
In another of our podcast series on a decade of the Children & Families Act 2014, we talk to veteran SEND expert, Brian Lamb OBE. Brian’s SEND Inquiry in 2009 was the launching pad for the reforms that followed.
Brian, along with three previous interviewees, Phillipa Stobbs, previously Assistant Director of the Council for Disabled Children, Stephen Kingdom, previously Deputy Director of SEND at the Department for Education, and Ed Timpson, previously the minister for SEND, were all integral to steering the 2014 reforms from concept to fruition.
Brian is a stalwart proponent of effective parental engagement being central to making SEND work well in schools and strategically in LAs. In this conversation, he discusses with SNJ’s Sharon and Tania why it’s so important that educators and LA staff learn the skills to do this. He also explains why the new SEND Change Programme won’t be the panacea the Department for Education is hoping for…
Watch the video in full, or for a couple of clips, check out and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Brian Lamb OBE: You can’t fix SEND without putting families at the centre
You can also find the interview in audio, wherever you get your podcasts:
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music
Also read:
- SNJ in Conversation: 10 years of the Children and Families Act: Philippa Stobbs OBE on the wins and losses
- SNJ in Conversation with Edward Timpson CBE KC “You’ve got to really care about families and their lives …”
- The Children and Families Act, 10 years on: Stephen Kingdom “The DfE didn’t do enough on implementation”
- Check out all our podcasts
- Brian Lamb’s Top 10 Tips for Engaging Parents
- Uncovering the origin of the evil EHCP ‘Golden Ticket’ Narrative
- Does the SEND Safety Valve scheme have a future under the Labour Government? And if so, who’s next?
- Four practical tips for enforcing the ‘absolute duty’ to secure special educational provision in EHCPs
- Does the SEND Tribunal have to pay attention to the views, wishes and feelings of the child?
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- The Unacceptable Truth: 20 SEND legal rights at risk from the Government’s SEND reforms - September 9, 2026
- Dear Secretary of State for Education, Lucy Powell: an Open Letter from Special Needs Jungle and SEND legal charity SOS!SEN - August 4, 2026
- Research: Disabled young people define inclusive education as “learning in the place that’s right for them” - July 30, 2026
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