21 April 2023 weekly update

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome back following the Easter break I hope you had a restful break and are fully charged. As you gear up for end of years exams, tests and assessment and we extend our best wishes to children, young people and their families and thanks to you and your teams for the hard work involved before and during this stressful time.

Over the Easter period there have been some changes within the new Education and SEND directorate. Many of you will have known (or at least known of) Steve Tanner, Assistant Director SEND, who has sadly now left KCC. Amongst many other things Steve was leading on the restructure of SEND and recruitment to fill our many vacancies and I’m pleased to say recruitment has been really successful. We still have vacancies, but we are now in a much better position thanks to his work. I am sure you will join me in wishing Steve all the best in his future endeavours.

Steve’s responsibilities have been allocated in a slightly different way than previously so the SEND management team is now made up of the following officers

• Alice Gleave, Interim AD SEND Operations managing Zenia Ford (Early Years), Teri Rutherford (School Inclusion and Post 16) and Jay Murphy (Interim Assessment, Placement and Tribunals Manager)
• Craig Chapman, Interim AD SEND Processes and Fair Access managing Maria Halford (casework manager)
• Elise McQueen, Interim AD SEND Quality Assurance managing Roger Smith (SW practice lead) and Sharon McLaughlin (Engagement, Operations and Assurance Manager)
• Alison Farmer, AD SEND and Principal Educational Psychologist managing the Educational Psychology Service and Specialist Teaching and Learning Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment and Physical Disability Service .

We will be sharing more about the roles and responsibilities of the posts so that you are clear who to go to about particular issues. Yesterday, I was really pleased to have the opportunity to virtually meet with 225 SEND staff to introduce myself, talk about the changes, our commitment to supporting staff with training and tools to do the job effectively and the need for officers to be open to both scrutiny and accountability.

Today I will be visiting the three primary schools that are in the Valley Invicta Academy Trust and more about that next week.

At the forthcoming Headteacher Briefings, detailed below, I’d like to use the opportunity to showcase some of the fabulous work inclusion work going on in education. So under the banner ‘Stronger Together’ I’d like to invite you to let me know about work in groups of schools which  has evidence of improving inclusion which you would be interested in sharing with colleagues. Please email Sue Kirby in the first instance at Sue.Kirby@kent.gov.uk.

• Tonbridge and Malling - Monday 19 June, 1pm to 4pm –The Hop Farm
• Dartford - Thursday 22 June, 9am to 12 noon – Birchwood Park Golf Club
• Folkestone and Hythe – Friday 23 June, 9am to 12noon – Hythe Imperial Hotel
• Canterbury - Thursday 29 June, 1pm to 4pm – The University of Kent

To reserve your place please use the booking form

In addition to work, things have been quite intensive at home, with my older son who has been living with me for the past two years, getting married the weekend before Easter. I am half Italian as is his partner, so lots of Italians came and the wedding itself was an amazing fusion of cultures including a bagpiper who lives in Folkestone. The family my son is marrying into (many of whom live in neighbouring Catford streets to me) are incredibly talented singers and musicians so have their own band with the lead singer being a runner up from Italy’s got Talent. It was some party! As one offspring finally goes (although only about 10 minutes walk away), six months before his 40^th birthday, the other is returning in May after completing his degree at Nottingham Trent so no empty nest syndrome in the foreseeable future for me!

Have a good week

Best wishes

Christine McInnes
Director of Education