Speakers

Helen Hayes, Chair of the House of Commons Education Committee

Helen Hayes has been MP for Dulwich and West Norwood in south London since 2015. She has been Chair of the House of Commons Education Committee since September 2024, and from 2021 to 2024 she served as Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years. Before she was elected to Parliament, Helen Hayes worked as a town planner.

Judge Jane McConnell, Ministry of Justice

Jane was appointed as a full-time salaried judge in the FtT HESC Chamber in June 2015. From then until October 2025, she was the Lead Judge responsible for the FtT SEND. Since June 2023 she has been the President of the Education Tribunal Wales. In October 2025, Jane was appointed President of the Menal Health Review Tribunal Wales. Before joining the judiciary, Jane was called to the Bar in 2006. Since 2001 she has been involved in the work of the FtT SEND Tribunal first as a volunteer advocate and then a caseworker for the charity IPSEA. From 2008 she was the Chief Executive of the charity and was heavily involved in the development of the current SEND legal framework. In 2009 she was a professional advisor to the Lamb Enquiry which considered parental confidence in the SEN system. Other areas of her experience include disability discrimination, exclusion, school admissions, Upper Tribunal appeals and supporting High Court appeals. In October 2025 she published a review of the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) legislation in Wales. In 2015 Jane was awarded an MBE for services to education. 

Catriona Moore, Policy Manager, IPSEA

Catriona is responsible for IPSEA’s work in bringing about change by influencing the development of SEND policy nationally. Her background is in public policy and communications, and she has worked for a number of charities and public sector organisations, as well as in Parliament. In the past she has served as an elected councillor in a London borough, a special school governor and a charity trustee. She has personal experience of having a disabled child. 

Vic Goddard, CEO, Passmores Cooperative Learning Community

Vic Goddard is amazed that so many years after Educating Essex was on TV people are still interested in what he has to say. You will still see him in the media banging the drum for young people and education professionals as he is determined to use whatever platform he still has. Vic is ‘South London and Proud’, as his beloved Crystal Palace often say, and he knows how lucky he was to have the parenting and schooling he received that allowed him to build a career. Vic, from a young age, wanted to be a PE teacher and following his degree course in Chichester enjoyed 2 years working on the south coast at Angmering School learning from two of the best PE teachers you could ever wish to meet. This led to him moving on from jobs, sad to leave, but determined to make the next career step. Four years in Cheam followed by a three-year stint working in an international school in Cairo followed where he took on the role of Head of Faculty. Very early in his career, Vic realised that he wanted to be a headteacher and set himself the target of being a head by 40 and on the golf course by 50; he made the first target but is a few years late on the second. On returning to the UK Vic was fortunate to work with a truly inspiring headteacher, Kevin Sadler in his first SLT role and in 5 years went from Assistant Head to Head at Passmores School (now Academy) in Harlow. Vic is the CEO of a Trust of 6 local schools across primary and secondary, with specialist provision, but is desperately trying to not lose the connection he has with his community. Vic feels privileged to be a headteacher and is humbled every day that parents/carers are willing to trust him to educate their children. Vic has a passion for inclusion and has been very vociferous in calling out practices that go against this. ‘Family comes in many forms’ is a phrase you often hear Vic use when explaining what makes his schools special places, although not always the easiest to work in!

Roisin Swords-Kieley, Matrix Chambers

Roisin primarily practices in Equality, Education and Employment Law. Roisin's practice covers all areas of Education Law. She has a particular expertise in proceedings before the SEND Tribunal and has significant experience providing advice and assisting parents, carers and young people with their appeals. With her substantial discrimination law expertise, Roisin has a strong disability discrimination practice in the SEND Tribunal. Roisin routinely acts in successful challenges to Local Authority failures to comply with s.42 of the Children and Families Act 2014 and s.19 of the Education Act 1996 by way of judicial review.

Alex Stafford, Senior Solicitor, IPSEA

Alex is a solicitor in IPSEA's legal team. She is responsible for delivering training to IPSEA's new volunteers and ongoing training to existing volunteers. She also delivers IPSEA's programme of external training to parents, schools, SEN specialists and local authorities. As well as training, Alex also provides legal support to the IPSEA volunteers and monitors and supervises their casework and helpline advice as well as supporting the provision of legal updates. Alex creates legally based written resources and is part of IPSEA's team undertaking national and local policy work. 

Sharon Chappell, Assistant Ombudsman, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman 

Sharon has been working for the LGSCO since 2008. The LGSCO investigates complaints about councils, adult social care providers and some other organisations providing local public services. We investigate complaints fairly and impartially. We aim to remedy personal injustice when fault is identified and make recommendations to improve local services for the benefit of other users.

Sharon manages a generic team and deals with complaints across a wide range of subject areas. But she has lead responsibility within the organisation for complaints about Education and Children’s services.

David Wolfe KC, Matrix Chambers  

David Wolfe works as a public lawyer at Matrix. He has been involved in SEN disputes since 1989, chairing SEN appeal panels even before the SEN Tribunal was invented. From 2002-2008, he was a part-time Chair of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal. David has extensive experience in SEN law and regularly acts for NGOs, parents and children in relation to education law. He is the originator and co-author of the “Noddy Guide to SEN Law” now easily accessed via the supportsendkids.org website.