East of England

We would like to introduce ourselves as the regional team for the East of England. Our role is to work in collaboration with all stakeholders to promote and celebrate the great SEND practice across the region.

At the moment in the East we are working to develop professional networks that will support schools in prioritising SEND working in partnership with families, children and young people. There is so much expertise already in schools and communities that we want to share for the benefit of all.

Using this knowledge we will support teachers, SENCOs and Leadership teams by growing the community of practice, enabling professionals to prioritise SEND and create positive changes for these young people and families.

We invite parents, carers, leaders and practitioners to contact us by joining the Whole School SEND community and sharing good practice.

Primary school children sat on the carpet in group reading with a teacher holding out a book

Meet your Regional SEND Leads

Deputy Regional SEND Lead

Heba is the Assistant Headteacher and inclusion leader at London's Mayflower Primary School. She has taught in inner London primary schools since 2007, and holds a Masters in Special and Inclusive Education from University College London Institute of Education (IOE) . As a specialist leader, Heba provides support to schools locally and more widely through her secondment role as a deputy regional lead at Whole School SEND (NASEN). Heba is passionate about research and implementing innovative practice.  She has secured funding for a variety of school projects including the use of sensory integration to provide whole class support for children aged 3-7 years and helping children with  special educational needs improve their recall strategies.  She was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship in 2019 to look at inclusive practices in mainstream schools in New York for Autistic pupils.  This year, she has received another grant from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust to pilot a project at her school in collaboration with the Centre of Research in Autism Education (CRAE), UCL.  Heba is also a PHD student at CRAE (Centre for Research in Autism Education) UCL , exploring the collaboration of caregivers of autistic children from minority ethnic backgrounds with school professionals.

Headshot of Heba Al-Jayoosi

Heba Al-Jayoosi

Deputy Regional SEND Lead

Alistair is currently Director of SEND & Inclusion for St Martin’s and St Andrew’s Schools in Derby. Prior to this, he worked in a range of specialist schools across the East Midlands as a teacher and senior leader.

As an experienced Specialist Leader of Education and School / Multi-Academy Trust reviewer Alistair has supported many schools and colleagues to develop their SEND provision and improve outcomes for young people with additional needs.

A big passion for Alistair is raising aspiration for the amazing young people we work with and he is currently working with a range of national partners to support pathways to employment and participation in elite sports. Alistair is a member of the regional team for Whole School SEND ( EMSYH), Co Chair of the National Network of Specialist Provision (NNSP) and is currently the Specialist lead for Oak National Academy. 

Image shows Alistair Crawford, Deputy Regional Lead for the North

Alistair Crawford

Local authorities in this region

  • Bedford
  • Cambridgeshire
  • Central Bedfordshire
  • Essex
  • Hertfordshire
  • Luton
  • Norfolk
  • Peterborough
  • Southend-on-Sea
  • Suffolk
  • Thurrock
Discover our other regions