The Trust's Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Network Meetings are a cornerstone of our commitment to high-quality inclusive education. These are strategic, collaborative professional development (CPD) forums that bring together SEND Leaders, primarily our school Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), from across the Trust.
Purpose of the Network
The network's core purpose is to elevate the expertise and leadership of our SENCOs to secure the best possible outcomes for children and young people with SEND. They function as Professional Learning Communities to:
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Foster Collaboration: Provide a trusted, dedicated space to share knowledge, exchange best practice, and solve common challenges through peer support.
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Ensure Consistency and Compliance: Strategically develop shared policies, resources, and systems—such as our Trust-wide approach to the Graduated Approach and Intervention Rationale—to ensure equitable and compliant provision across all schools.
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Drive Strategic Development: Discuss and plan for complex, emerging needs, such as the strategic response to the rise in social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs.
Impact on Teaching and Learning
The work conducted in the SEND Network directly translates into tangible improvements in the classroom, ensuring that every teacher is a teacher of SEND.
1. Strengthening Quality First Teaching (Universal Offer)
The network focuses on Inclusion by Design, a process that requires schools to critically review and refine their Universal Offer—the high-quality teaching and provision available to all pupils. By working together, SENCOs ensure that teaching practices are proactively adapted to remove barriers to learning for all students, making teaching more inclusive from the outset.
2. Enhancing Staff Expertise and Capacity
The network is pivotal in leading the professional development of all staff within their respective schools. By collaboratively exploring evidence-based strategies and resources (such as the SEND Approach Library), SENCOs gain the knowledge and confidence to:
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Coach and mentor colleagues in effective adaptive teaching techniques, including scaffolding and differentiated instruction.
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Build the capacity of teaching and support staff, ensuring they have the subject-specific and pedagogical skills required to meet the diverse needs of learners.
3. Securing Improved Pupil Outcomes
Ultimately, the commitment to collaborative and sustained CPD through the network leads to improved quality of teaching. This, in turn, directly results in:
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Raised Achievement: Effective CPD has a significant positive effect on pupil achievement.
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Targeted Support: Earlier and more accurate identification of SEN, ensuring pupils receive the right support at the right time and in the right way.
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Consistent Experience: A shared vision for SEND across the Trust, ensuring students and families experience a cohesive and high-expectations approach regardless of which school they attend.
By investing in these strategic forums, the Trust ensures our SEND provision remains ambitious, evidence-informed, and highly effective, showcasing our dedication to achieving excellent outcomes for all learners.