Ms Tess Rendoth

Tess Rendoth has worked as a special education teacher in Australia and internationally for the last 15 years.  Over that time, Tess has worked in mainstream and specialist settings, including Schools for specific purposes, juvenile justice settings, out-of-home care organisations, and as a community development and engagement project officer supporting students and young people at risk of educational, social and economic exclusion. In these roles, she has had a clear focus on promoting and adopting inclusive practice at both a school and community level and placing children and young people in the centre of the decision-making process and supporting them to be their own best advocates.

More recently, Tess has had extensive experience supporting students with severe and profound intellectual or multiple disabilities in schools for specific purposes and has written and implemented positive behaviour and communication policies in these environments.  Throughout her practice, Tess focuses on the inclusion of creative practice, new and emerging pedagogies and technology, and staff development and training. Tess is a current PhD candidate at the University of Newcastle. Tess's PhD is entitled "curriculum-related Teacher Decision-making for Secondary-age Students with Significant and Complex Needs in Australian Schools for Specific Purposes". Her research has the dual aims of investigating how teachers utilise the current curriculum, where they get support in its adaptation, and how their personal and professional identities influence their curriculum choices for their students.