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London

The Regional SEND Leaders for London are Amelie Thompson, Matt McArthur and Rebecca Gonyora.

As a regional team, we work with school-based professionals, Local Authorities, Teaching School Hubs and Multi-Academy Trusts to support the prioritisation of SEND within professional development and school improvement plans. There is already a great deal of expertise in schools across the region; our goal is to unlock this expertise and share it for the benefit of children and young people, families and professionals. Through our monthly newsletters, we share best practice, including signposting members to CPD, sharing newly developed resources and highlighting regional SEND initiatives.

In a classroom, a girl is raising her hand to answer a question. She is next to a window and has an open book in front of her

Meet your Regional SEND Leads

Regional Lead

Amelie Thompson has worked in education for over 20 years, including 12 years as a senior leader and headteacher. She now works at Greenshaw Learning Trust as Assistant Director of Education - SEND. She is the lead author of the Teacher Handbook: SEND. Amelie has a keen interest in how we, as leaders, build systems and create environments that enable ‘every teacher to be a teacher of SEND’ – driven by leadership that builds inclusivity into all aspects of school practice. As a school leader, she challenges herself to consistently reflect on the operational implications and implementation of this strategic vision and is strongly committed to cross-phase and cross-sector collaboration to achieve this.

A photograph of Amelie Thompson

Amelie Thompson

Deputy Regional Lead

Matt McArthur is the Assistant Headteacher at Frank Wise School in Banbury, a special school for children and young adults aged between 2 and 19. Matt currently teaches in both primary and secondary classes, and is the subject-leader for Numeracy. He was Director of Teaching School at the school for five years, and continues to support the Oxfordshire Teaching School Hub with SEND-specific strands of Continuing Professional Development, School-to-School support and Initial Teacher Training. Matt enjoys cooking, keeping fit and reading, and is a committed life-long learner. He has just finished a Masters degree in Educational Leadership, and is currently doing his NPQH. 
 

Image shows Matt McArthur, Deputy Regional Lead for South Central England and North West London

Matt McArthur

Deputy Regional Lead

Rebecca has more than 15 years’ experience working as a senior school Leader, Deputy Head teacher (Head of Start-up School), Assistant head teacher and a SENCO in several inner city schools. Her areas of expertise include SEND, SEND legislation, creating an inclusive classroom/ quality first teaching, inclusion, SEMH (including ADHD) and Emotional related school refusal (attendance). She holds a Master’s Degree in Education focusing on SEND and Autism Spectrum Conditions. At the heart of it all, she is an outstanding English teacher. Rebecca is a qualified SENCO and registered with British Psychologist society (CCET3). Her current position is Director of Inclusion for Every Child, Every Day Multi Academy Trust. Her role includes supporting and working in collaboration with Head teachers, senior leaders and SENCO’s in developing a person centred approach to inclusion. She also works as a School improvement partner for schools in her Trust and outside the Trust as directed by her CEO. Her philosophy is centred on the understanding that every teacher is a teacher of SEND and every leader is a leader of SEND.

Headshot of Rebecca Gonyora

Rebecca Gonyora

Local authorities in this region

This region covers the Local Authorities of:

  • Barking and Dagenham
  • Barnet
  • Bexley
  • Brent
  • Bromley
  • Camden
  • City of London
  • Croydon
  • Ealing
  • Enfield
  • Greenwich
  • Hackney
  • Hammersmith and Fulham
  • Haringey
  • Harrow
  • Havering
  • Hillingdon
  • Hounslow
  • Islington
  • Kensington and Chelsea
  • Kingston upon Thames
  • Lambeth
  • Lewisham
  • Merton
  • Newham
  • Redbridge
  • Richmond upon Thames
  • Southwark
  • Sutton
  • Tower Hamlets
  • Waltham Forest
  • Wandsworth
  • Westminster