London Regional Conference: Responding to complexity

Margaret Mulholland is an inclusion consultant, policy specialist and regular commentator in the education press. Margaret is an Honorary Norham Fellow at the Department of Education, University of Oxford. She is currently, SEND policy lead for the Association of School & College Leaders, External Adviser on SEND for Jersey and is a monthly columnist for the TES. Margaret works with schools and trusts across the UK to support inclusive school improvement. 

Sarah Cottinghatt is the Research Lead at Steplab. She is a former English teacher and experienced teacher educator. She is involved in research on effective professional development and cognitive science in schools and supports schools with their teacher training, with particular expertise in coaching. Sarah is the author of Ausubel's Meaningful Learning in Action, and currently co-authoring the book, Coaching for Adaptive Expertise. 

Warda Farah is a Social Entrepreneur, Speech and Language Therapist, Writer, and Lecturer whose work bridges Neurodiversity Research and Racial Justice. She founded Language Waves to work in a culturally, linguistically, and neurodiversity affirming manner, and collaborates with teachers and schools to rethink received wisdom and developmental theories shaping education in the UK. She is the editor of Language, Place, and the Body in Childhood Literacies: Theory, Practice, and Social Justice. 

Rebecca has more than 15 years’ experience working as a senior school Leader, Deputy Head teacher (Head of Start-up School), Assistant head teacher and a SENCO in several inner city schools. Her areas of expertise include SEND, SEND legislation, creating an inclusive classroom/ quality first teaching, inclusion, SEMH (including ADHD) and Emotional related school refusal (attendance). She holds a Master’s Degree in Education focusing on SEND and Autism Spectrum Conditions. At the heart of it all, she is an outstanding English teacher. Rebecca is a qualified SENCO and registered with British Psychologist society (CCET3). Her current position is Director of Inclusion for Every Child, Every Day Multi Academy Trust. Her role includes supporting and working in collaboration with Head teachers, senior leaders and SENCO’s in developing a person centred approach to inclusion. She also works as a School improvement partner for schools in her Trust and outside the Trust as directed by her CEO. Her philosophy is centred on the understanding that every teacher is a teacher of SEND and every leader is a leader of SEND. 

Matt McArthur is the Assistant Headteacher at Frank Wise School in Banbury, a special school for children and young adults aged between 2 and 19. Matt currently teaches in both primary and secondary classes, and is the subject-leader for Numeracy. He was Director of Teaching School at the school for five years, and continues to support the Oxfordshire Teaching School Hub with SEND-specific strands of Continuing Professional Development, School-to-School support and Initial Teacher Training. Matt enjoys cooking, keeping fit and reading, and is a committed life-long learner. He has just finished a Masters degree in Educational Leadership, and is currently doing his NPQH.  

Amelie Thompson has worked in education for over 20 years, including 12 years as a senior leader and headteacher. She now works at Greenshaw Learning Trust as Assistant Director of Education - SEND. She is the lead author of the Teacher Handbook: SEND. Amelie has a keen interest in how we, as leaders, build systems and create environments that enable ‘every teacher to be a teacher of SEND’ – driven by leadership that builds inclusivity into all aspects of school practice. As a school leader, she challenges herself to consistently reflect on the operational implications and implementation of this strategic vision and is strongly committed to cross-phase and cross-sector collaboration to achieve this. 

Rebecca works as Assistant Headteacher at Perseid School in the London Borough of Merton. Perseid is a specialist school for pupils with complex learning needs aged 2-19. Rebecca is the English subject lead and has a particular interest in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). 

Rebecca is passionate about ensuring that the school's high aspirations lead to tangible outcomes for all pupils, and her work is rooted in the conviction that education is the ultimate vehicle for equity and empowerment. She believes in the fundamental right of all children to have their voices heard and their competency assumed, regardless of their communication needs or disability. She is dedicated to advocating for those whose views are often unheard and to remove barriers that prevent them from participating fully, ensuring that fairness and high expectations define children’s educational experience. 

Through the Merton Special Teaching Association (MSTA) Rebecca provides professional learning to a range of settings including delivering the SEND module on the LSBU PGCE. Rebecca holds the NASENCo award and is in her final year of her Master’s degree in Inclusive Education, with a focus on autism. 

With a passion for working in special educational needs; Emma has worked at Perseid School for 11 years. 

Emma was attracted to a career in teaching as a result of her desire to make a difference to children’s lives and encourage their love of learning in a fun and safe environment, an aspect of our school that we are most proud of. 

As an Assistant Head, Emma sees the future ambitions of our school as developing the use of play as an integral area of pupil development, and places the vision of the Leadership Team as a key contributor to the success of the school. It is the variety of her role – teaching in class, leadership course or university lecture, supporting staff and pupils, developing lessons, mentoring an NQT that Emma believes makes her role so unique.