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South East England and South London
The role of WSS is to support school in prioritising SEN. The expertise lies within the system and by sharing best practice, working with others and building on existing strengths, we want to unlock the knowledge for the benefit of all children and their families. We want to ensure that children and young people, along with their parents/carers, are at the centre of any provision.
In the South East and South London, we want to work in partnership with all stakeholders to ensure that SEND is seen as part of the wider school improvement agenda and not an add on. We would like to invite all leaders and practitioners to get in contact and work with us to develop a collaborative, meaningful and strong community of practice that directly impacts the outcomes for children and young people with SEND across our region.
Local authorities in this region
Bexley, Brighton and Hove, Bromley, Croydon, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Medway, Merton, Portsmouth, Richmond, Royal Greenwich, Southampton, Southwark, Surrey, Sutton, Wandsworth, West Sussex.
Meet your Regional SEND Leads
Regional Lead
Amelie Thompson has worked in education for over 20 years, including 12 years as a senior leader and headteacher. She now works at Greenshaw Learning Trust as Assistant Director of Education - SEND. She is also the regional lead with Whole School SEND for Southeast South London and lead author of the Teacher Handbook: SEND. Amelie has a keen interest in how we, as leaders, build systems and create environments that enable ‘every teacher to be a teacher of SEND’ – driven by leadership that builds inclusivity into all aspects of school practice. As a school leader, she challenges herself to consistently reflect on the operational implications and implementation of this strategic vision and is strongly committed to cross-phase and cross-sector collaboration to achieve this.
Amelie Thompson
Deputy Regional Lead
Until July 2023, Tina was the Head of an Outstanding all age special school for children and young people with severe and profound learning difficulties including those with an additional diagnosis of autism. Tina held this post for over 30 years, during which time the school expanded its roll by 90%.
Tina trained at Birmingham University and holds a Master’s Degree in Childhood Autism, and has spent all of her career working within the special education field. Tina was a National Leader of Education until her retirement from Headship. Tina continues to work as a member of the South East South London Regional SEND team for Whole School SEND (nasen). Aside from Special Educational Needs, Tina's particular interests are school improvement including ethical leadership and leadership development at all levels including governance. Tina firmly believes in the power of coaching as a supportive professional development tool for colleagues.
Tina Harvey OBE
Deputy Regional Lead
Clare is Head of Southampton Inclusion Partnership and Outreach Service, based at Springwell Special School in Southampton. She holds an MSc in Specific Learning Difficulties from the University of Southampton and an MA Ed in Special Needs and Inclusion from the University of Winchester. Clare is also Director of SEND for the HISP Learning Partnership and provides coaching, training and strategic support for SEND improvement across a range of schools within and beyond Southampton.
