SEND Reform Conference

Rona has taught pupils of all ages in state and independent, day and residential, mainstream and special schools. She is a Past President of NAHT and continues to be involved in their work. She is the SEND Governor at two special schools and a Fellow of UCL’s Centre for Inclusive Education (CIE).
Rona has written and co-authored several books, the most recent being A Guide to Best Practice in Special Education, Health and Social Care – Making the system work to meet the needs of children, young people and their families, which is due to be published by Routledge in 2023.

Throughout his career, André has worked in a variety of roles focused on improving outcomes and experience for children and young people with SEN and developing inclusive practice. He has been a primary school teacher, a secondary teacher, an educational psychologist, a Principal EP, senior leader in a local authority, and a Senior Director for SEN in the National Strategies.

Between 2010 and 2024, André held the position of DfE SEN and Disability Professional Adviser for the Department for Education. This involved advising ministers as well as policy leads across DfE on all matters relating to SEN and disability. He worked closely with local authorities, parent carer groups, voluntary sector, health, and schools and colleges to achieve policy goals in relation to SEN and inclusion.

For the past year, André has been working independently on a range of projects, including with local authorities, MATs, the European Agency, and the Local Government Association.

Amy Smith is the Director of Education for the Inclusive Education Trust (IET), which is a Alternative Provision (AP) Trust based in Surrey. Previous to this role, Amy was Head of School at Wey Valley College (which is now part of IET) and led the school to an ‘Outstanding’ judgement in all areas in 2018. Amy has worked in the AP Sector for over 10 years in provisions across London, Cambridgeshire and Surrey in a variety of leadership roles. Most notably, Amy was one of the team who set-up the TBAP Residence as part of the DfE Social Innovations fund. The TBAP Residence worked with some of West London’s most vulnerable young people who were either on the edge of care and/or involved in the youth justice system.
Prior to working in AP, Amy led several ‘Outstanding’ Performing Arts departments in mainstream schools across London and Surrey.
Amy is also Vice-President of PRUsAP, which is the National Organisation representing Pupil Referral Units and Alternative Provisions.
Amy is a practitioner who believes in a creative, therapeutic and inclusive approach to behaviour management.

With 10 years as an experienced SENDCo and 8 as a MAT leader for SEND, Simon has developed effective SEND practice across multiple MATs and lead on SEND and MAT SEND reviews across the country.

Simon Co-chairs the MAT SEND Leaders group which he established with Dr Nicola Crossly (Liberty Trust). The group currently have over 175 MAT leaders of SEND and collaborate with Whole Education. Simon regularly presents at National conferences, is a member for Liberty Academy, sits on an advisory board for ELKLAN speech and language training provider as well as a member of the Curriculum and Assessment Quality committee / Student Advisory Group for AQA.

Having worked in schools for over a decade overseeing support for our most vulnerable pupils, I have worked for Local Authorities leading on SEND and Inclusion since the full rollout of the SEND Code of Practice in 2015. Our programme in Hertfordshire values lived experience and transferable skills, enabling us to put children first, in a challenging context. Workforce investment, reframing of culture and ways of working are central to our transformation, setting expectations from the outset alongside ambitious aspirations for all of our children. Working innovatively, we have created a system that capitalises on opportunities to do things differently, working in partnership with schools and settings to achieve this within a conflicting national context. Finding space to innovate in SEND is so important, now more than ever.

Sarah was elected to the regional steering group role in early 2020, and was elected as co-chair in spring 2023.

Sarah was previously the chair of her local parent carer forum in Wokingham for many years, and continues to hold a lead role within the forum.  Sarah is very active in strategic work locally, regionally, and nationally.

Sarah has two teenagers with Autism, who have vastly different needs and diagnoses.

Sarah was previously an office manager but retrained as holistic practitioner when her children were small to help support their needs.  Sarah has also been a governor at her local primary and secondary schools.

