We were so privileged to speak with Laleh Laverick in this episode about such a range of important factors influencing schools at the moment. Laleh speaks from a wealth of expertise and experience from her role as a Leadership and Management Adviser at Hackney Education as well as the various roles she has held in inner city primary schools for over 20 years. Prior to joining Hackney Education, Laleh served as an Executive Headteacher of 6 inner city schools. She was also an NLE linked to a Teaching School and as part of her work, she supported ‘Women Leading in Education’ and ‘BAME leadership’ programmes. Before becoming an Executive Headteacher, she worked in range of roles many of them in the field of inclusion and curriculum development. She has also served as a school governor. Laleh has published articles in the Chartered College of Teaching’s journal and in journals on Early Years Education. In recent years, she has supported school leaders through management and system changes. Laleh believes that schools are at their best when their vision and ethos are clearly communicated by school leaders to all stakeholders and the culture of schools is one of high ambition for their communities.  We loved speaking with Laleh about so much of her experiences working in various roles in UK schools. We reflect on the current factors influencing schools in London and SEN departments generally, as well as the important role of understanding varying professional cultures when contracting and collaborating. We hope you enjoy listening to this episode and we look forward to reading some of your reflections about the topics discussed!