I have worked in a range of mainstream primary schools for the past thirty-two years in Staffordshire, Cyprus, Blackpool and Lancashire, and I have been SENDCo for the past twelve years. During my time in the classroom, I have worked with a large number of children with additional needs, and I have worked hard to ensure that their specific needs have been addressed in order for them to access the curriculum. I have completed my National SENDCo Award and recently gained a Masters in Psychology, which has helped me to understand more about cognition and learning, and I am excited to put this knowledge into practice when working with individuals with specific learning needs.

As an experienced teacher, I have a wealth of knowledge about how to support children, either in small groups or individuals, to make progress in all areas of the curriculum. I have in-depth knowledge of setting meaningful and achievable targets, and I have the skills necessary to work with these children to help them make accelerated progress.

As SENDCo, I have become increasingly frustrated by the lack of support available to schools, and the fact that accessing the funding necessary to support some of our young people requires the commissioning of a specialist teacher assessment. Local Authority waiting lists are growing longer by the term, and the children are missing out on the support they need because of this. It is my desire to enable schools and parents to be able to access this service.