Alex

My specialist experience working with young people with additional needs to develop trusting and meaningful relationships:
For 10 years I was a class teacher working in both mainstream and special provisions. To teach curriculum concepts and share my agenda, I knew that I would need to build connections and establish safety and rapport first. For years, I have focused on building trusting and meaningful relationships with young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) as a foundation of education. My approach is grounded in empathy, patience, and consistent support, creating safe and nurturing environments where young people feel understood and valued. I utilise personalised communication strategies and discover shared interests to foster mutual trust, enabling students to be themselves and engage in their learning journey, meeting their potential.

My experience teaching young autistic people:
For six years, I taught autistic students in a special resource base within an outstanding mainstream primary school. I tailored my teaching methods to accommodate the unique needs of each student, incorporating visual supports, structured routines, and sensory breaks to enhance students’ learning experience. My goal was always to create inclusive and supportive classroom environments that allowed students to thrive. I taught across EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, developing the curriculum and modelling best practices to support autistic learners. I trained staff, and I was promoted to Lead Teacher for Autism. I now work part-time as an Advisory Teacher for Autism for a London Borough, supporting autistic people in all education settings, and delivering training workshops to professionals and parents. I love supporting young people to explore their autistic identity and begin to advocate for their needs.

My experience teaching young people with sensory and/or auditory processing needs:
I have worked with numerous students with sensory and auditory processing needs, tailoring my teaching methods to meet their specific requirements. This includes using multisensory approaches, adjusting the environment to reduce sensory overload, and incorporating sensory tools and activities. I have found that having a good understanding of each individual’s needs helps with planning sessions that are engaging and appropriately stimulating.

My experience teaching young people with Speech and Language needs:
Supporting young people with speech and language needs has been a rewarding aspect of my teaching career. Having worked in specialist settings for a large proportion of my career, I have had the advantage of collaborating closely with speech and language therapists to implement individualised communication plans and develop personalised strategies such as visuals, social stories, and structured language activities. My focus is on enhancing students’ communication skills, enabling them to express themselves more effectively and interact more confidently with others. Some of the interventions I have delivered include using Blanks levels, Colourful Semantics, Zones of Regulation, Dinosaur School, Taming of the Tempersaurus, Friendship Terrace, and Size of the Problem. I have worked with many children with limited spoken language. This has not been a barrier to supporting with learning, rather a challenge for me to interpret and learn their preferred communication style and adopt it. I have used Widget, Boardmaker, communication boards, simple Makaton and PECS to support communication and learning. I am a huge advocate for eliciting the ‘voices’ of those with alternative communication systems, and my Master’s degree culminated in a dissertation focusing on educational experience and inclusion from young people, many of whom had limited spoken language.

My experience teaching young people with challenging behaviour
I have worked with many children with challenging behaviour, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). I am incredibly calm and understanding, and always focus on understanding what the young person is attempting to communicate, to help me understand the reasons their behaviour. I build trusting relationships and offer consistent routines with clear expectations, teaching and praising the positives, in a way that the young person can accept. I have found that helping young people to recognise their triggers, as well as giving them some autonomy and control within sessions reduces challenging behaviours and allows for learning to take place.

My experience teaching young people who are non-verbal:
I have worked with many children with limited spoken language. This has not been a barrier to supporting with learning, rather a challenge for me to interpret and learn their preferred communication style and adopt it. I have used Widget, Boardmaker, communication boards, simple Makaton and PECS to support communication and learning. I am a huge advocate for eliciting the ‘voices’ of those with alternative communication systems, and my Master’s degree culminated in a dissertation focusing on educational experience and inclusion from young people, many of whom had limited spoken language. I have also published my research on this theme.

My experience developing social interaction and friendship skills:
I have supported young people to develop meaningful and achievable friendship skills by starting with their own understanding of what friendship looks like for them. This includes recognising that friendship may involve parallel play, spending time with peers who share similar interests, or simply having someone to sit with at lunch. I also help young people understand that friendship can feel more complex when there are differences in social communication and interaction. Through structured support, I teach and model key skills such as recognising and accepting invitations, initiating interactions, and keeping a conversation going. We then reflect together on how successful these interactions felt, building self-awareness and confidence over time. An important part of this work is helping young people understand boundaries within friendships, including what feels safe, balanced, and respectful, so they can develop relationships that are positive, fair, and supportive.

