This document discusses the leadership challenges of managing special educational needs (SEN) in both mainstream and special settings. It identifies qualities needed for leaders of change, such as unwavering optimism and intellectual curiosity. It also examines how to create change through building capacity, minimizing crises, and extending vision. Specific challenges are explored for different types of special settings, such as managing boundaries between organizations. The document envisions future SEN provision with centralized support services, information centers, and co-located special school sites that offer wraparound support. The ideal leader of SEN is seen as one who can reform systems through abandoning outdated models and resolving conflicts through strength and collaboration.

1. Leadership and SEN: Meeting
the Challenge in Special and
Mainstream Settings
Nick Burnett
Managing Director
i-for-k

3. Change

4. Leading Change

5. Qualities
 unwarranted optimism
 regarding crisis as the norm and complexity
as fun
 endless supply of intellectual curiosity
 absence of paranoia and self-pity

6. Capacity to Create Change
 creating energy
 building capacity
– teachers as leaders of change
 meeting and minimising crisis
 extending the vision
 securing the environment
 seeking and charting improvement

7. Culture of Change

8. Changing Cultural Context
 intimate consultation
– enhanced pupil voice
– parental preference
 advocacy
 partnership provision

9. Learning for Leaders of Change

10. futures thinking
 possible
 probable
 preferable

11. Policy Levers

12. Change Frames

13. Partnerships

14. Why?

15. Share
 risk
 creativity
 responsibility
 resources

16. Boundary Spanning

17. Who?

18. ICT

19. More responsive and adaptable

20. E-learning foundation

21. Integrated Learning Systems

22. Reduction in barriers to learning

23. personalised access
 digital resources

24. Presentation technologies

25. Videoconferencing

26. Outsourcing of ICT related
services

27. professional development
 online courses
 to industry and schools
 advisory work

28. Connected learning communities

29. Staff

30. ICT Managers
 industry knowledge and expertise

31. impact of ICT
 positive
 negative

32. Innovation

33. Leadership

34. Strategic
 Partnerships
 Intentions

35. Management

36. Learning

37. New Opportunities
 integrated learning activities
 individualised programmes
 collaborative
 partnership provision

38. Understanding of Learning
 multiple intelligences
 learning styles
 knowledge of the brain
 Pedagogy
 Curriculum

39. Professional Learning
Communities
 talk about teaching
 observe each other teaching
 plan, organise, deliver, evaluate together
 teach each other

40. Personal
 lifelong
 everyone as a researcher

41. Design

42. Governance
 boundary spanning

43. Funding

44. Outsourcing
 create demand

45. Additional
 specialist status
 new opportunities fund
 other

46. Professionalism

47. The Additional Leadership
Challenges of Different Settings

48. Mainstream

49. Challenges
 league tables
 stakeholder expectations
 targets
 structure and inflexibilties
– need to create opportunities
 Need to build into climate of school
 Status of SENCO

50. Common challenges

51. managing the boundaries
 managing people you do not employ
 other professionals
 managing the different cultures
 multiple agendas

52. parents
 respite
 negative personal experiences

53. more change
 managing the 'unknown'

54. lack of support and/or challenge
 role within LEA
– lack of clarity as to role
 knowledge within LEA and OfSTED
– core purpose contained in 3 brief sub-sections
of the report

55. changing pupil profiles
 staff training
– need to provide training and induction
– Lack of training at ITT
 structure required

56. lack of staff wishing leadership
opportunities
 ageing population

57. Abuse
 Actual
 Alleged

58. Addington School

59. Challenges
 5 key stages
 OfSTED
 full range of difficulty
 need to bring in funding to support outreach

60. Holyport Manor School

61. challenges
 need for pupils to feel safe
 danger in having a captive, vulnerable
audience
 emotional
 providing 'home' for pupils
 care standards - good thing

62. Kingfisher School

63. Challenges
 Managing multiple sites
– different cultures
– funding arrangements
– managing expectations
 relationships with co-located site heads

64. Pupil Referral Unit and Inclusion
Service (PRUIS)

65. challenges
 lack of partnership options
 promoting teacher expectations
 not a school
– LEA service
 reactive expectation
– LEA
– other schools

66. SEBD

67. pupils
 parallel difficulties with
– families
– communities
 ability often spans same ability range as a
mainstream school
 need to meet emotional needs
 need for rubber boundaries
 Inclusion opportunities for pupils

68. Staffing
 need for strong leadership team
– head of care
– deputy
 staff welfare
 difficulties in addressing both in and out of
school needs
 recruitment and retention

69. Coxlease School

70. Challenges
 at the end of the educational line
 Financial risk for proprietors
 isolation
 total 'buck stops here'
 52 week
– right people in right place
 need to provide counselling and therapy

71. Opportunities

72. SEN Provision of the Future

73. Qualities

74. Training Centre

75. Centralised Support Services

76. Centre of Information

77. support to
 parents
 other professionals
 other schools

78. resources
 selling services

79. Management of Places

80. 'Wraparound' provision

81. Special School

82. Main Site
 Co-located

83. The Leader of SEN in the Future

84. Reform

85. Abandonment
 design
 silo model
 curriculum
 pedagogy

86. Relationships

87. Resolve Conflict
 strength and courage

88. Communities
 extended
 learning

89. 6 C's
 compelling vision
 collaboration
 critical friends
 culture of development
 congruence
 clear focus

90. Transformational

91. Roles

92. Alternative views!

93. ICT

94. Partnerships

95. Innovation

96. Leadership

97. Don’t Despair

98. Contact Details
 www.i-for-k.com.au
 nick@i-for-k.com.au
 0405 411 871
 ‘Leadership and SEN: Meeting the
challenge in special and mainstream
settings’
 References