What we're About

The FLSE is the ONLY national representative body for all leaders involved in special education across all settings.  Membership of the Federation can be either for individuals or for schools and services, when the membership of the establishment secures the benefits of the Federation for all who work in a leadership capacity.  Our membership encompasses special schools, SEN leaders in mainstream schools, PRUs, hospital schools, heads of SEN services and SEN advisors, consultants and SIPs.

Building on our initial achievements, the FLSE is now firmly established as the National representative organisation building upon the developing regional networks of members.  Representation at the regional level ensures that schools and services in every English authority have a communication link with the national executive and, through them, with the key decision makers in government, professional development and multi-agency services. Our established links with the DfE, in effect ‘bridging the gap’ between the DfE and SEND schools and services is enabling us to shape as well as respond to consultations and initiatives coming from the DfE.

The FLSE truly is the only national representative body for all leaders involved in special education. We acknowledge and value the work of other organisations within the field of special education. Increasingly the FLSE is becoming ‘the common table’ at which the senior officers other organisations sit.

We have also initiated a quarterly SEND Conference as a key discussion forum to initiate greater collaboration between all major organisations and the leaders and practitioners of special education in order to build better services for those with special educational needs and disabilities. This forum will include representatives from the FLSE, DfE, nasen, BATOD, SSAT, Engage (formerly NAES), PRUs, NAHT, Hays Education, Hospital Schools and SWALSS.

Schools, services and individuals join the FLSE because they recognise that we offer a unique opportunity for leaders within SEND to have a positive impact on helping to shape the government's agenda for the future of SEN whilst other organisations valuably but maybe narrowly either:

• focus on specific aspects of SEND
• focus on anyone interested or working in SEND
• focus on leadership but not in the specific contexts of SEND settings 

The capacity of the FLSE to consult with members on issues of immediate interest and importance enables us to assess the ‘key’ and sometimes ‘burning issues’ that face FLSE members. Our views are being sought by decision makers and we can, and will take on those issues that nobody else is tackling!

By joining and being a part of the FLSE your input will add to our increasingly powerful ‘Collective Voice for Special Education’ for all SEND Leaders, and strengthen our resolve in ‘championing the rights of the children in our care’ through the established networks of like minded practitioners within special education.