Val Smith Email & Phone Number

Inclusion, in my opinion, is much more than simply allowing students into the classroom; it is crucial for every student's personal growth and wellbeing, not just those with SEND but also all vulnerable students, giving them the chance to succeed to the best of their abilities alongside their peers. Over the years, personal life events have stoked the desire to become a SENCo and help young people. I have sought every job within education with enthusiasm and dedication over the past ten years, and now that I have been successfully appointed to the post of SENCo for the first time in March 2016, I feel that I am in the ideal position to serve the most vulnerable pupils in our communities. I have created a new, simpler-to-use Inclusion Register for the entire school that includes "Student Profiles," all of which are posted to the students' area in Bromcom. With a variety of ways to support them in the classroom, this gives staff members access to all the information they require on specific students in their classrooms. I have also participated in a number of CPD sessions for the entire school, either giving the presentations myself or collaborating with outside experts to raise staff knowledge of certain students' needs. I have previously taught on the SCITT development programme and given SEND training workshops at schools to help ITT students grow. I have worked with the EP to present a session on trauma informed practise as part of the Academies Teaching and Learning Development session this year. In the case of Covid-19, I asked the educational psychology team to create and provide a variety of training materials based on the EHCP requirements to the new year 7 cohort, two of whom had ASC. These materials included Blank Levels, Social Stories, and Colourful Semantics, which I disseminated to staff as necessary and used as training grounds for my more recent role. I also assisted the school's SIP Officer for SEND in delivering a programme on SEND and Autism. All pupils, including those with SEND or other vulnerabilities, must be able to accomplish the "very best they can be." Using KS2/CAT4 and FFT data to determine targets for the end of KS4, I built "flight paths" for each student on the Inclusion Register, which are updated following each assessment point. As a result, I can track my progress and collaborate with department heads to find any students who are falling short of expectations. I believe continued CPD is important and have recently completed and passed a Level 5 Certificate in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Listed skills include Teaching, Classroom, Curriculum Development, Education, and 11 others.