carers and young people about what they think is working and what needs to improve.
This report explores the key findings from the survey and outlines how we will address the feedback from families to improve SEND support and services.
The insights we gathered through this survey have also helped to shape our new SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy 2025-2030, which we will publish early next year.
We ran this survey for the first time in 2023 and will continue to run it every year to ensure that the voices of young people with SEND and their families remain at the heart of our decision making.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey. We look forward to working with you to improve the experiences and outcomes of children and young people in Lambeth.
Read the SEND Family Survey 2024 findings report (PDF 99.15KB)
Lambeth launches new All Age Autism Strategy 2024-2027
We’ve launched Lambeth’s new All Age Autism Strategy 2024-2027, which sets out our approach and shared vision for supporting autistic children, young people and people of all ages and their families in our borough.
Our new approach addresses the needs of autistic individuals from early childhood through to adulthood with a focus on education, employment, healthcare, and community support. This ensures that autistic individuals can access the services and opportunities they need to thrive at home, work, in education and other social settings.
Read the All Age Autism Strategy 2024-2027
SEND College Fair 2024
If you are a young person with SEND thinking about your next steps towards adulthood or are a parent/carer looking for information, come along to a drop-in event to find out more about local college providers and courses.
Meet representatives from Roots and Shoots, The Park College and Care Trade (The Autism Project), ask questions and gather valuable insights to help make informed decisions about your next steps in education and beyond.
Date: Tuesday 22 October, midday to 4:30pm
Location: Roots and Shoots, The Vauxhall Centre, Walnut Tree Walk, SE11 6DN
Book your free ticket to the SEND College Fair 2024
New BeLambeth website goes live
If you’re a young person with SEND looking for information about what to do next, BeLambeth can support you. BeLambeth is our new platform offering support, help and opportunities to job seekers in Lambeth. It includes a supported employment programme that can help connect you with opportunities and employers, and provide advice to help you.
Find out about the many ways that you can achieve your ambitions by visiting BeLambeth or by getting in touch with our Supported Employment Team at inclusiveemployment@lambeth.gov.uk.
BeLambeth's supported employment programme
Post-16 transition event for parents and carers
If you are a parent or carer of a young person attending a special school in Lambeth, come along to the post-16 transition event and speak with the health and community services that may work with your child once they leave school.
Hear from representatives from adult health services, social care, day services, local colleges, adult therapy services, support with independent living and voluntary sector organisations.
Date: Wednesday 16 October 2024, 9:30am to midday
Location: 336 Centre, 336 Brixton Road, London, SW9 7AA
No need to book, you can just come along on the day.
Jubilee deaf provision consultation survey
We are seeking your views on the proposal to close or relocate the deaf resource base at Jubilee Primary School in Lambeth. Due to the current low numbers of uptake, the school are proposing to close the base at the end the academic year 2025. We are seeking your views before we decide to support this proposal or not.
We would like to hear from parents, stakeholders, members of the deaf community, practitioners, teaching staff and any other groups these proposals may have an impact on. You can complete our online survey below. Your feedback is crucial in helping us make informed decisions that best serve our community.
Take part in the Jubilee Resource Base consultation survey
Join Lambeth’s SEND Youth Forum
Lambeth is relaunching its SEND Youth Forum, a group for young people aged 14 to 25 with SEND who live, study or work in Lambeth. This forum is for young people who want to improve education, health and social care services, work on fun projects, learn new skills and meet new people.
The next meeting is on Thursday 24 October from 5-7pm at Brixton Library, 2 Brixton Oval, SW2 1JQ. Drinks and snacks will be provided.
There will be more meetings on Saturday 9 November 2-4pm, Thursday 21 November 5-7pm, Saturday 7 December 2-4pm and Thursday 19 December 5-7pm, all at Brixton Library.
Find out more about all the ways that you can have your say and help create change in your community or contact Lulu at lpinkney@lambeth.gov.uk
Join the Lambeth SEND Youth Forum
Come along to a SEND parent session for children age 0-5
Do you have a child age 0-5 with SEND in Lambeth? Come along to a SEND parent session and receive a 30 minute consultation with a SEND professional, seek advice and support, ask questions and find out more about Lambeth’s early years SEND support. Refreshments are available.
