“Children And Young People Deserve A Change.” Interview With a Head of SEND Review and Monitoring
23 Jul, 20251-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- A Head of SEND’s perspective on building more inclusive, resourced services for children and young people.
- How local authorities are working to improve and monitor SEND support across education settings.
- How to find and apply for the latest local authority SEND jobs.
With policy reforms and rising demand reshaping SEND services, delivering real change for children and young people has never been more urgent. We recently spoke to a Head of SEND Review and Monitoring about her role, career experience and what she believes is needed to improve support and outcomes for families navigating the SEND system.
A Head of SEND Review and Monitoring is responsible for the process of reviewing and monitoring EHC plans to ensure that children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) receive appropriate support and provision. This professional works across two local authorities and calls for more resources to meet growing needs and ensure inclusivity in SEND education.
In this interview, we explore the real challenges facing local SEND services and the potential strategies that could improve specialist provision and tackle stigma to ensure every child is able to thrive.
Tell us about your career journey so far and your current role
I started working in SEND in 2016 when I relocated with my family and was looking for local work. At the time, lots of local authorities were looking for temporary staff to help manage the conversions from statements to EHC plans.
I had transferable management skills from previous work and a few years experience working in early years when my son was a toddler. I settled in quickly and worked as a SEN Assessment Coordinator and then felt comfortable managing a small team as a SEND District Team Lead.
I’ve worked for five local authority SEND teams and have been in my current local authority for three and a half years. In my current role, I hold responsibility across two local authorities for the review and monitoring of EHC plans, Home-to-School transport eligibility, High Needs Top-up, Alternative Provision and a team of teaching staff who monitor provision and deliver on-the-spot training.
In September, I started a two-year Degree Apprenticeship through my employer at Exeter University in Leadership and Management. It’s such a high-quality course and I am studying alongside interesting people from private and public sector organisations, all over the country.
How has SEND provision changed over the past 12 months and where do you see it heading in 2025?
It’s really important to stay up to date and attend local networks and briefings from the Department for Education. I undertake my own reading, not just on SEND, but also on mental health, race, gender and religion - all the things that impact our young people.
One of the biggest changes in 2024 was embedding Alternative Provision under the umbrella of SEND. It was a welcome and exciting change for me as I really think it’s an area to make a big impact in and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs in particular have always been an area of interest for me.
Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) such as elective home education and online schooling has increased, possibly due to the impact of COVID or the pressure that children face from social media. As a result of this, we’ve undertaken work to improve our offer for those young people.
What do you find most fulfilling about your role? Can you share a moment in your role that felt particularly rewarding?
I really enjoy staff development. Coaching colleagues to challenge themselves and be the best they can is one of the most rewarding things for me. I love that lightbulb moment when it all falls into place for people and they have mastered something new or have developed their knowledge base.
I work with some truly inspirational people, but one in particular I have worked with in more than one local authority. I have watched this individual grow into a fantastic Team Manager, complete their NASEN award and become a true expert on challenging casework. I’d like to think I had an influence in that, having taken on a mentoring role and that makes me proud.
The 2025 Labour government plans to introduce several educational and SEND reforms. Do you think Labour will have an impact on the challenges local authorities face?
Regardless of the political party in power, I hope they have a positive impact, because our children and young people deserve a change. Education is chronically underfunded nationally and it’s a real shame. Teaching staff are incredible people and they do an amazing job, but more resources are needed to meet ever-growing needs.
What challenges do you believe councils and the SEND sector will face with the new Labour government?
It’s hard to know what they are thinking of changing nationally as even trying to make change locally can be tricky. We don’t want to overhaul processes that work under the current legislation if it takes time to plan and implement, as there may be major national changes shortly after.
For the wider council, a change in political party could mean a change in the council’s wider budget. Devolution and reorganisation is underway across the country in two-tier authority areas; I have colleagues on my course working in areas where this will impact them and they aren’t sure what that means for their jobs.
Can you share an example of a particularly challenging situation you’ve faced in your SEND career and how you resolved it?
The most challenging situation I faced was when I was working somewhere that didn’t bring me joy every day. The people were lovely and hardworking, the schools were great, but I just wasn’t inspired. It was mid-pandemic and during this time my Dad was given a terminal diagnosis, so it all had an impact on how I was feeling, but every day I would wake up filled with dread.
When you aren’t feeling yourself, it’s hard to do a good job. I turned up every day and worked hard, but I was just going through the motions, so I knew it was time to move on and find an environment where I didn’t get that feeling. I miss so many of the friends I made there and I still meet some for dinner every 6 months or so.
Making the move was absolutely the right thing to do and I now wake up every day, happy to go to work.
What's the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt in your career so far?
How to own my mistakes and apologise. I upset a colleague once by criticising their suggestions in a meeting. While it was important to address the risk in their plan, I embarrassed them as I was their line manager so it came across as though I had reprimanded them. They were really brave and confronted me privately, modelling how I could’ve done better.
I learned to slow down, consider my approach and acknowledge we all make mistakes but they are good to learn from. I am so grateful to them for teaching me this important lesson. I now seek feedback freely on what I can do better and the sting hurts less when it’s not positive as I have become more comfortable with hearing it.
What’s your vision for the future of SEND services and what changes would you like to see in the future?
I’m interested in the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) but nothing I have seen so far for my area of work has been great. Anyone who thinks AI won’t impact their work area is incredibly naive, so we need to embrace it. I’d love to see an AI tool that supports schools to manage annual reviews and local authority staff to quality assure what they produce.
I’d like to see a Specialist Resource Provision (SRP) in every school so that all children can be adequately supported in mainstream should they wish and I’d like to see greater specialist post-16 provision with strong work experiences.
As the parent of an ADHD child, I’d also like to wave a magic wand and remove the stigma, making more people understand it. It would make the world a friendlier place for those with ADHD and perhaps this could one day become a reality?
What advice would you give to aspiring SEND professionals?
Keep your mindset flexible, you’ll never stop learning, even from those junior to you. If you think you know it all, you are grossly wrong. Take time for personal development as it’s crucial to your success.
SEND jobs
If you’re searching for your next local authority SEND job, why not take a look at the latest vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.
Local authority recruitment services
As specialist local authority SEND recruiters, we support local authorities nationwide with their temporary, interim and permanent staffing needs.
We can supply SEND staff for service redesign, tackling annual review backlogs and SEND/EHC Case workers to amend plans or hold annual review meetings.
If you’re struggling to fill a vacancy, why not get in touch with one of our team to see how we can help?
- South of the UK - Richard Shorrock
- Midlands & North of the UK - Adam Zyda
Share your experience
Every individual brings a unique set of experiences, thoughts and insights to the table. We believe in giving a voice to a community of professionals to inspire positive change and champion reform in the SEND sector.
If you work in the SEND sector and would like to share your own personal and professional experiences, we’d love to hear from you. Perhaps you have a different perspective, could offer a fresh angle, or want to challenge assumptions.
Simply reach out to our Head of Content, Nicole Sherwood, to discuss a collaboration which makes your voice count.
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