SEND Experts at Hand — independent SEND consultancy for education settings and families

Why this exists

Working with families, in settings and within a Local Authority showed every side of the same conversation — settings doing their best with stretched resources, families navigating a system that's new to them and rarely explains itself, and Local Authorities making difficult decisions amongst competing demands. This is an independent practice built to translate and find common ground, honestly and without jargon — so that every child can be included, and so that they and those who support them can achieve the extraordinary, everyday.

The founder of SEND Experts at Hand is Jenny: twenty-five years a teacher, sixteen of them in SEND advisory roles — including four years leading the Early Years SEND Advisory Team at Bedford Borough Council. She is confident working with settings to enhance their effective SEND provision, carrying out accurate assessments and writing and delivering informative, inclusive and inspirational training.

She has contributed to statutory processes, chaired local authority funding panels, helped decide whether an application succeeds, and led the design of The Garden of Dreams, a sensory outdoor learning and assessment environment at the Child Development Centre in Bedford. Her touch of fun and strong relational approach means she works well with an associate network with strong links to those with lived SEND experience, occupational therapists, specialist speech and language therapists, paediatricians, quality assurance officers, coaches, physiotherapists, psychologists, school improvement advisers and experienced specialist educationalists — so the advice here is never limited to one person’s expertise.