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Dear All,

 

You are warmly invited to Visiting Professor Christopher Robertson's guest lecture, titled:

Special educational needs and/or disability (SEN/D) provision in schools and related settings: time to better regulate or re-imagine the role of the SENCO?"

Date: 12th February 2025

Time: 5:15-6:15pm (UK time)

Where: Online and in person at the University of Derby, (Kedleston Road, Derby, DE22 1GB). Click here to book your place (you will be sent a diary invite closer to the time)

Parking: Parking is free on the Kedleston Road Campus after 4:30pm

Cost: no charge for this event

Chrisopher is an independent academic and author, policy analyst and adviser to educational organisations with a particular interest in special educational needs and disability (SEND) policy and implementation. He is also a visiting professor (inclusion and SEND) at the University of Derby.

 

His previous roles include lecturing in SEND at the University of Birmingham (with lead responsibility for developing and introducing the National Award for SEN Co-ordination) Canterbury Christ Church University, and the University of London’s Institute of Education.

Christopher is a member of the Special Educational Needs Policy Research Forum's lead group. He also chair’s the SENCO Forum national e-community and engages in lobbying government to define and regulate the role of special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) more carefully, and to ensure that SENCOs are appropriately trained and deployed in schools, early years settings and post -16 provision.

 

In this lecture Christopher will reflect on the role of the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and its evolution over the past thirty years. He will refer to SEN/D policy in England and consider whether the SENCO ‘role designation’ has helped or hindered the development of inclusive provision and practice.

 

He will also consider whether, in the context of national SEN/D policy review and renewal, the SENCO role should be more carefully regulated in relation to current legislation or be more radically reconceptualised to support the advancement of inclusive education.