Alistair Crawford

Director of Work Force, Eden Academy Trust

Alistair is the Workforce Development Lead at Eden Academy. Prior to this, he worked in a range of specialist and mainstream schools across the East Midlands as a teacher, senior leader, and director of inclusion. As an experienced specialist leader of education and school and trust reviewer, Alistair has supported many schools and colleagues to develop their SEND provision and improve outcomes for young people with additional needs. A big passion for Alistair is raising aspiration for the amazing young people we work with, and he is currently working with a range of national partners to support pathways to employment and participation in elite sports. Alistair is a member of the regional team for whole school SEND (EMSYH), Co-Chair of the National Network of Specialist Provision (NNSP), Specialist lead for Oak National Academy and most recently sat on the ERG for the new NPQ SENCO.

1 Workshop series two

Exploring effective models of special schools’ outreach

Chaired by Alistair Crawford of Eden Academy Trust, this session explores two distinct models of outreach. Cate Marsden of Woodbridge Trust (3 specialist settings across primary, secondary, and sixth form), with an Outreach Service supporting over 120 schools, will share an approach developed in close partnership with the local authority, rooted in collaboration and sustained support across mainstream schools. Rachel Wilkes of Humber Education Trust (4 specialist schools and 13 mainstream primary schools) will share a model of support enabling mainstream settings to inclusively meet the needs of more complex learners within and beyond the trust. Attendees will gain valuable perspectives on how outreach can be structured, sustained, and scaled to help inform or enhance work in their own trusts.