º£½ÇÉçÇø

Centres for Excellence in Special º£½ÇÉçÇøal Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

Support for leaders, managers and practitioners

Centres for Excellence in SEND logo

Our four national Centres for Excellence in Special º£½ÇÉçÇøal Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provide expert support for leaders, managers and practitioners who wish to put learners with SEND at the centre of their organisation as part of a Department for º£½ÇÉçÇø (DfE) funded national programme.

Our flagship Centres for Excellence offer free support to leaders, managers and practitioners, as will our employer-led events. Take a look at our calendar of forthcoming SEND events.

Each Centre hosts a SEND Strategic º£½ÇÉçÇø Hub led by Alan Benvie, Clare Howard, Jerry White and Jacqui Ford who offer free support to leaders from all types of provider across England’s Further º£½ÇÉçÇø (FE) sector. Each centre also hosts communities of practice to provide support to managers and/or practitioners. There’s lots to choose from. Why not take a look below at our offer to you?


Careers led by Oldham College

Oldham College logo

How to ensure that more learners with SEND secure meaningful employment by focusing on careers.

Community led by City College Norwich

City College Norwich, Easton and Paston College logo

How to ensure that learners with SEND are progressing into and being present within communities who recognise and embrace their potential.


People led by Weston College

Weston college logo

How to ensure organisations take care of their staff and all learners with a particular focus on their mental, social and emotional needs.

Specialist Support led by Natspec

Natspec logo

How to ensure provision for SEND learners benefits by bringing in specialist knowledge and skills into mainstream further education.

The aim of this transformational programme is to place inclusion right at the centre of further education so that difference is valued and all learners fulfil their aspirations.

Get involved whether you are a leader, manager, teacher, trainer or support worker, connect with a Centre for Excellence (CfE) leadership hub or a community of practice and make a difference. Each CfE offers you different opportunities to engage with them. These will be highlighted on this page and through social media.

Read our monthly Centres for Excellence in SEND newsletter; it brings you all the latest news and activities from the four centres. You can sign up to receive the newsletter by email by visiting our newsletters page and filling in your details, making sure you tick the ‘SEND’ box.

Join us for our free activities being run by the Centres for Excellence by visiting our º£½ÇÉçÇø offer and Communities of Practice pages.

Please share this information as widely as possible and use social media #SENDinFE to identify themes for both leaders and communities of practice to explore.


Man thinking leadership

º£½ÇÉçÇø offer for CEOs and Principals

For leaders and managers who want to put support for SEND learners at the heart of decision-making.
teachers talking to each other at a conference

Communities of Practice

These CoP are open to anyone working in º£½ÇÉçÇø and Skills with an interest in improving experiences for learners with an inclusion need
Teacher and learner with SEND

Resources from the Centres

The resources and recordings of webinars from the Communities of Practice.