A bit about me…
I have been described, on more than one occasion, as being focused and driven in a quietly determined manner; someone who likes to move forward with curiosity about what is possible and thrives on creating positive change.
Having initially trained as a teacher, I quickly moved into educational leadership, taking on roles related to inclusion and strategic support (including as a SENCO and assistant headteacher), later moving into trust/ local authority wide leadership development, specifically focused on inclusion. My passion for learning and research led me to working as a University lecturer and nationally recognised researcher; focused on inclusion, neurodiversity, professional development and leadership. 1:1 coaching and consultancy is a natural, practical extension of this work. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and I continue to maintain my lecturing and research work alongside coaching and consultancy. Through all aspects of my work I firmly believe in our individual ability to change things for the better through quality thinking and planning.
My work is evidence based
This means I am continually exploring what works and what doesn’t; what will help us move towards our goals? I have led a series of national research projects exploring the role of inclusive leaders, including SENCOs, and the implementation of national SEND policy and law in schools. This research has been cited by the Government to support national inclusive SEND policy change. My most recent research explored national perspectives of inclusive continuing professional development for educators and I am currently supporting Ecorys with a research project related to the education pandemic recovery package.
This also means that being appropriately qualified is important to me. I am a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and I have completed ICF Accredited Coach training and I am an Associate Certified Coach (ACC). I also have completed a number of postgraduate degrees in the fields of leadership, inclusion/ SEND, neurodiversity, and professional practice, alongside extensive professional training in neurodiversity. I have trained in transactional analysis, and neurodiverse focused coaching, which brings a further dimension to my work. My PhD focused on the roles leaders adopted during the implementation of organisational inclusive change in relation to neurodiversity.
I bring a unique perspective to my work; through my professional experience I know what works in practice, and I back this up with knowing what works in theory, through my qualifications. My personal experience allows me to deeply understand and empathise with my clients. I bring all three aspects to every session.
Connecting is important to me
I love talking about all things related to neurodiversity, professional development and leadership. I regularly deliver keynotes to organisations and speak at conferences, both nationally and internationally. I write on issues related to inclusion, specifically neurodiversity/ SEND, leadership and facilitating change. More recently I stepped into the airwaves, with Times Radio. In addition to publishing peer-reviewed academic articles and commissioned reports, my book, ‘How to be a Brilliant SENCO’ was published in 2020 by Routledge. I contributed a chapter to the book ‘Leading on Inclusion’ in 2021 and a further chapter in the book ‘Psychology and Educational Inclusion’ in 2023. A book focused on how a coaching approach can lead to positive conversations within education is in the pipeline. I also share my thoughts about work, life and coaching on Linkedin, instagram and x.
I live in the beautiful city of Bath with my husband, two teenagers and three cats. Like many people, I continue to strive for a better work-life balance, although I am getting better, especially through reading the work of Brené Brown around sufficiency and ‘being enough’. And I really do want to go to the gym more often. I actually really like it.