Special Education Needs
Speakers
Roy Blatchford Roy Blatchford is Director of the National Education Trust, an independent foundation dedicated to improving the quality of education nationwide, shaping its future, and working to help close the achievement gap. Previously he was Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools (HMI) in England, with lead responsibilities for school improvement and for the national inspection of good and outstanding schools. Roy was Principal (1999 - 2003) of Walton High & Walton Learning Centre in Milton Keynes, opened in September 1999 and described by OFSTED as 'a first class centre of learning - innovative and inspiring'. He was Founding Director (1996 - 1998) of Reading Is Fundamental, UK a non-profit organisation developing children's reading and family literacy. From 1986 - 1996 he was Headteacher of Bicester Community College, an Oxfordshire comprehensive school serving 1200+ 11 - 19 year old students. He has served as a government adviser, and recently helped establish inspection and school review systems in New York, Dubai and Mumbai. Roy has worked with HM Prison Service, the NHS and the Arts Council in a number of voluntary capacities. He is the author/editor of over 150 books and is a regular contributor to the national press. |
André Imich André has been a member of the National SEN Adviser team since 2004. The team is part of the support arrangements for local authorities in implementing the government’s strategy for special educational needs. He works directly with local authorities to support them in their work with schools to raise the attainment of vulnerable learners, and in improving the confidence of parents in the statutory framework for SEN and in the education that their children receive. He is currently also working as part of the Lamb Inquiry into parental confidence. |
Professor Lizbeth Goodman Lizbeth manages Futurelab's research team, initiates new collaborative projects, and undertakes original research into creative innovation strategies for social entrepreneurship and leadership models that support learning for all. She has an international range of experience and a practical approach to creative educational technologies. She brings her experience of founding and directing the SMARTlab some 15 years ago, as well as her most recent experience as Chair of Creative Technology Innovation at the University of East London, where the SMARTlab Digital Media Institute and MAGIC Multimedia and Games Innovation Centre and Gamelab have run under her direction for the past few years. Lizbeth has developed many award-winning learning and communication technology tools. She is a renowned expert in learning models for communities at risk and is perhaps best known as an advocate of community-based ethical learning and teaching models using interactive tools and games to inspire and engage learners of all ages. She has published widely in the areas of performance technologies, e-learning, connected learning, embodied learning, social networking for community engagement, social entrepreneurship models in ICT, and games for learning. |
Terry Waller Terry has worked for Becta, and its predecessor organisation, in the area of special educational needs and inclusion, for nearly 20 years. Prior to that he worked in a number of education roles in Hertfordshire and Warwickshire. During his time at Becta he has been involved in the setting up of the Senco-forum an online community for more than 1,000 SENCOs and subsequently a wide range of inclusive practitioner forums. As Inclusion manager he is currently involved in Home Access Programme and in supporting Becta colleagues in ensuring all learners’ needs are addressed across all areas of Becta business. |
Sean O’Sullivan Frank Wise School is a Specialist School for Cognition and Learning, educating 100 pupils aged from 2 - 19 in Banbury, North Oxfordshire. The school was runner up in Becta’s ICT Excellence Award for Secondary Learner Experience in 2008 and has won numerous awards for the use of ICT over many years. The school has pioneered the creation of feature films as Christmas Productions which are premiered in the town’s Cinema, and has just recently opened an innovative new media centre, iWise which will act as a hub for creative media professionals delivering courses for the community beyond the school day. Sean O’Sullivan is the headteacher of Frank Wise School, and was the winner of Becta’s ICT in Practice award for Secondary Inclusion in 2003. Sean is an Apple Distinguished Educator and is a member of SENIT and Becta’s Inclusion Expert Reference Group, as well as Creating Spaces, a forum of people drawn from many professions interested in the creative use of technology in education. He recently completed research to explore the requirements of a Learning Platform which is suitable for people with cognitive learning difficulties. He has spoken widely on ICT in general and on aspects of inclusion, both in the UK and in America. |
Lorraine Petersen OBE Lorraine Petersen is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nasen. Prior to her appointment in September 2004, Lorraine held a number of teaching posts within mainstream schools in Sandwell, West Midlands. She completed her 25 year teaching career as head teacher of two very diverse primary schools. Lorraine has many years’ experience of working with pupils with an array of special and additional needs within mainstream settings. She also has hands-on experience of the issues relating to caring for and educating children with special and additional educational needs. Liaising with a range of organisations within a multi-agency context is also another area of Lorraine’s expertise. In the last five years Lorraine has worked on numerous projects with the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the Training and Development Agency (TDA). She has also been a chair, a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator at a number of national and international events and conferences as well as a consultant for a number of national organisations. Lorraine has contributed to many articles on special educational needs for a number of publications and is currently using her expertise to write a book on Managing the P Scales for Mainstream Schools. Lorraine is also a member of a number of advisory groups including UK T & I Sector Advisory Group for Education and Skills (SAGES). In June 2009 Lorraine was awarded the OBE for services to education. |
John Bateman OBE John Bateman has been CEO of UK Youth; the largest voluntary youth work organisation in the UK, since 1994. In a career spanning over 30 years promoting non-formal education in both the statutory and voluntary sector John has worked in both Bedfordshire and Gloucestershire Local Authorities, but the majority of his career has been spent with UK Youth as both Director of Youth Work and latterly as Chief Executive. In recent years John has been the President of The European Confederation of Youth Clubs, Vice Chairman of The National Council of Voluntary Youth Services, a founding trustee of the Foundation for Outdoor Adventure and a director of Youth FM. He is currently a Governor of The University of Worcester and a Trustee of Worcestershire Council for Voluntary Youth Services. He has also served on numerous Government advisory committees relating to young people and was awarded the OBE for services to young people in the 2004 New Years Honours. |