Ms Ridgwell was among the keynote speakers at the county’s SEND Summit, which brought together more than 100 professionals, parents and politicians on Monday (September 15). Addressing the summit, Ms Ridgwell acknowledged that the county’s SEND partnership – which brings together health and education services – had “come a long way” since the SEND inspection in 2023. In addition to that rising need, she also highlighted the “tight financial constraints” facing health and education services. After cataloguing the realities being faced by the SEND Partnership, Ms Ridgwell urged delegates to focus on what they had the power to improve. She described the SEND Partnership – which brings together education and health services – as “one of the most important partnerships that we have”.