About Me

I have been a qualified teacher for the past 15 years in two different Local Authorities. During this time, I have held a number of different positions, including: Assistant Headteacher, Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, Head of Department, Class Teacher and Teaching Assistant, as well as working for the Local Authority SEND team advising other schools on supporting students with additional needs. My experience has taken me into both mainstream and special educational needs schools.

As well as my qualification  as a teacher, I have also completed the PGCiPP: National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination and the Leading Provision for Pupils with Dyslexia.

Within my roles, I have extensive experience with working with external services to support children with additional needs. I have worked alongside parents/carers to apply for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP), as well as to ensure clarity of the Graduated Approach if this is not appropriate at that moment in time.

As a SEND Advisor with the Local Authority, I provided advice around provision and strategies to schools to ensure that the children at their school, received appropriate support in order for them to be able to access the curriculum at a stage that suits them. This also included designing and delivering training sessions to staff.

Throughout my career, I have worked closely with students with additional needs to ensure that they are able to access learning to meet their needs. This has included advocating for them in meetings with external services and Local Authority, as well as talking parents/carers through processes, even if it wasn't necessarily what they wanted to hear at that moment in time.

The SEND picture is a complete minefield and I want to be able to continue to help parents/carers and students to navigate it with an honest and unbiased approach.