Great Expectations: Leading an Effective SEND Strategy in School

A selection of essays from leading educationalists and school leaders with a track record of improving outcomes for children and young people with additional needs, highlighting the significant role that school leaders play in shaping effective practice in SEND. Based on the SEND Review Guide, a national self-evaluation framework part-funded by the DfE and authored by David Bartram and Vijita Patel, downloaded by over 3000 schools, the book is divided into eight sections: Leadership; Teaching and Learning; Working with Pupils and Parents; Identification and Assessment; Monitoring and Tracking; Efficient Use of Resources; Developing Provision; Improving OutcomesEach section includes 3-4 essays. The opening essays offer a broad national perspective on the focus area, authored by a leading educationalist. The following essays, authored by school leaders from a range of educational settings including secondary, primary and special schools, highlight practical examples of how they have improved outcomes for this group of pupils, often in particularly challenging contexts. There will be a strong focus on impact of the approach.

A teaching assistant, history teacher and senior leader, David led special educational needs and disability provision (SEND) in London schools for over 15 years. He was a member of the Department for Education's SEND Review steering group and an expert advisor to the Timpson Review on school exclusions. David has worked directly with over 700 school leadership teams across the UK to improve their SEND provision.
David is author of the SEND Review Guide, a national framework funded by the DfE. In 2018 he edited Great Expectations: Leading an Effective SEND Strategy in School, published by John Catt Educational. He was Director of SEND at the London Leadership Strategy and an advisor to the Mayor of London's education team. As part of his international work, David has supported the development of Inclusion policies in a number of countries including Ethiopia, Seychelles, Thailand and Malaysia. David is a member of the Education Policy Institute Advisory Board and a trustee of the KPMG Foundation, which seeks to bring about systemic change in business and society and unlock the potential of the most disadvantaged children in the UK.
David was awarded an OBE for Services to Special Education in the 2016 New Year's Honours list.