How The Education Network is supporting SEND students
When Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, announced she planned to allocate an additional £1 billion to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), no one was more delighted than Genna Sinclair.
As the SEND recruitment manager for The Education Network, a specialist recruitment agency for the education sector, Genna knows only too well about the massive shortage of SEND teachers and the lack of resources.
She has not always worked in recruitment - or education - with a spell at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services working on outsourced contracts for eight years, then onboarding staff for a health and social care domiciliary care provider – all of which provided ideal experience when she eventually found her way into recruitment.
Since then, she has not looked back. Her tenacity as an individual, sees her tirelessly thriving on the challenges of the everyday. She says:
“I was thrilled when I was approached to take up this dedicated SEND role for The Education Network because it is an increasingly important aspect of education and not all recruitment agencies specialise in it as we do. Finding suitable candidates is also one of the most pressing challenges.
“Contrary to what many believe, you don’t always need teaching qualifications to do a SEND job and we are always looking for candidates. If they have the right mindset and transferable skills - possibly gained in the health and social care sector - I am confident I can get them work. For example, it’s an ideal job for parents in between the school run or for people studying in the evening.
“A good SEND candidate will have several attributes along with transferable skills. Firstly, a sense of humour; secondly, an open-mind; thirdly, resilience; and top of the list is lived experience, such as close contact with a child, or adult, with a SEND diagnosis. This leads to greater understanding and it’s a big plus if candidates possess it.
“You are dealing with a wide range of disabilities – profound learning difficulties, wheelchair users, social, emotional and mental health problems and behavioural challenges - the situation has deteriorated since the pandemic.”
Filling a vacancy such as this must be difficult, so is there a right and a wrong way to go about it? Genna says it’s all about asking the right questions.
“If we don’t know what the real issues are, we won’t get the right person. I want to know the whole truth – warts and all! Only then can I feel confident I am putting forward the right person. SEND roles vary from setting to setting so you need someone who has an open-minded, ‘can do’ attitude. The person fit is the most important.”
With the growing number of children suffering from mental health problems (one is six children aged 5-16 is likely to have a mental health problem, a figure which has increased by 50% in the last three years), not enough is being done to support those who look after them and the subject is not discussed adequately, Genna believes:
"Our candidates don’t always have the same day-to-day connections within schools, so I make sure they know they can reach out to me if they need a listening ear as I am part of their team. While it sometimes feels like I’m playing the role of a confidante, it’s actually an essential part of the job and helps me to build close, supportive, and confidential relationships with them. This is really important to me, as it brings a personal touch to recruitment – being approachable and understanding - not just a consultant.
“Fortunately, The Education Network treats all candidates as individuals and prioritises their best interests, welfare and career. We are also heavily involved in the communities nearby the schools we serve and provide far-reaching support, not just vacancy filling. I always feel we provide recruitment with heart.”
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