My experience teaching Primary English:
I have 10 years of experience teaching English at Primary level. I worked within EYFS for 3 years and loved assisting young people to develop a love of literacy through songs, rhymes, roleplay, and storytelling. I enjoy teaching phonics and seeing the progression in early reading skills, mark-making and then early writing. I have taught across key stages 1 and 2 following the English national curriculum and supported children in both mainstream and specialist provision. I have tutored students in both mainstream and special provisions to prepare them for their SATS.

My experience teaching Primary Maths:
I have 10 years of experience teaching Maths at Primary level, supporting children of all abilities to develop confidence and strong foundational skills. I use a hands-on, practical approach, incorporating tactile resources like counters, number lines, and visual models to reinforce understanding. My lessons are engaging and structured, tailored to each child’s learning style. I have successfully prepared students for SATs, focusing on exam techniques, problem-solving strategies, and building mathematical fluency. I create a supportive environment that reduces anxiety and encourages a positive mindset toward maths. My goal is to make learning enjoyable, ensuring every child feels capable and ready to succeed.

My experience teaching young people with Social Communication and Language Skills:
Supporting young people with speech and language needs has been a rewarding aspect of my teaching career. Having worked in specialist settings for a large proportion of my career, I have had the advantage of collaborating closely with speech and language therapists to implement individualised communication plans and develop personalised strategies such as visuals, social stories, and structured language activities. My focus is on enhancing students’ communication skills, enabling them to express themselves more effectively and interact more confidently with others. Some of the interventions I have delivered include using Blanks levels, Colourful Semantics, Zones of Regulation, Dinosaur School, Taming of the Tempersaurus, Friendship Terrace, and Size of the Problem.

My experience supporting young people with community activities:
Learning can take place in the home, school and in the wider community and is not bound by a student’s age or strict time frames. Some of my recent lessons have taken place at Pizza Hut, the local library, National Trust gardens, supermarkets and at Power League! One of my favourite lessons to teach and to support is cooking, I find it particularly rewarding when this is coupled with researching recipes, making a shopping list and taking a trip into the community to purchase ingredients and ticking items off on a visual list. I am confident in supporting students in the community and believe that taking traditional learning into real-life contexts is highly valuable, helps consolidate learning and makes learning more meaningful and purposeful.

My experience working with young people to boost their confidence and self-esteem:
Boosting students’ confidence and self-esteem is a central focus of my teaching philosophy. I use strengths-based approaches, celebrating each student’s achievements and providing opportunities for them to succeed in various areas. Through positive reinforcement, encouragement, and tailored support, I help students build a strong sense of self-worth and confidence in their abilities. Over time, I feel it is important to introduce more challenge, celebrating each attempt to try something new or out of their comfort zone.

My specialist experience providing engaging sessions to inspire a love of learning:
Creating engaging and inspiring lessons is a passion of mine. I use a variety of interactive and hands-on activities, integrating technology, art, and real-world applications to make learning exciting and relevant. My goal is to ignite a love of learning in my students, encouraging curiosity and a lifelong passion for discovery. Using the students’ interests as a starting point for inspiration helps build engagement.

My skills and experience supporting young people to develop their independence:
Supporting students to develop their independence is a key aspect of teaching. I encourage self-advocacy and provide opportunities for young people to take responsibility for their learning. Through individualised support, teaching functional life skills, and fostering a growth mindset, I help young people become more confident and capable individuals, ready to navigate the challenges of the future more independently.

My experience working as an advisory teacher for autism to provide training to staff:
In my role as Advisory Teacher for Autism, I have extensive experience delivering targeted training to a wide range of professionals and families to build understanding and effective practice. I have recently delivered workshops for social care teams, Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs), and school staff, focusing on practical strategies to support autistic young people in areas such as communication, emotional regulation, and inclusion. I have also led parent workshops, creating space for discussion and shared understanding, and supporting families to feel confident in meeting their child’s needs. My training style is practical, accessible, and responsive, ensuring that all participants leave with clear, evidence-informed strategies they can implement in their own settings.

