12 May 2023 weekly update

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you enjoyed the Bank Holidays and this week’s SATs and exams have gone well.

Since I last wrote much of our time has been spent working on the Accelerated Progress Plan, our response to the SEND Improvement Notice, which thankfully has now been submitted to the DfE. A big thank you to all the colleagues who have contributed including KAH and KsENT.

Since last writing I have visited Valance School to meet with headteacher Roland Gooding, Kite College to meet with Principal Steve Badder, his team and some of the students and the West Malling site of The Rosewood School where Cllr Rory Love and I spent a morning meeting with staff and students, as well as headteacher Tina Hamer. A very sincere thank you to all involved for their warm welcome.

Sarah Hammond DCS, Alison Farmer Principal EP and I recently met with KsENT and then with Chairs of Governors of Kent special schools to discuss the special schools review. It has been a busy couple of weeks!

One of the positive developments I want to feedback on in SEND is the significant progress we are making in filling staff vacancies which have halved from over 100 in the case holding teams to circa 50. We are continuing to have a focused recruitment drive and a big thank you to all the officers involved but particularly to Maria Halford for her work on this.

Headteacher Briefings

At the forthcoming Headteacher Briefings, detailed below, I’d like to use the opportunity to showcase some of the fabulous work inclusion work going on in education. So under the banner ‘Stronger Together’ I’d like to invite you to let me know about work in groups of schools which has evidence of improving inclusion which you would be interested in sharing with colleagues. Please email Sue Kirby in the first instance at Sue.Kirby@kent.gov.uk.

• Tonbridge and Malling - Monday 19 June, 1pm to 4pm –The Hop Farm
• Dartford - Thursday 22 June, 9am to 12 noon – Birchwood Park Golf Club
• Folkestone and Hythe – Friday 23 June, 9am to 12noon – Hythe Imperial Hotel
• Canterbury - Thursday 29 June, 1pm to 4pm – The University of Kent

To reserve your place please use the booking form

With best wishes

Christine McInnes
Director of Education