Keith Bates – Education System Leader and SEMH Specialist

I support school leaders, staff, parents and carers with pupils’ behaviour to improve the working environment for the staff – and enhance education chances for the young people.

The discussion around behaviour in schools is all too often black or white. I bring a grounded perspective that understands the lived realities of working with behaviour that challenges us. I empower people to feel that we can do better in this imperfect world. 

I have been in education for thirty years, most recently working as Director of Inclusion in a MAT. I have always worked in the areas of behaviour and inclusion, with an initial  background in secondary education. I have worked in senior leadership in four different schools.

For fifteen years I worked in a residential SEMH special school leading it for eight years as well as steering it to an outstanding inspection in 2018 and several outstanding residential inspections. I also led on setting up a sister residential special school. As Director of Inclusion, I worked with eighteen schools across primary, secondary and special education. During that time, all the primary schools in the Trust saw a drop in their numbers of suspensions and exclusions when compared to previous years. All secondary and special schools remained below national averages.

I am known as a subject matter expert within the special education system. I am an advanced Norfolk Steps Lead Professional for over ten years which is a nationally recognised therapeutic restrictive physical intervention programme. I have delivered training and keynote addresses to a wide range of audiences including school leaders at school, local and regional level.