Education and training services

Tender description

The Education and Training Foundation wishes to commission 3 distinct Centres for Excellence in SEND on the themes of community, curriculum and people. Each centre for excellence will focus on one theme and will have equal parity, providing peer to peer support for leaders across the centre and promoting the sharing of effective practice both within organisations and across the broader FE sector. Each Centre for excellence will be led by a leader (CEO or Principal) of an Ofsted graded ‘outstanding’ organisation (or ‘good’ provider with ‘outstanding’ features) of FE and skills who will energise, inspire, support and challenge leaders from a diverse range of FE providers to deliver a step-change in the way the sector addresses the needs of learners with SEN support needs. Each Centre for Excellence will incorporate and become the national source of support for leaders wishing to identify and/or improve their strategic vision for learners with SEN and will be known as the SEND strategic leadership hubs. Within each centre for excellence in SEND, the ‘outstanding’ leader will identify a SEND lead (SENCO), or a quality or curriculum manager with considerable SEND experience, with dedicated time and funded for one day per week to develop and deliver 3 themed communities of effective practice. These communities of effective practice will bring together practitioners and managers from across the sector to share successful implementation of effective practice and to identify and highlight with the strategic leadership hubs, barriers that prevent learners with SEN support needs to achieve their potential. Each centre for excellence in SEND will provide strategic support for leaders by a leader of an ‘outstanding’ organisation and operational support through the underpinning communities of practice.