About our SEND ambassadors
Derby's SEND Ambassadors are a group of 10 SENCOs and Inclusion leads in the city. They have been picked, or volunteered, to share their expertise and to support local area SEND services.
What do they do?
- Represent SENCOs across Derby at various platforms including local area governance meetings and with Senior Inclusion Leads in the local authority.
- Act as a focus group for new developments and support Derby to test new developments, paperwork and processes.
- Advise and discuss what should be presented at future SENCO Network meetings.
- Share knowledge and experiences of how systems are working, from the frontline, to help services to continually improve.
- Buddy Support: SEND Ambassadors partner up with SENCOs across the city to support and advise to review and improve Inclusion and SEND in their school.
- Attend and support fortnightly SEND Surgeries, allowing SENCOs to ask question and get ideas in a drop in Surgery alongside Paula Nightingale, Head of Inclusion, DerbySAL and representatives of the SEN Team.
- Quality Assurance of EHCPs - helping the SEN Team in Derby to improve quality of plans and outcomes.
- Derby Inclusion Tool Delivery Groups and Moderation - Ambassadors contribute and support the city looking at school readiness to meet needs across the city and how this tool can best be utilised to improve whole school SEND provision.
Who are they?
| Ambassador | Location | Contact details |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Beattie |
Deputy Headteacher and SENCO, Becket Primary School |
senco@becket.derby.sch.uk |
| Becky Green | SENCO, St Giles Special School | BGreen@stgiles.derby.sch.uk |
| Bernie Bush | SENCO, Littleover Community School | b.bush@littleover.derby.sch.uk |
| Debbie Costema | SENCO, Gayton Junior School | senco@gaytonj.derby.sch.uk |
| Jenny McCormick | SENCO, Asterdale Primary School | senco@asterdale.odysseyct.org.uk |
| Katrina Haines | SENCO, St James Junior School | k.haines@stjames.derby.sch.uk |
| Luisa Pancisi | Headteacher and SENCO, St James Infants School | head@stjamesinfants.derby.sch.uk |
| Sharon Hunt | SENCO, UTC Derby | shunt@utcderby.org.uk |
| Sian Hubbard | SENCO, Murray Park Community School | sian.hubbard@murraypark.derby.sch.uk |
| Wendy Forte | SENCO, Ashgate Primary School | wforte@ashgate.derby.sch.uk |
How can they help you?
You can get in touch with any of the ambassadors for advice or support with specific issues around SEND in your setting, or to discuss any issues you may be facing.
If you would like to know more, you would like to enrol on the SENCO Buddy programme, or would like to put your name forward to be considered for future intakes of SEND Ambassadors, then please contact DerbySAL@derby.gov.uk .