Developing Trusting and Meaningful Relationships
Throughout my twenty-five years of teaching across mainstream, ASD, SEMH and MLD/PMLD settings in both Australia and the UK, establishing safe, secure and relationally rich learning environments has been at the heart of my practice. I believe that a trusting, attuned relationship is the foundation of any meaningful learning experience. Consistency and predictability are central to this, and I work hard to ensure sessions feel calm, reliable and emotionally secure, particularly for children who feel anxious, overwhelmed or have had disrupted educational experiences.
I am genuinely interested in children and young people and in understanding their world. I take time to get to know each child as an individual, developing a deep understanding of their interests, worries, strengths and experiences. Children learn best when they feel seen, heard and valued, and I build rapport at a pace that feels safe and appropriate for them. I offer a calm, steady and emotionally available presence, helping children feel supported and understood even when learning feels difficult. I also work collaboratively with families and, where appropriate, other professionals to ensure a consistent and joined-up approach.
I believe curiosity, play and exploration are central to meaningful learning. Within clear, predictable structures, I encourage children to take safe risks, make mistakes and view challenge as a valuable part of growth. Through careful modelling, gentle scaffolding and reflective practice, I nurture a growth mindset and support children to see themselves as capable, confident learners. Over time, this approach helps children to re-engage with learning, build independence and develop a more positive relationship with education.
Working with Neurodevelopmental Conditions (I.e. Autism, ADHD, PDA, OCD)
I have extensive experience supporting autistic children and young people, including those with a PDA profile, across both mainstream and specialist settings. My approach is respectful and neuro-affirming, with a strong focus on helping each child feel safe, understood and valued.
I work in a collaborative, flexible and low-pressure way, offering choice, reducing unnecessary demands and building learning around each child’s interests and strengths wherever possible. Clear communication, predictable routines, visual supports and playful, indirect approaches are used to reduce anxiety and support engagement. I am particularly experienced in supporting children who have found school challenging or distressing, helping them to rebuild confidence and develop a more positive relationship with learning over time.
I also have significant experience working with non-speaking and minimally speaking autistic children. I support communication and wellbeing through close observation, meaningful interaction and the use of alternative communication methods such as visuals, symbols, objects of reference, gesture and shared activities. Priority is always given to regulation and emotional safety, with learning supported through play, routine, repetition and personalised, multi-sensory experiences that allow children to engage and communicate in ways that feel safe and comfortable for them.
Working with Anxiety & Trauma
I have extensive experience supporting children and young people who experience anxiety around learning and school, including those who have had difficult or disrupted educational experiences. I take a therapeutic, holistic approach, understanding anxiety and distress as signals that a child needs safety, understanding and support.
I create calm, predictable sessions with clear routines, manageable expectations and gentle preparation for change. Visual supports such as timetables, social stories and now-and-next boards are used where helpful to reduce uncertainty, alongside choice and flexibility to support a sense of control. Learning is carefully scaffolded into low-pressure steps so confidence can build gradually over time.
I also have significant experience supporting children affected by trauma, complex health needs, attachment difficulties and SEMH needs, including those who are adopted, in foster care or looked after. I work closely with families and, where appropriate, other professionals to fully understand each child’s background, strengths and sensitivities, and to ensure a consistent, compassionate approach.
Supporting emotional literacy and regulation is an important part of my work. I use gentle, age-appropriate strategies such as visual check-ins, emotion coaching and modelling calm, reflective responses, and may incorporate movement or physical activity where appropriate. By prioritising emotional wellbeing alongside learning, I help children feel safer, more settled and better able to engage positively with education.
Supporting Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dsypraxia), Speech and Language and Sensory Needs
Supporting Behaviour, Sensory Needs and Emotional Regulation
I have extensive experience supporting children and young people whose behaviour is often described as challenging, particularly within SEMH, specialist SEN and mainstream settings. My practice is trauma-informed and grounded in the understanding that behaviour is a form of communication, reflecting underlying emotional needs, stress responses or past experiences.
I draw on attachment-informed and PACE-based approaches (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy) to establish emotional safety and trust. Connection always comes before expectation; when children feel understood and respected, they are far more able to regulate their emotions and engage with learning. I am particularly experienced in supporting children with developmental trauma, complex SEMH needs and school refusal.
