Why every school needs a SENCO on the senior leadership team with Lisa Pinkerton

If a school's inclusion strategy depends solely on its SENCO, it simply isn't sustainable – and it isn't working. In this episode, Dale is joined by Lisa Pinkerton, Head of Education at Widgit Software and former primary school deputy headteacher, to discuss why every school needs a SENCO on its senior leadership team. Together, Dale and Lisa explore why the SENCO's circle of influence is so often determined not by the SENCO themselves, but by the headteacher and the authority they choose to give. They discuss the very real tension between strategic leadership and the mountain of administrative demands that come with the role, and why inclusion by design – planning for every child's needs from the outset rather than bolting support on afterwards – leads to better outcomes for every single pupil in the school. > "A SENCO with strategic influence can transform the experience of every single child in the school." > *— Lisa Pinkerton*   ## About Lisa Pinkerton Lisa Pinkerton is head of education at Widgit Software.    Former primary school teacher and deputy head, Lisa's passion lies in developing personalised learning journeys to meet the specific needs of children with SEND. With a specialism in early years, Lisa spent many years supporting the youngest pupils in primary and could see the transformative effect of meeting children where they are at and giving them what they need to move forward in their learning.   This developed Lisa's lifelong passion for the use of Symbols. She saw, repeatedly and firsthand, the benefits of using Symbols to help with comprehension, receptive and expressive language, confidence, independence, vocabulary and, unsurprisingly, behaviour.    As a result, Lisa began to support inclusion on a wider level, becoming an inclusion lead and a specialist teacher in literacy difficulties. Lisa's firm belief is that, if we consider all potential barriers at the point of planning, we can give pupils a toolkit of supports that enable them to fully access the curriculum and feel truly included.    When not at work, Lisa is an avid theatre goer and keen reader. Her happy place, as a qualified scuba instructor, is under the water. https://www.widgit.com/ https://www.facebook.com/widgitsoftware26  https://www.instagram.com/widgitsoftware/  https://x.com/widgit\_software?s=21&t=WYBwCcJznmsfjzH62LQfXQ  [lisa@widgit.com](mailto:lisa@widgit.com)  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-pinkerton-42148a26a/    - B Squared Website – [www.bsquared.co.uk](http://www.bsquared.co.uk/ "http://www.bsquared.co.uk/") - Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - [https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast](https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast "https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast") - Email Dale – [dale@bsquared.co.uk](mailto:dale@bsquared.co.uk "mailto:dale@bsquared.co.uk") - Subscribe to the SENDcast - [https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe](https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe "https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe") ## The SENDcast is powered by B Squared We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.