Amy Maunder

Amy has worked in SEN for 13 years and is currently a part time SENCo in a large secondary school. Amy also delivers cross phase consultancy and training on all aspects of SEN and inclusion. During her 5 years as an SEN advisor to schools Amy developed numerous training packages and individual and group intervention materials for primary, secondary special and nursery schools.

If you are interested in any of Amy's INSET courses please fill out the Consultant enquiry form within the inset page or contact the office on 01672 512914 for further details and availability.

My teaching career started in Newport, South Wales in an extremely challenging special needs unit. Within a year I became ‘Teacher in Charge’ of this 3 class learning centre for students with statements of SEN and within 4 years I was acting deputy head teacher of the mainstream primary school that the unit was attached to.

My roles in this school and completing my Masters degree helped to shape my educational beliefs that wherever possible children should be taught in an inclusive setting alongside their peers. After six years in South Wales I was fortunate to be offered a post in Oxfordshire where I worked as a local authority Consultant for Inclusion – this provided the perfect opportunity to work with both primary and secondary schools in supporting the agenda for inclusion by delivering CPD and developing interventions to ensure all youngsters had the opportunity for an inclusive learning experience.

In 2005 I accepted the post of Learning Needs Advisory Teacher for the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames. During my time in Richmond I enjoyed working across the phases and with special schools to help them develop SEN provision. I wrote the Richmond Audit of AEN Provision which was widely used across many London Boroughs and throughout schools in England and Wales. This document helps schools to monitor their own provision and to produce action plans for further development. The Richmond Audit tool was endorsed by NASEN and was presented to the then Department for Education and Skills.

Whilst in Richmond I also became the local authority’s lead for maths and SEN and wrote training packages to support schools, SENCos and LSAs on how they deliver maths to support the learning needs of all students and in particular to help identify students who have difficulties in maths.

In 2008 I decided to return to school to again work ‘at the chalk face’ as well as continue working with local authorities and schools delivering consultancy. I was offered a post in a secondary school in my home town in Somerset which provided the perfect opportunity to utilise all I had learned in my years as consultant. In my first twelve months SEN provision has moved from being unsatisfactory to being highlighted as a strength of the school in our 2009 OfSTED report.

Whilst in Somerset I have worked with the LA on establishing school action plus criteria for students with specific learning difficulties in maths and have delivered training to the county’s new SENCos and to SENCos completing the post graduate certificate in specific learning difficulties.

The following CPD opportunities can all be tailored to meet the needs of the school and attendees. The packages below provide an outline of the materials that are available. All packages are available for Key Stages 1 to 4.

Assessment for All

Ideally this session would be delivered as a full days training but could be split if schools prefer to access just one element of the training:

looking at Assessment for Learning across the school with a particular focus on students with additional educational needs
Standardised and diagnostic assessments to help SENCos, class teachers and LSAs identify students with SEN and plan for their learning. Assessments include those for literacy, numeracy, memory and social, emotional and behaviour needs