Introducing Sara Alston...
Personal statement
" I believe that all children deserve the best from their education. After working in schools for over 30 years as a good and outstanding SEND and Safeguarding practitioner, I set up SEA INCLUSION & SAFEGUARDING to work with teachers and school leaders to support them to achieve excellence in their SEND and Safeguarding provision."
Sara Alston
Work
experience
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Author of Working Effectively with Your TA (Bloomsbury, Feb 2023)
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Co-author of The Inclusive Classroom (Bloomsbury, 2021) Short listed for ERA Education Book of the Year 2022
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Regular contributor to Headteacher Update and Teach Primary
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Accredited Trainer with the Safer Recruitment Consortium
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CEOP Ambassador
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Very experienced school leader, including roles as Deputy Head, Head of Inclusion, SENCo and Designated Safeguarding Lead
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Multi-agency Safeguarding Trainer since 2010
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Contributor to The Key
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Experienced worker with children with special needs in mainstream school and specialist units
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Expertise in identifying needs to support effective staff deployment, development and support of effective approaches to line management and appraisal
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Experienced in work with vulnerable pupils including Looked After Children, EAL, G&T, GRT community and military families.
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Successful multi-agency and partnership working, including development of Partnership groups and Multi-professional Team meetings
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Led the development and running of Nurture Groups
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Expertise in writing moderation at school and LA level,
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Wide range of work with governors
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Experience working with voluntary groups, including as Safeguarding Consultant to Liberal Judaism and LJY-Netzer
Qualifications
Member of AoCPP (Association of Child Protection Professionals),
CAPE (Child Abuse and Protection in Education) and AACOSS
(Association of Adult and Child Online Safety Specialists)
2017: Accredited trainer with Safer Recruitment Consortium
2016: CEOP Ambassador
2011-2012: NPQH (NCSL)
2010: Training the Trainers (Surrey Safeguarding Children Board)
2009-2010: Pathways to Leadership (National College for Leadership of School and Children’s Services)
2007: Post Graduate Diploma: Professional Studies in Education: Management of the Education of Pupils with Behaviour, Emotional and Social Difficulties (BESD with Distinction) (Kingston University)
1998: Post graduate diploma in Primary Education (University of Reading)
1986-1987: PGCE (Primary) (University of Leicester)
1983-1986: BA (Hons.) II (i) in History (University of Leeds)
Publications
Sara is the author of 2 books The Inclusive Classroom (2021) and Working Effectively with your Teaching Assistant (2023). Both published by Bloomsbury.
In addition to regular blogs and updates about safeguarding and SEND legislation and guidance found on this website, Sara Alston has published a number of articles and written a number of online courses.
ONLINE ARTICLES AND RESOURCES include
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Contributions to Headteacher Update and SecEd
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Regular contributions to The Key website on a range of Special Needs and Safeguarding topics