This episode of the SecEd Podcast offers best practice and tips for effectively managing Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) and supporting students with SEND in the mainstream secondary school.

Our expert panel offer advice and tips for teachers, SENCOs, and school leaders across a number of areas.

We discuss the main things that mainstream secondary schools need to bear in mind when a student has an EHCP. What do teachers need to be aware of when reading EHCPs and how should teaching staff and SENCOs work together (and with parents/carers) to ensure SEND students are supported effectively in their lessons and learning?

And how should EHCPs evolve as the student moves through secondary school and into key stage 5 (and beyond)?

We offer advice for SENCOs to help them manage the EHCP within the mainstream secondary school setting.

We also look at how to support families of students should have an EHCP but do not.

The EHCP is a local authority document and so we also discuss the role of the local authority and some of the common problems in the system.

Finally, we discuss the implications of the government’s recently published SEND Improvement Plan, especially plans to digitise the EHCP.

This episode is hosted by Bukky Yusuf is a senior leader, science teacher and an educational coach who is also a long-standing member of the SecEd editorial board.

Our guests are:

  • Pearl Barnes is a SEND specialist working across the UK supporting children and young people with SEND in all settings including primary, secondary and special education. Pearl won the 2022 Nasen Award for SEND Leader of the Year. A former special school headteacher and secondary school SENCO, Pearl is also a past president of Nasen and an expert inclusion panellist at the DfE.
  • Rebecca Gonyora is Nasen's deputy SEND leader for East of England and North East London. Rebecca has more than 15 years’ experience working as a senior school leader, deputy and assistant head, and SENCO in several inner city schools. Her expertise includes SEND, SEND legislation, inclusive classrooms, quality first teaching, inclusion, SEMH (including ADHD) and emotionally based school avoidance. Her current position is director of inclusion for the Every Child, Every Day Multi-Academy Trust.
  • Frances Akinde is an experienced champion of children and young people with SEND. She is neurodivergent. Until recently, Frances was headteacher of a secondary special school for learners with autism and associated difficulties. Frances spent seven years as a teacher, SENCO and assessment centre lead in alternative provision. Over the last 20 years, she has worked in a variety of roles across primary, secondary and special/AP. Frances is co-founder of the BAMEed SEND network, part of BAMEed Network.

To hear other SecEd podcasts, or to subscribe for free to new editions, search for 'The SecEd Podcast' in your podcast streaming application of choice. Or visit www.sec-ed.co.uk/podcasts

For details about The SecEd Podcast, or to suggest future topics, email editor Pete Henshaw at editor@sec-ed.co.uk