My career began in a large mainstream secondary, where I became a Fast Track Teacher, middle leader and then Advanced Skills Teacher, working across schools in the local authority to help remove barriers for students who had social or emotional difficulties.This role gave me varied experience of offering outreach and support to secondary colleagues in mainstream, special schools and PRUs.

I have spent the last 12 years in senior leadership of two large mainstream secondaries, mainly focusing on leading on SEND, inclusion and intervention, which are my main areas of educational interest. In my current role as Director of SEND and Inclusion across the Co-op Academies Trust, I am working in a different kind of leadership role across a large number of settings to support colleagues to help children overcome their barriers. 

As well as my extensive professional experience, I have a (now adult) son with autism, and our experiences have shaped some of my professional aims and values. I have been part of many parent and local authority working groups and schemes, aiming to make life better for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. 

My goal is to ensure that academy staff and leaders think of learners with SEND whenever decisions are made so that, as a society, we move forward in our ability to support children (and adults) with additional needs and disabilities.