Barking & Dagenham Council, supported by Queen Mary University of London’s SHAPE Health Institute, recently secured nearly £2.3 million in special education needs and disabilities (SEND) funding through the government’s Experts at Hand programme, bringing vital resources to a borough facing high levels of complex need.
The programme will provide additional support and specialist expertise in mainstream settings for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities across Barking and Dagenham.
Securing this funding marks a significant milestone for SHAPE Health and the Council, given the highly competitive nature of the £1.8 billion Experts at Hand programme and its rigorous process.
Since late 2025, SHAPE Health has been working alongside the council to better understand the experiences of local communities. This includes the Becontree primary school research project established by SHAPE Health, Nurturing Every Child, whose findings played a significant role in shaping the successful funding proposal. Parents, teachers and school staff took part in workshops that shaped what the research looked at.
Drawing on local evidence, lived experiences and partnerships, SHAPE Health’s work highlights the complexity of SEND in the borough by articulating the challenges faced by children, young people, and their families alongside schools and the Council.
The funding will help address growing demand for specialist SEND support, as the Council, working in partnership with schools, moves towards expanding specialist and expert SEND support in mainstream settings across the borough.
Fiona Taylor, Chief Executive of Barking & Dagenham Council said: “SHAPE Health & the Council’s civic partnership with Queen Mary University proves that working together can directly influence local priorities and address local challenges while helping to secure additional resources.”
Professor Arundi Mahendran, Director at SHAPE Health Institute at Queen Mary University said: “We are proud to have worked alongside the Council to help make the case for this investment. Over the past year, parents, teachers and school staff in Becontree have shown us what getting support really looks like for children with SEND, and that evidence, together with the Council’s leadership, helped build a strong case for change. This funding will bring more specialist support into mainstream schools so that more children can thrive close to home, and we look forward to continuing this work with the Council.”