Meet Magdalena Lawrence 

Magdalena Lawrence is Assistant Principal of Education, The Cambian Group, and began our Advanced SEND Leader programme in November 2024.

“I am a dedicated SEND leader, with substantial experience of working within specialist education. My professional career has centred around teaching SEND students across the curriculum and as a senior leader I lead on all education linked aspects, including professional development within the specialist SEND FE education provision. For over twenty years I have had the privilege to work with the most wonderful autistic young people, whose experiences of education have shaped and continue to shape their identities. It is the most rewarding but at times, a highly challenging role!”

“The Advanced SEND Leader programme is a truly comprehensive apprenticeship! It is enabling me to develop the areas of my own leadership priorities, but more importantly, it is helping me find and target those development areas that I may not have been fully aware of.  The balance of theory and practical application, in both leadership theory and SEND has a direct impact on the way I lead and the tangible impact for students with SEND.  As a result of the course, I have gained such valuable insight into how I see myself as a leader and how those that I lead see my capabilities. This knowledge is changing the way I approach decision making, introduce new initiatives and ‘listen to understand’ to those who I lead (teachers, TAs) and those who lead me (senior leaders or governors).  There is no doubt this translates into outcomes for SEND students and enables a more open organisational culture.

Going forward, I am looking to implement the theoretical and practical understanding gained on the course to work more effectively with stakeholders, and specifically parents of SEND students. A more developed perception of the volume of challenges faced by parents of SEND students, will enable me to try and initiate some changes within this aspect of provision. There are many more ways I feel I will use what I learnt on the course however.”

“There is not a single most valuable aspect – it would be impossible to identify, as there is so many but I tried to summarise by the following:

Seeing the world of SEND and the leadership within it from many unique perspectives that I have had limited access to (range of provisions and professionals),

Expanding horizons around SEND challenges and solution focused approaches to these,

Navigating my own leadership style in my context with more awareness and vulnerability and

Diving into ways of unlocking business and human potential through passion, compassion and clarity in strategy and vision

What surprised me? I think, even though this is a self-led course, the level of support received is incredible. Joan, my tutor is always available with expert support and feedback but also with emotional reassurance – that is something I have valued very much. As SEND leaders, time and capacity are limited to all and sometimes it may feel that self-motivation is difficult to find – that’s when the tutor support always comes in at the right time! Thank you, Joan.“

“My development as a leader involves practical skills but also very importantly, it helps me take an inward look at myself in my professional and personal capacities (the job of a leader would be less impactful if these were not somehow aligned)! In my progress review, for example, I talked about changing my own perspective on leader vulnerability – although it can be perceived as a weakness by so many, I am now very confident with being open and vulnerable at times with those that I lead. I see this as my absolute strength, which translates directly into impact, specifically in the world of SEND, where we work with continuous vulnerability. I often ask myself, how can we lead with tangible impact, if we are not vulnerable and bold in risk taking ourselves?!

The tutor support could not be better on this programme; accessible, filled with varied expertise, sensitive to your needs and the needs of your context, challenging and frequent – brilliant.

Perhaps, one of the most brilliant aspects of the course is the opportunity to be coached by a professional coach. As my aims for undertaking the programme are closely linked to gaining an insight into context specific, SEND leadership, I have found coaching to be helping me do just that! I developed stronger awareness of my impact on others and have welcomed the challenge to my own approaches to others.”

“If your aim is to inspire change and be inspired to change, strengthen your drive for leading on SEND impact, and be professionally challenged then the Advanced SEND Leader programme is for you. It will enable you to challenge others for the best outcomes, expose you to an array of professional perspectives and prompt you to make changes in the education context that needs these changes most – SEND.”

“Informative, expert-led, inspiring, research informed, balanced and supportive and very much needed for the future of SEND.”