It’s been another busy week settling in and I am really pleased to be getting to know people.  

I have met with the Warwickshire Parent/Carer forum representative Elaine Lamb to discuss SEND matters and will be organising a face-to-face visit to speak with as many parents as possible to engage and understand how services work in the county, what is working well and what could be better.  

I have also been invited to IMPACT, our young people’s forum which I will attend on 20th April and very much look forward to engaging with them to learn about their lived experiences. It seems some of my visits to schools are already planned on taking place before Easter, which is great news, and I am very keen to meet with school leaders. 

Next week, is the Headteachers Conference. I am looking forward to attending as it certainly has an action-packed agenda. This will be an opportunity for me to engage with you all on the Warwickshire Education Strategy. Some School Leaders have already had some input into this at a recent Education Challenge Board meeting, but the Conference will be an opportunity to socialise this with a larger audience. I hope to meet as many of you there as possible. 

What has become apparent in my short time here is the need to have a closer look at the County’s Fair Access Protocol and some activity has already taken place around this. There will be a series of engagement meetings to look at this and consult with all schools on any proposed outcomes. This is of course an extremely important protocol that safeguards our young people from being out of school, so getting it right and working in collaboration is crucial. There is a great opportunity to revisit this. 

Have a great weekend when it arrives.