Abigail Hawkins FCCT SEND Expert, Consultant, Founder, and Trusted Voice in Inclusive Education
Abigail Hawkins FCCT is a highly respected SEND expert with more than 30 years of experience across education and special educational needs. She is the founder of SENDCO Solutions and SENsible SENCO, and is widely known for helping schools, leaders, and trusts make SEND clearer, more practical, and more manageable in real educational settings.
Abigail’s work is rooted in practical school experience and shaped by a strong understanding of the pressures schools face every day. She supports schools and trusts through SEND reviews, consultancy, training, SEND legal and EHCP guidance, and longer-term strategic development, always with a focus on improving provision and creating better outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
A trusted voice in SEND
Abigail is known for her calm, values-led approach and her ability to translate complex SEND systems into guidance that schools can realistically use. Her experience spans multiple phases of education and a wide range of SEND contexts, giving her a broad and practical understanding of how provision, leadership, training, and inclusive practice work together in real settings.
Through SENDCO Solutions, she works directly with schools and trusts that want to strengthen SEND provision with clarity and confidence. Through SENsible SENCO, she has also built a trusted professional community that supports SENCOs and wider SEND professionals through resources, webinars, practical guidance, and collaboration. SENsible SENCO describes itself as a dedicated community-driven organisation for SEN professionals and states that it supports a network of more than 13,000 members.
Founder of SENDCO Solutions and SENsible SENCO
Abigail founded SENDCO Solutions to provide specialist SEND support for schools, leaders, and trusts needing practical consultancy, training, and strategic guidance. SENDCO Solutions positions itself as providing tailored SEND reviews, training, consultancy, and longer-term support for educational settings.
She also founded SENsible SENCO, a wider SEND support organisation built to empower SEN professionals through affordable, practical, community-led support. Public-facing SENsible SENCO profiles describe Abigail as the driving force behind this work and highlight her commitment to helping SENCOs feel informed, supported, and less isolated in their role.
Together, these two organisations reflect the two sides of Abigail’s work: strategic support for schools and trusts, and ongoing support for the professionals leading SEND in practice.
Practical expertise schools can use
What schools and trusts value most about Abigail’s work is not just her depth of knowledge, but her ability to make that knowledge useful. She is widely associated with practical SEND support that connects leadership, provision, inclusion, and statutory expectations in a way that is clear and workable for schools. Public profiles also describe her as someone who champions inclusive education, supports educators and schools directly, and collaborates on innovative tools and professional development opportunities within the sector.
Her consultancy work is shaped by the belief that SEND support should not feel abstract or overwhelming. It should help schools make informed decisions, build stronger provision, and create systems that work for pupils, staff, and leaders alike.
Speaker, trainer, and sector contributor
Alongside her consultancy work, Abigail is also an experienced speaker, trainer, and contributor within the SEND sector. Public speaker profiles describe her as a founder, consultant, and SEND specialist who supports educators and schools through training, insight, and practical leadership.
Her work extends beyond direct consultancy into wider sector contribution through professional development, authored resources, training materials, and SEND-focused content for school leaders and SENCOs. SENsible SENCO’s public pages also highlight her role in shaping guidance, interviews, and professional discussion around inclusive education and SENCO development.
Publications and authored resources
Abigail is also the author of practical SEND resources created to support schools, SENCOs, and leaders in strengthening provision and deepening their understanding of pupil need.
Her published and publicly listed work includes the Quality First Teaching Series, a 12-book set described by SENsible SENCO as a complete inclusive education series designed to support evidence-informed classroom practice across key teaching areas.
She is also associated with the Knowing Their Needs Series, a practical book series designed to help SENCOs and teachers better understand and meet diverse pupil needs, with topics including working memory and other key learning profiles.
In addition, Abigail is the author of Every Child Achieving and Thriving: A Practical SEND Reform Guide for SENCOs and School Leaders, a 289-page guide that translates the Department for Education’s reform programme into practical school-facing guidance and explains what the changes mean for schools and how leaders can begin preparing their SEND strategy.
These publications reflect the same approach that shapes Abigail’s wider work: practical, strategic, school-focused support designed to help professionals turn complex SEND information into meaningful action.
What Abigail brings to schools and trusts
Schools and trusts working with Abigail are engaging with someone who combines:
- more than 30 years of educational and SEND experience
- practical understanding of SEND provision in real settings
- strategic insight for schools and MATs
- specialist SEND knowledge across training, consultancy, and leadership
- a values-led approach grounded in clarity, inclusion, and real-world implementation.
Her work is especially valuable for leaders who want support that is not only informed, but usable support that helps schools move forward with greater confidence, stronger provision, and a clearer sense of what needs to happen next.
Work with Abigail Hawkins
Through SENDCO Solutions, Abigail works with schools, leaders, and trusts looking for expert support with SEND reviews, training, consultancy, SEND legal and EHCP guidance, implementation support, and strategic SEND development. SENDCO Solutions publicly presents these as core areas of support for schools and trusts. Whether the need is a focused piece of work or a longer-term strategic partnership, her aim remains the same: to help educational settings build stronger, more inclusive, and more sustainable SEND provision.
Looking for expert SEND support led by Abigail Hawkins?
If your school or trust would benefit from strategic SEND guidance, practical consultancy, or tailored professional support, we would be pleased to discuss the most relevant next step.