My experience working with young people with a demand avoidant profile:
I have supported a number of students who have a demand avoidant profile, and I have developed a deep understanding of their unique needs and challenges. My approach is rooted in building a strong, trusting relationship, which is essential for students with PDA. My calm and empathetic communication style has proven effective. I have learned that traditional teaching methods, particularly those that are considered supportive for autistic students, do not always have the same success with students with demand avoidant profiles, so I employ creative and indirect strategies to engage students. Integrating students’ interests and keeping sessions novel makes learning more appealing and less pressured. By offering choices and fostering a sense of autonomy, I help students feel more in control and less resistant to demands. My patience and adaptability allow me to adjust plans and expectations based on the student’s mood and comfort level, ensuring a positive and productive experience.

My experience working with young people with ADHD/ADD:
Teaching young people with ADHD and ADD has been a significant part of my career. I employ a variety of strategies to help with focus and manage impulsivity, such as breaking tasks into manageable steps, providing clear and concise instructions, and incorporating movement or regulation breaks into lessons. By creating a structured yet flexible learning environment, I have found that I successfully support students with ADHD and ADD in developing their concentration and academic skills. I have also found that explicitly teaching organisation skills, time management and planning has been beneficial. Helping young people to have an awareness of their differences, and celebrating neurodiversity and unique, innovative thinking skills helps to ensure a positive sense of self, which is invaluable.

My experience working with young people with anxiety:
For many students that I have had the pleasure of teaching, anxiety has sadly been part of their school experience. To support those with anxiety, I find increasing routine and structure beneficial, as well as ensuring that students are heard, safe and reassured. Regular feelings check-ins have proven to be helpful, as well as equipping students with mindfulness techniques. Often, I model talking about worries and show how I use a toolbox of techniques and strategies to combat feelings of dysregulation. I also find that it can be helpful to explore with students what is in their control and what is not in their control, as well as teaching practical problem-solving. I have recently supported schools by delivering training on the impact of emotionally-based school avoidance for autistic young people and their families, to help professionals to understand how the school environment can cause anxiety, and how it can become a barrier to autistic students accessing school.

My experience teaching young people with dyslexia: I have worked with many children over the years with literacy difficulties and dyslexia and have supported them with targeted early interventions, high-quality teaching, and regular assessment of skills, focusing on developing independence, accurate word reading, fluency, and spelling. I have found that strategies such as explicit teaching of skills, chunking tasks, scaffolding, modelling and giving examples can assist with acquisition of skills. In my experience, difficulties with reading and spelling can impact young people’s self-esteem. I always aim to support them to gain a better understanding of dyslexia, so that they can learn what helps them, and then advocate for their needs, building their confidence.

My experience teaching Executive Functioning Skills/Study Skills:
Teaching executive functioning and study skills is crucial for helping students manage their time, stay organised, and succeed academically. By providing students with practical strategies and tools, I support them in developing the skills necessary for independent learning and academic achievement. I like to review the effectiveness of strategies and swap in new tools and strategies, as required. I am a huge fan of visual checklists, timers and time blocking and love finding tools that work for each individual I support.

My experience teaching young people with working memory difficulties:
I try to keep sessions energetic, interactive, engaging, and memorable as often repetition is required when students have difficulties with working memory. Short, sharp, focused tasks, where skills can be repeated in a variety of mediums have proved to be supportive for the young people I have taught.

My experience teaching young people with SEMH/mental health needs:
In my experience teaching students with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, I have always prioritised creating safe and meaningful relationships and connections. Through embedding strategies such as yoga, breathwork, mindfulness activities, social skills training, and emotional regulation techniques, as well as regular self-check-ins, I have noticed a marked improvement in well-being and ability to attend and engage in learning activities. By being a safe person for young people to share their feelings and challenges, I help them develop resilience and coping strategies, fostering their overall well-being and academic success. I understand the fragile self-esteem that many young people with SEND experience, and I enjoy teaching about the advantages and strengths of neurodiversity. Additionally, I co-deliver training to Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs).