John Mckee on developing relationships between secondary schools and PaCC & Amaze

John McKee on developing relationships between secondary schools, PaCC and Amaze:

Secondary Heads in Brighton and Hove place great value on collaboration. It is our belief that we can only offer the very best for each and every child in our city if we work in partnership with our community. And it is this belief that has underpinned our efforts throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

At the forefront of our partnership work has been the development of an extremely effective relationship with Amaze and PaCC. Since opening a regular dialogue with both organisations, we have been able to share new knowledge, innovative strategies and a better understanding of the specific challenges that were confronting SEND pupils and their families during lockdown. Hearing first hand from parents of the huge changes in their day to day lives because of COVID-19 provided real impetus for us to do all we could to support our young people with SEND.

PaCC and Amaze have used their wealth of expertise and experience to encourage and guide our work with SEND families.  We have focused on providing targeted information for the SEND community that builds confidence and allays fears, ensuring we provide a comprehensive virtual offer to children who need to remain at home and bespoking our provision for each child alongside individual risk assessments.

The re-opening of schools marks the commencement of the ‘new normal’ and this brings with it further challenges for SEND children and their families. Working in partnership with Amaze and PaCC will help to ensure that we continue to focus our efforts on providing our SEND community with advice, guidance, support and high-quality provision.

Thank you.