I have been a qualified teacher for 20 years. I originally qualified as a secondary Art teacher, however I have spent the majority of this time leading alternative education provisions working with SEN and SEMH young people. I have a particular specialism working with Autistic and ADHD young people having. As well as being a teacher, I am also a yoga therapist. I use this knowledge to support my work with young people. I have experience working with primary age children through to post 16 and young adults.
My experience working with young people with SEN to develop trusting and meaningful relationships enabling them to engage;
I have extensive experience building trusting and meaningful relationships with young people. I have run two alternative provisions and three specialist provisions in mainstream school for Autism/ADHD and SEMH. The key to working with young people who are neurodivergent is to take time to get to know each individual and develop a safe relationship. I do this by being warm, using humour listening carefully and responding to their energy.
My experience supporting young people with Dyslexia / SpLD
Having taught many young people with dyslexia and SpLD I believe it is really important to focus on emphasising the unique skills and way of thinking that a person with dyslexia has. Being curious and explorative to enable the young person to find an approach to learning that works for them.
My experience teaching young people with ADHD;
I have worked with young people with ADHD for many years and feel I have a good understanding of how the brain of someone who has ADHD processes information. As somebody who needs to move to be able to focus and often has lots of different ideas at once, I have found ways that enable me to focus and organise my thoughts that I am experienced at passing onto my students.
My experience working with young people with working memory difficulties;
I have worked with many young people with working memory and processing difficulties. Often this means they have difficulties with communication. It is therefore important to explore a variety of ways to support communication and processing, using visual, practical, sensory and movement based options to enhance understanding and learning. I have also found developing a routine for the sessions helps promote working memory.
My experience working with young people to boost their confidence and self-esteem;
Most of the young people I have worked with over the years have had a lack of confidence and self-esteem that significantly impacts their learning. I have extensive experience in supporting young people to develop their self-esteem. I do this by offering a nurturing approach to education that supports the young person to develop at their own pace.
My experience supporting young people with A Levels; study skills, revision structure, time management, procrastination etc;
Having worked with neurodivergent young people for many years I have experience supporting them to find ways to manage executive functioning difficulties effectively. This means they have difficulties with organising their thoughts and their work, often traditional study methods have not been successful. It is therefore important to explore more creative ways to develop these skills, working in collaboration with the young person to support them to develop their own study skills strategies.
My specialist experiences providing engaging sessions;
Having worked in alternative education provisions the students I have worked with have often found it difficult to engage in learning. This means that I have had to find engaging and creative ways to support them to engage. I enjoy learning in an explorative way together.
