A leading Member of Parliament (MP) will discuss how to solve the ‘crisis’ in how mainstream schools cater for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) when she speaks on campus in October.
Helen Hayes MP is Chair of the House of Commons Education Select Committee, which in September published ‘Solving the SEND crisis’ report, calling for a root and branch transformation of the service.
Ms Hayes, the Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, will give the first David Galloway Annual Education Lecture at Durham University on Thursday 23rd October.
It is a huge honour to be invited to give the first David Galloway lecture and I am very grateful for Durham University’s acknowledgement that SEND is a worthy subject for us to discuss at this inaugural event. I look forward to sharing the Education Select Committee’s work on solving the SEND crisis, and how the Government can start to build a truly inclusive mainstream education system.
The panel discussion will feature Ms Hayes; Mary Foy, MP for City of Durham; John Hardy OBE, Headteacher of St John Vianney Primary School, Hartlepool; Jane Kennedy, Senior Specialist Advisor for Education Durham, Durham County Council; and Dr Xiaofei Qi and Dr Johny Daniel, Associate Professors in our School of Education. The chair will be Professor Martin Evans, our Executive Dean for the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Dr Qi’s research interests include how to support young children and families with SEND at the pre-diagnostic stage. Dr Daniel’s research explores teacher professional development, inclusive education, and the development and testing of reading programs for pupils, including those at risk of learning difficulties such as dyslexia.
The lecture is being held in memory of Professor David Galloway, a former Head of our School of Education and an esteemed researcher in areas of educational psychology, motivation and special educational needs.
His vision and commitment played a pivotal role in shaping the School’s development and reputation, including an enlarged offering of PGCE and doctoral programmes.
Professor Galloway died in May 2024, aged 81. Members of his family will attend the event.
Photo credit: Copyright of the House of Commons / Roger Harris.
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