- MESSAGE FROM BELS CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND LEARNING
- Summary Welcome to the 2026/27 Academic Year. I hope you all managed to find time to relax and enjoy the summer break and coped with the incredibly hot weather that we faced! This is going to be another busy, exciting but also challenging year in education. Our SEND Reforms Plan has now been approved by the DfE, as a requirement of the government's Every Child Achieving and Thriving White Paper which proposed major reforms to SEND and school inclusion. Kim Miller (BELS Director of SEND and Inclusion) will be attending the Director's Meeting with Chairs and Vice Chairs on 22nd October to let you know where we are with our plans. We continue to face the issue of falling school rolls in some areas of Barnet which is continuing to have a significant impact on school budgets. Alison Dawes (BELS Director of School Access, Skills and Corporate Services) will also be presenting at the 22nd October meeting. The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 introduces a wide range of reforms affecting schools including measures relating to: Attendance; Safeguarding; School uniform; Allergy safety; Admissions; Academies and trusts; Teacher regulation and School inspections. Governors should ensure that policies are reviewed against the new legislation; safeguarding arrangements remain compliant and uniform and equality implications are considered. The board should receive assurance that implementation requirements are being met. School attendance remains a major accountability issue with the DfE continuing to treat attendance as a national priority. Governing boards are now expected to: regularly review attendance data; challenge leaders on persistent and severe absence; understand attendance patterns for disadvantaged pupils, SEND pupils and vulnerable groups and ensure staff receive appropriate attendance training. Attendance is increasingly viewed not as an operational issue but as a strategic governance issue, similar to safeguarding. 1. New headteachers There are twelve Barnet schools with new Exec HT/Headteachers/Principals this year, these are shown below: 1. Ben Hasan – Interim Headteacher at Moss Hall Nursery. Ben knows the school well having been Interim Headteacher at the school for a year four years ago. 2. Daniel McCreadie – new Headteacher of Annunciation Infants and Annunciation Junior Schools. Daniel is also not new to the school having been the Deputy Head at the Junior school previously 3. Deborah Hirshler – new Headteacher at Alma Primary. Deborah is not new to the school having been on the Senior Leadership Team at the school 4. Eileen Bhavsar – Executive Headteacher of Garden Suburb Infants and Garden Suburb Juniors. Eileen was previously the Headteacher of the Junior school. The school plan to amalgamate in January to become Garden Suburb Primary School. 5. James Fisher – new Headteacher across both Hasmonean Girls' and Boys' schools. 6. Karen Powell – Interim Executive Headteacher at The Pavilion PRU. Karen has been supporting the leadership at the PRU over the last 6 months. 7. Laura Monro – now sole Headteacher of Woodridge Primary. Laura was previously Co-Headteacher at the school 8. Paddy McGrath – Executive Principal at London Academy following the departure of Alex Warburton 9. Sarah Gillen – Acting Head of School at Hollickwood Primary. Sarah was previously
- Sarah Gillen – Acting Head of School at Hollickwood Primary. Sarah was previously Assistant Headteacher at the school.