SEND and AP education quality advisors
From September 2024 we appointed three new SEND and AP education quality advisors. They are Heidi White, Emma Simkins and Sarah Court.
Their role will include:
- Ensuring the quality of education for children and young people with SEND is ambitious and consistently high quality across all age ranges (0-25) so that Shropshire children and young people with SEND are healthy, happy and safe, and able to achieve their potential to lead a fulfilling life
- Implementing a consistent approach to review and quality assure SEND and AP provision including within SEND hubs and mainstream settings
- Reviewing the quality and effectiveness of leadership and management in SEND and AP provision including within SEND hubs and mainstream settings
Their role doesn’t include work with individual children such as observations, BSAT, LSAT and EP assessment work, although they may support with signposting.
Priorities for the 2024/25 academic year:
- Implementation of systems to challenge and support with respect to SEND hubs and mainstream settings
- Provision of support to all schools with respect to the SOAP
- Review consistency and effectiveness of alternative provision
- Implementation of systems to support deployment of EY SEND funding
- Development and implementation of multi-agency SEND and AP workforce development plan
- Ensure effective communication and support is available to SENCos and other wider school professionals with respect to SEND and inclusion
The EQA Team is starting half-termly SEND and Inclusion Network meetings. The first of these will be face-to-face events after half term, and all SENCOs, inclusion leads and pastoral staff who support children with SEND are invited to attend. These initial events are an opportunity for you to meet the EQAs, let us know what you want to get from the new Shropshire SEND and Inclusion Network, and provide the opportunity for you to network with SEND staff from other local schools. Contact EQA@shropshire.gov.uk