I am an Assistant Head Teacher at North Ridge Specialist School. I am responsible for behaviour and complex needs and whole school assessment. I have been teaching at North Ridge since 2014.

I have been leading the Complex Needs Department for the past four years. I am an outstanding practitioner and I have very strong skills in supporting pupils on the Autistic Spectrum and a successful track record in improving the progress for these groups of pupils. I have successfully supported staff in setting up classroom environments, planning, making resources and implementing strategies to manage behaviour.

As part of my Assessment Lead role, I have had the opportunity to lead groups of staff in creating bespoke assessments that meet the needs of the diverse student population. I have taken the lead in curriculum developments ensuring that the curriculum meets the learning, sensory, communication and social needs of all pupils. The curriculum I developed provides pupils who are not engaged in subject specific study the opportunity to access a wide range of opportunities and to make progress in a range of areas. I have provided training for teachers and teaching assistants on assessing pupils in the seven areas of Engagement and the four areas of Autism Progress. I am able to support colleagues to analyse and understand SEND pupil data, identify gaps and ensure progress is good or outstanding for all groups of pupils across the school.

I am a strong role model for other teachers and am committed to continually improving my own and others practice. I set high standards for the staff in my department and am able to support colleagues to develop their skills and meet the standards set.

I have delivered training in school and as part of North Ridge’s outreach service to mainstream and specialist support schools. Feedback through pre and post evaluation has always been positive.

I have been part of a team leading on improving reading and writing for pupils with Autism and complex needs. I have delivered training and used coaching and mentoring to support colleagues to develop their teaching. This had a positive school wide impact on pupil progress and the quality of teaching and learning.

Scheduled Opportunities

In addition to being available for deployment to support specific schools, Sarahis involved in the facilitation of the following Scheduled Professional Development Opportunities which are open to all.