Working with you to embed inclusion in your setting
I partner with schools, colleges, trusts and governing boards to embed inclusive practice that lasts beyond a single training day or policy refresh.
I bring together legal and risk expertise, governance experience and lived experience of parenting a child with SEND to offer something genuinely distinctive: a clear understanding of what educational settings need to do to meet their legal obligations, manage their risk exposure and build the inclusive culture that the system increasingly demands.
Credentials: Qualified solicitor (non-practising) | IPSEA qualified (Levels 1–3) | Risk and Governance experience | Based in Chelmsford, Essex — let's talk.
Cristina Di Santo
Founder
MY VISION
"Inclusion is a practice I am here to help you grow and develop so it becomes embedded in how your setting thinks, decides and teaches every day."
My three pillars of expertise
Legal expertise*
I have legal practice and risk management experience in City law firms, coupled with a solid understanding of the SEND and disability legal framework, verified through IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice) qualifications** and lived experience.
Governance experience
Governor and board-level trustee positions held in special schools and a multi-academy trust, giving me a working understanding of how decisions are made at every level.
Lived experience
I have been through the system as a SEND parent (and continue to do so), giving me an understanding of the reality no textbook can provide. I have also worked for a disability charity supporting families and their loved ones so my understanding comes from more that just my own experiences.
*CDS SEND Inclusion is founded by Cristina Di Santo, a qualified solicitor (non-practising). Services provided are consultancy, training and/or advisory in nature and are in no way intended to constitute legal advice or legal services as defined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Educational establishments and trusts requiring formal legal advice should consult a practising solicitor.
** Certificates available to view on request.
The stakes have never been higher for settings
The legal framework around SEND and disability is complex, and the obligations it places on schools are often misunderstood or underestimated:
- A SEND tribunal claim can cost tens of thousands of pounds in legal costs alone.
- An adverse Ofsted judgment on inclusion can have lasting reputational consequences.
- Policy is moving fast — mainstream schools face greater expectations to meet SEND needs, and those obligations are set to grow.
- When things go wrong for families, the human cost is real and the ripple effect on pupils, siblings and staff can be profound.
A trusted partner
Let's get inclusion right. Together.
I want to work alongside schools and colleges as a trusted partner, not an external critic to help build understanding of their legal obligations, manage their risk exposure now and in the future, and build genuinely inclusive practice that lasts.