Frances Akinde
Member of the GEC Circle of Influence
Bio:
Frances Akinde, a qualified SENCO, and former headteacher of aSecondary (11-19) Special School for learners with Autism andassociated difficulties.Over the last 20 years, she has worked in various roles across primary,secondary, special/alternative provision and local authority. From anArt & Design Technology teacher to an SLCN advisory teacher liaisingwith speech and language therapists across a local authority. She hasnow returned to local authority work as a SEND inspector and advisor,a role she does part-time whilst managing her consultancy service.In 2022, after discovering that she was neurodivergent and had ahearing impairment, Frances left headship and now uses her livedexperiences to offer training and support to ensure that our schoolsand workplaces are genuinely inclusive.In January 2023, Frances co-launched the BAMEed SEND Hub as partof the BAMEed Network; a diverse network for educators which aimsto ensure diversity and address racial inequities in education. She isalso an Anti-Racist School's coach as part of CRED (Leeds BeckettUniversity). Drawing from both her professional and lived experience, Francestalks and writes about the intersectionality from t¡he perspective ofRace & SEND.As a neurodivergent educator, Frances uses her knowledge tosupport and mentor people struggling in the workplace andeducation. She is also an Assistive Technology Trainer.
Areas of specialism:
Neurodivergent educator, Former headteacher, Current LA SEND educationadviser/inspector, Assistive technology trainer, Workplace adjustments assessor, Anti-Racist Schools Award coach (LeedsBeckett CRED Award), Coach/Mentor, Art advocate, 20 years experience across primary, secondary, special/AP and local authority education, Author/Writer, Public speaker
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Useful links:
GEC Circle Contributions: Strengthening the GEC Framework:
Frances is a founding GEC Circle expert who truly personifies inclusion in everything she does—and we absolutely love her! She has joined us for many an inperson and online event, including the TextHelp 'festival of Inclusion', Schools and Academies Show and BETT. You can find her latest book in GEC KnowHow, and don’t miss her as GEC and BAME Ed share the stage at the Festival of Education 2025!
