5 Questions with Kate Bradley

We want to share with you thoughts and ideas from a range of people that work within the field of SEN- fancy answering our 5 questions? Tweets us @wearethesenco 

Name: Kate Bradley
Job Role: Head of Autism & Inclusion
Twitter: @kate_brads

1. Tell us about your role
I originally trained as an occupational therapist before re-training as a teacher. My current role is split in three parts. I am head of a centre for autism which is a local authority provision co-located on a mainstream primary school campus. I am head of inclusion for the mainstream school and I plan and oversee strategy and support to ensure that children with SEN have the best schooling, and one that suits their needs. This also involves ensuring that myself and the team identify any child who may have needs and we put provision in place. I work with many professionals and external agencies, including the local authority, in ensuring that this happens. The third part of my role is training and consultancy. I am an associate lecturer at IOE, University College London where I lecture on their professional courses. I am also a Specialist Leader of Education with a very well known and leading special needs school where is work with one of their associate directors on the SEND Maths Hub.

2. An interesting point to share
Would you like your hands put in cold baked beans? So often I see adults having great intentions about supporting children to overcome tactile difficulties by hand over hand placing children's hands in a whole array of textures. Please don't! There is a great resource from the chairty SENSE which is the texture hierarchy. Take it slow, add tools such as paintbrushes or spades and have plenty of kitchen roll for the children to wipe their hands or allow them to go and wash them. 

3. Best resource you have used
This is a tricky one. I once asked a previous head teacher if I could relocate my classroom to the sensory integration room. So I am going to cheat and say a whole room! I am a big believer in children being calm and ready to learn, and utilising sensory integration principles and having access to swings as motivators is a key component to much of the teaching and learning I plan for.

4. Your funniest moment working in SEN
There are so many, I love being able to find a shared interest with a child so that we can laugh together. One that springs to mind is from a long time ago when I was in my first year of teaching in SEN. I was in the classroom bathroom helping the children to wash there hands after lunch. One of the children loved flushing the chain and he joined us and stood doing it making woosh and whee noises which I copied back, he was getting very excited at our interaction (even though I wasn't looking as was at the sink). When I turned around I saw that he had climbed into the toilet and was flushing the chain making great sounds with the biggest smile on his face. 


5. If you were Prime Minister for the day, what would you do?
I would love that all children went to their local school if mainstream school was the most appropriate setting for them. It shouldn't be that schools 'don't do autism', we should be inclusive and welcome and support our local children and their parents. We want diverse inclusive communities that accept everyone and identify everyones strengths.