Sessions take place at Henry Fawcett Children’s Centre, Clayton Street, London, SE11 5BZ:
- Tuesday 15 October 2024, 1pm to 2:30pm
- Tuesday 19 November 2024, 1pm to 2:30pm
- Tuesday 21 January 2025, 1pm to 2:30pm
For more information contact Folusho West at fwest1@lambeth.gov.uk or Chrissy King at cking@lambeth.gov.uk
Contact Henry Fawcett Children’s Centre to register your place
SEND and Inclusion Strategy Closure Report
As part of preparing our new SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy 2025-2030, we evaluated the progress we made on our previous SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2021-24. This summary report highlights examples of the progress made, and areas of further action.
We presented this report to Lambeth's Parent Carer Forum earlier this year, and are working across the partnership to co-produce our next strategy, which we hope will positively impact the lives of our Children and Young People with SEND, and those in Alternative Provision.
SEND and Inclusion Strategy progress report (PDF, 309KB)
Summer activities in Lambeth
A programme of fun activities for children and young people in Lambeth is now available including information for our Summer of Food and Fun, Better Start Children’s Centres, leisure centres and libraries. Remember our libraries services also have a SEND offer available all year round and can support with the summer reading challenge, ‘Marvellous Makers’.
Young people aged 16 to 25 years old can also access engaging activities, workshops and training to further their personal and professional development through Lambeth Made Education, Skills and Employment Programme’s ‘Create Your Future 2024’ and Lambeth Made Safer’s ‘Level Up’ programme.
All activities and services are intended to be inclusive to children and young people with SEND.
Find summer activities around Lambeth
SEND Youth Forum consultation
Lambeth will be launching a new SEND Youth Forum in Autumn 2024.
The forum will provide a platform for young people with SEND to have their voices heard across service design and local decision-making.
Our goal is to ensure that the forum is youth-led and centred around youth voice. To achieve this, it is crucial to consult with young people about their vision for the forum, allowing us to collaboratively shape its direction.
Read about the consultation conducted so far
If you would like to contribute to the ongoing consultation around setting up the forum, please email Lulu, our SEND Youth Involvement Coordinator at lpinkney@lambeth.gov.uk
Second annual survey for families of children and young people with special education needs or disabilities (SEND)
We continue our work on ensuring Lambeth’s children and young people with SEND are supported and receive services that improve their outcomes. It is important to us, that the families' voice is at the heart of our decision-making and therefore we have launched our second annual SEND families survey.
We welcome parents and carers of children and young people receiving SEND Support, or in receipt of an EHCP, to please complete the survey. If parents/carers have more than one child with SEND, we would like you to complete the survey separately for each child.
Parents and carers are not required to provide their name or contact details. Lambeth Council’s privacy notice has more information about how we use and protect your personal information.
The information received will be used to help us to identify what needs to be improved in the lives of children and young people with SEND and results will be published on the Local Offer webpages to ensure transparency.
The survey is live from Monday 3 June to Sunday 28 July.
We also offer this survey in different formats and in different languages. If you require support in completing the survey, we can talk through the questions and fill in the answers over the phone. This is available upon request via send@lambeth.gov.uk. You can email us if you have any further questions or need assistance or you can call us on 020 7926 9460 or 020 7926 7754.
Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey, your feedback will be used to make sure SEND parents voices are heard.
SEND survey and peer review results
In November 2023, the Local Government Association (LGA) were invited by Lambeth Council to undertake a SEND Peer Review, to enable a self-assessment to help with the continuous improvement of Lambeth’s SEND provision.
We have used the feedback from both the LGA SEND Peer Review and SEND Annual Survey 2023 to inform our decision-making and create an action plan for 2024 – 2025.
The action plan reflects the views of families to improve the support provided by education, health and social care, to children and young people with SEND from birth up to 25 years old. Read the SEND action plan (PDF, 261KB)
SEND have your say: empowering young people, shaping services
On Saturday 2 December 2023, the Assembly Hall at Lambeth Town Hall buzzed with energy. Young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) took centre stage at the Lambeth SEND have your say event where their views started creating a roadmap for future SEND services.