What is Spotlight on SEND? ITV News' day of focus on the special needs system
On 25 July, ITV is putting a Spotlight on SEND across news regions in its network - on TV, online, on ITVX and social media.
From Good Morning Britain, through ITV News lunchtime bulletins across the nations and regions, on ITV’s flagship 6pm programmes and the late bulletins, ITV News will showcase the experiences of parents who have been forced to wait for years for the most basic provision, pushed to the brink of mental and financial collapse.
Our teams will tell human stories of the collapse of a system which is designed to help society's most vulnerable.
Online, ITV News will provide in-depth analysis and an interactive map, giving readers access to the data where they live. On ITVX, ITV News will be highlighting the most powerful stories on the UK’s only streaming platform offering on demand news.
In Wales, where the devolved government has responsibility for education, ITV Cymru Wales News will put a “Spotlight on ALN (Additional Learning Needs)” to reflect the difference between the systems in each country.
In Northern Ireland, UTV will focus on the crisis facing parents, and the education authority failing to meet the needs of children on time.
Across ITV News social media platforms - including TikTok, X, Instagram and Facebook - ITV News will tell the stories of those most affected.
The ITV News What You Need to Know podcast will hear from correspondents who have embedded themselves in the story, offering extra analysis of this developing crisis.
This coverage sees ITV News come together across its news nations and regions teams with a focus on one story, painting a nationwide and local picture on the crisis in SEND provision.
Guy Phillips, editor of ITV Regional News, said: “This is a great example of how ITV News across the regions and nations can come together to focus attention on one single issue - and a very important one.
"The results of our extensive survey and FOIs show that thousands of parents of SEND children are facing daily battles just to get a decent education for their child - with many finding themselves in the legal system to do so.
“Our coverage stretches across multiple platforms - from TV to social media - and will help many parents and others be part of the discussion and debate about what needs to be done to improve the SEND provision for countless families across the UK."
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