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filler@godaddy.com
Why we're here...
The number of children and young people struggling to access full time education is enormous and steadily rising. We're seeing more and more cases of school refusal, social isolation, high anxiety, demand avoidance... children unable to access schooling, essentially. And of course most schools are simply not set up to deal with complex learning needs (through no fault of their own), which results in missed learning, missed social opportunities, and often a misplaced sense of failure in the learner.
We want to help redress the balance. We want to create an experience of schooling that is entirely positive, where by feeling seen, understood and safe, children can once again open themselves up to the great adventure that learning can be. We want to support them in being able to make and sustain friendships, to discover talents and abilities they didn't know they had, and to feel these are special moments in their life, times they will never forget. We're ambitious. We're ambitious for our learners until they can become ambitious for themselves. And we feel we have the experience, the understanding, and the passion to live up to such ambition.
Dean Frances-Hawksley (Joint Director) has worked in special needs education for over thirty years. For the last six years he was Headteacher at Sheiling School in Thornbury, in which post he also designed and led a part-time, 2 year teaching diploma course devoted entirely to SEN and covering matters as diverse as autism, ADHD, attachment disorder, retained primitive reflexes, sensory integration, and child development theory.
Steve Lane (Joint Director) has taught within SEN schools for 12 years, 7 of those as part of an educational leadership team. An experienced behaviour specialist, Steve has led whole school behaviour change with a student-centred approach. Steve enjoys teaching mathematics, gardening, woodwork, and bushcraft. As Exams Officer and Careers Leader Steve has raised achievement and outlook for all learners and has worked with families and multiagency teams to support successful transitions to learners’ next steps.
Sarah Butt (Lead Tutor) has nearly 20 years teaching experience, having qualified as an Early Years Teacher and spending 7 years working within a mainstream setting before pursuing her interest in SEN and joining Sheiling School in Thornbury in 2011. She worked as a Learning Support Assistant before becoming Textiles Workshop Leader for 8 years. In 2020 she became the Lead Tutor for 6th Form, successfully supporting students to achieve Entry Levels and Functional Skills qualifications in English and Maths.
Jon Turley (First Wave Mentor) has 10 years of experience working with young people with additional needs, including 7 at the Sheiling School in Thornbury. Jon is an Advanced Level Team Teach Tutor (which involves regularly training staff to deal with even the most difficult situations) and has extensive experience supporting challenging behaviour. Jon worked across all age ranges within Sheiling School to support teaching and learning at a very high level.
Sharon Sedlen (Shaz) (First Wave Mentor) is a qualified Early Years Practitioner with over 30 years of experience working with children, the majority of those years in the role of SENCo. For the past five years she worked at the Sheiling school supporting children with additional needs and managing behaviours as a Senior Learning Support Assistant. Shaz has worked in both primary and secondary settings.