Supporting Every Child: A SEND Professional’s Vision for Inclusive Education

In this blog, you will learn:

• About how SEND services are adapting to meet rising demand and complex needs.
• About the importance of ensuring schools and alternative provision celebrate and support all children with SEND.
• How to find and apply for the latest local authority SEND jobs.

In our latest interview with a professional in the local authority SEND sector, we spoke to a Senior Practitioner for Performance and Complaints. This seasoned professional has nearly 40 years experience across sectors including local government, NHS and SEND services.

In this interview, we explore the evolving challenges in the SEND system and the rewards of making a meaningful difference. Over the course of her career, this individual has developed a deep understanding of the SEND sector and sees the importance of empathy and collaboration to achieve positive outcomes.

Tell us about your career journey so far and your current role

I worked in London for around ten years managing the learning, development strategy and budget for an organisation employing 3,000 staff. I took an opportunity to extend my maternity leave and to consider how I wanted to return to work.

I then worked as a Programme Manager for an NHS Trust supporting service improvements and workforce planning. I loved the variety this role gave me, from spending my day in scrubs and observing the amazing lifesaving work carried out in Cardiology labs, to analysing patient waiting times for diagnostic testing.

During this time, I gained some personal experience as a parent of a child with SEND. When I saw a new post supporting three neighbouring local authorities with their preparations for the implementation of the SEND reforms, I decided to apply. This was an exciting and demanding post and every day was a learning opportunity.

At the end of my contract, I was offered a role as a SEND Commissioner. From there (when the local authority reorganised their SEND service) the role of a SEND Locality Team Manager was created. I took on this new and exciting role just as the country went into a national lockdown, and I haven’t looked back since.

The needs of my family changed over this time and I moved to interim work for greater flexibility. I have absolutely loved being able to apply all my skills and experience to a variety of roles.

I am currently a Senior Practitioner for Performance and Complaints, this means that I deal with all formal complaints regarding children and young people with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP.) I also deal with enquiries from MPs, and respond to requests from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

While there are common themes arising through complaints, I love that every day is different, brings a new challenge and that I am continually learning and developing in this role.

I enjoy being able to build positive relationships with parents and carers. As a SEND parent myself I can empathise with how demanding and relentless it can feel when advocating for our children. I take great satisfaction in being able to work in a solution focussed way to resolve complex complaint cases.

How has SEND provision changed over the past 12 months, and where do you see it heading in 2025?

I do my best to stay up to date through IPSEA, Special Needs Jungle and my local SEND networks. I also work as a volunteer for my local parent care forum and I really value hearing from other parents and carers about their experiences - as well as staying up to date with changes to legislation.

Based on my recent roles, I think that SEND provision is under increasing demand as the numbers and complexity of children and young people with SEND continues to grow. I hear many mainstream schools say they are finding it harder to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of students with SEND and more parents feel their child’s needs are not being met.

At the local authority I currently work for, we are seeing unprecedented demand for special school places, higher than the number of places available. That means many children are waiting for special school places and if they cannot remain in their current school they need to access alternative education provision.

This has led to high demand on the limited number of alternative education providers and we’re seeing the same kind of pressure in the independent special school sector.

It’s a bit of an imperfect storm, local authorities need support and investment to create additional special school places, all of which takes time as creating additional capacity requires a range of solutions including the creation of new special schools and adaptations to existing schools.

Could a change in government help improve the situation for local authorities?

I don’t think any political party has made a significant positive impact on SEND recently. The increase in SEND and the demands on all aspects of the system has been increasing for years and not enough has or is being done to address the demands.

What do you find most fulfilling about your role? Can you share a moment in your role that felt particularly rewarding?

The best part of my job is achieving a good outcome for the child or young person at the centre of a complaint. It’s also really rewarding when parents tell me that they feel they have been listened to for the first time.

I recently helped put a plan in place to support a young person returning to education after a long period out of school. They have now been able to start school and increase to full time attendance. I'm so happy they feel safe and understood, and their mum told me they've made new friends. It really doesn’t get better than that.

What challenges do you believe councils and the SEND sector will face with the new labour government?

Meeting statutory timescales is a big challenge, especially EHC needs assessment. The number of requests continues to rise and shortages of professionals such as Educational Psychologists, means that some local authorities are struggling to meet statutory timescales for the assessment and beyond.

I have seen an increase in the number of children and young people whose primary needs are their Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH). This is coupled with a rise in children experiencing Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) and once a child or young person has stopped attending school it is a challenge to support a return to education.

We need to be creative and develop bespoke solutions to meet these needs but this comes at a cost where budgets are already limited.

I have also seen an increase in the number of pre-school aged children with complex needs. It can be challenging to secure the provision in the EHC plan when they are not yet of school age, especially if they require specialist provision.

Can you share an example of a particularly challenging situation you’ve faced in your SEND career and how you resolved it?

My biggest challenge is building good relationships with parents who feel they have not been heard and that the system does not care about their children. I do my best to overcome this by listening, being honest and apologising when there is fault.

What’s your vision for the future of SEND services, and what changes would you like to see in 2025?

I would love to see schools getting the support they need, to be more inclusive and for all professionals to work more collaboratively together and have a child centred approach. 

For EHCP Caseworkers, the demands of the role can feel overwhelming and they aren’t always able to work proactively and provide the level of support and communication they aim for.

I would love to live in a world that values all children with SEND, that their differences are celebrated, their needs understood and met so that they can achieve and be their brilliant authentic selves.

What advice would you give to aspiring SEND professionals?

It’s not right for everyone but in a career that has spanned nearly forty years, this has been the best, most challenging and rewarding part of my career. If you’re interested, do some research, and if you think it’s right for you then go for it.

What were your experiences of working with Spencer Clarke Group? What are the benefits of using a recruitment agency?

Spencer Clarke Group and Richard Shorrock in particular have been brilliant. The benefits for me have been that I can work more flexibly around the needs of my family. It might not be for everyone, but I enjoy the challenge of getting up to speed in a new role as quickly as possible so I can make an impact in my role.

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

Who is Spencer Clarke Group?

Established in 2017, we’re an award winning and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. Our reputation is built on trust, expertise and an unwavering commitment to exceed expectations. 

In 2024, we were named Recruitment Agency of the Year at the prestigious Recruiter Awards, an accolade we are extremely proud of.