To contact Sarah, please email southeast@nnpcf.org.uk

I am a parent of 2 children who are neurodiverse.  My eldest, 12 (year 8) has a diagnosis of autism and has sensory processing disorder, and my youngest has ADHD, dyslexia, and sensory needs. My youngest, 11 (year 7) , is supported via ordinary available provision and has just started secondary school.

My eldest has an EHCP and has not engaged in meaningful education since October 22. She struggles with her mental health, her school was unable to meet her needs and in agreement with the Local Authority, she was taken off roll in July 2023, while they secure a more suitable setting.  She currently attends equine therapy for 1.5 hours week. I am also neurodiverse myself, with a diagnosis of ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia.

My background was in finance and civil litigation working in London, however since becoming a mum and knowing that something wasn’t “quite right”, not being heard, or having my concerns dismissed, I decided to educate myself to enable to me to push for the right support and advice. I enrolled and completed an Early Years Degree (child development age 0-8) with first class honours, where I spent my time researching and writing about autism and sensory processing disorder. I then studied Education research gaining a PG Cert. Most Recently have also undertaken IPSEA SEND Law Levels 1,2 and 3.

I have worked in a specialised integrated nursery and then went on to work at a moderate learning disability school, spending some of my time in a teaching role. I began volunteering for my local parent carer forum, Essex Family Forum, in 2019 for where I am now employed part time as a Strategic Development Co-ordinator (Health and Region).

I have also been appointed as Vice Chair and then the Chair of Eastern Region of Parent Carer Forums (ERPCF) before stepping down following my appointment to Director and East England representative for National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) in August 2023, where I had previously been working for them as a national representative since 2020.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-harrison-862a26211/

Ellen Broomé is the Chief Executive of the British Dyslexia Association. She was previously Managing Director of CoramBAAF, the UK’s largest membership organisation for professionals involved with children and young people in care, and Coram Family and Childcare, the UK’s leading childcare charity.

She has also been Director of Children and Families at NatCen, the UK’s leading social research organisation, and Chief Executive of Family and Childcare Trust, where she worked for five years, and led the merger of into Coram in 2018. She brings 20 years of experience of strategic leadership, research, policy, advocacy and communications from previous roles including at the Children’s Society, the National Autistic Society and Parliament. Ellen is also a trustee of Leukaemia UK and BookTrust.

I was born in Hong Kong and went to boarding school in the UK. I did my degree in Cardiff. I worked in admin before doing teacher training on the graduate program. I have been a teacher since 2000. In that time I have been:

· A teacher teaching across Primary.
· An interventions and booster teacher.
· A support tutor in a secondary school special physical unit.
· A SENDCo in a Steiner Waldorf school, which was a different perspective.
· A home education tutor supporting GCSE English to children who couldn’t attend school for emotional reasons.
· A SENDCO at Katesgrove – this is now my 5th year. Katesgrove is a big, diverse primary school in the heart of Reading.

I have developed my neurodivergent training by reading and attending a variety of training courses aimed at parents, professionals and general interest.

I have trained as an Autism Education Trainer and go into schools in Reading delivering the training. I understand neurodiversity and SEN as a parent with children with diverse needs. I have ADHD and Autism, as does my son -although he is a high achiever. My daughter has complex needs and has just finished a special school and is now entering adulthood.

Heba Al-Jayoosi: Heba is the Assistant Head, and inclusion & research leader at Mayflower Primary School in Tower Hamlets, London. She is a Churchill Fellow and is also seconded to Whole School SEND (NASEN) as a regional deputy lead. Heba’s research interests lie in implementing innovative whole school adaptations for pupils with SEND, and she is currently completing a PHD at the Centre for Research in Autism Education (CRAE), UCL.

Rona has taught pupils of all ages in state and independent, day and residential, mainstream and special schools. She is a Past President of NAHT and continues to be involved in their work. She is the SEND Governor at two special schools and a Fellow of UCL’s Centre for Inclusive Education (CIE).
Rona has written and co-authored several books, the most recent being A Guide to Best Practice in Special Education, Health and Social Care – Making the system work to meet the needs of children, young people and their families, which is due to be published by Routledge in 2023.