Susie Averbrook is an Assistant Headteacher at Colindale Primary School, leading on EMA/EAL throughout the school as well as phase leader for LKS2. She has a wide range of experience from different school communities in London, having worked at Colindale for the past 10 years and prior to this as Deputy Head at Islington Pupil Referral Unit; as a specialist teacher for children with EBD in Southwark, and class teacher in Enfield.

As part of the Senior Leadership Team, Susie’s role of leading the EAL team has involved her working closely with children and families who are New Arrivals to the UK and school community.

Susie has set up a very successful initiative called Parent Champions in her school, which is part of a National Network, helping empower parents through peer-to-peer support; sign-posting other parents to local early education services, such as nurseries and children centres.

Susie can offer support by enabling interested schools to set up their own Parent Champions scheme as part of the new borough wide Barnet Parent Champions Scheme; helping to recruit and train staff and parents in schools, meeting with parent coordinators, organising meetings and networking between the local and National Network of Parent Champions.

Sandra Down is the Deputy Head at Oakleigh Special School based in Barnet. Sandra has a wealth of experience in teaching children with complex SEND across Early Years, Key stages 1 and 2 and supporting teams with key strategies to assess the children’s learning needs, to develop communication systems, deliver outstanding lessons and to manage behaviour positively. Her expertise has been used to design a curriculum for children with complex SEND. She is also Team Teach intermediate trainer.

Sandra can offer support in the following areas;

• Assessment of children with complex SEND;

• Curriculum design;

• Lesson planning and delivery;

• Understanding and positively supporting behaviour;

• Developing communication systems;

• Effective use of Intensive interaction and delivery of Attention Autism strategies;

• Supporting children with sensory processing difficulties.

Helen Myers has over 12 years’ experience in working with children and their families from diverse backgrounds. Helen can offer support on attendance and punctuality, implementing tracking, data collection and putting robust, consistent procedures in place.  Helen was recognised by the Local Authority to deliver a presentation at the Higher Level teaching assistant champions event in Westminster.  Helen has introduced initiatives to support vulnerable families and families with English as an Additional Language. She has delivered training and INSETS in effective use of teaching assistants within the classroom, as well as supporting schools with strategies for good practice in Ethnic Minority Achievement, attendance and punctuality.  Helen’s experience and passion for improving attendance and punctuality has been her motivation for initiating ‘robust and sustainable systems’ that have supported the increase in attendance figures at Queenswell Infant and Nursery School, where she is a Child and Family Support Worker. Helen strongly believes that engaging parents/carers, identifying and addressing their needs effectively, with empathy, building trust, whilst remaining professional and ensuring confidentiality is key to her success. Helen has experience in working with various outside agencies to offer support as very often poor attendance or punctuality are the result of underlying concerns.