Learning is adapted to reduce threat and increase motivation, often incorporating child-led or interest-based learning while maintaining clear structure and boundaries. My aim is not to fix behaviour but to support lasting change by meeting emotional and learning needs with consistency, compassion and curiosity.
Communication & Working Memory Support
I have extensive experience supporting children and young people with communication, working memory and processing difficulties. I use evidence-informed strategies to reduce cognitive load and make learning more accessible, supporting both understanding and confidence. Instructions and explanations are clear, consistent and broken into manageable steps, with time built in for processing and consolidation.
I support learning by modelling and “thinking aloud”, making cognitive and problem-solving processes explicit. Key skills and concepts are revisited through overlearning and regular, low-pressure practice to support retention and transfer into long-term memory. I draw on a wide range of strategies, including visual supports, flashcards, mnemonics, colour coding, mind maps, rhymes and multi-sensory resources, carefully selecting approaches to suit each individual learner.
I support children and young people with a wide range of communication profiles, including those who are non-speaking or have limited verbal language. I recognise and value all forms of communication, including gesture, facial expression, behaviour, visuals and AAC. Sessions are adapted to ensure children can understand, express themselves and make choices in ways that feel safe and meaningful, with communication demands adjusted to reduce anxiety and pressure.
Executive Functioning Support
Supporting executive functioning is embedded naturally within every session rather than taught in isolation. Children are supported to develop and practise skills such as sequencing and organising ideas, planning and use of checklists, working memory strategies, flexible thinking, time management, self-monitoring and emotional regulation within real, meaningful learning contexts.
By making my own thinking visible through modelling and reflection, I support children to develop metacognitive awareness — understanding how they learn, what helps them and what they can do when learning feels challenging. The aim is for strategies to become genuinely useful and transferable, rather than dependent on adult prompting.
Through consistent scaffolding, repetition and encouragement, children are supported to embed these skills into their everyday learning and routines. Over time, this approach helps to reduce anxiety, build self-esteem and support children to become more independent, confident learners who feel more in control of their learning and better able to navigate challenges.
Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia, Dyscalculia & Dyspraxia)
I have extensive experience supporting children and young people with Specific Learning Difficulties, including dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia (DCD), often alongside co-occurring needs such as anxiety, speech and language differences or sensory processing differences. Teaching is personalised to reflect each child’s learning profile, strengths and areas of need.
Support for SpLD is grounded in structured, explicit and multi-sensory teaching in line with evidence-based practice. Learning is carefully sequenced and revisited through overlearning and cumulative practice to support accuracy, fluency and transfer to long-term memory. Clear modelling, guided practice and scaffolded independence are used to reduce cognitive load and rebuild confidence, particularly for children who have experienced repeated difficulty.
When supporting children with dyspraxia, I consider how motor coordination, processing speed, organisation and planning affect learning, access and self-esteem. Practical adjustments — such as seating, posture, pacing and access to resources — are addressed early, as physical comfort and regulation underpin engagement and progress. Strategies and supports are designed to be consistent and transferable across settings wherever possible.
Progress is measured not only academically, but through increasing confidence, independence and resilience. Learning is strengths-based, well paced and responsive, with mistakes treated as part of the learning process rather than a measure of ability.
Speech, Language & Sensory Support
I have worked closely with Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists, developing a strong understanding of the relationship between regulation, communication and learning. This informs planning and delivery and supports consistency with wider therapeutic input and EHCP outcomes.
Regulation and readiness for learning are prioritised throughout sessions. I am highly attuned to sensory responses and work proactively to reduce overload through calm, predictable learning environments, clear routines and visual supports. I regularly use therapist-recommended strategies including sensory circuits, Talking Mats, visual schedules and a wide range of carefully selected multi-sensory approaches.
Children are supported to recognise, understand and communicate their sensory and emotional states. Through modelling, shared language and reflection, they develop self-awareness and practical regulation strategies that support independence, emotional wellbeing and access to learning over time.
English, Maths and Curriculum Support
I have extensive experience teaching English and maths across the primary curriculum, delivering personalised, strengths-based support for learners with a wide range of needs, particularly where confidence, anxiety or previous difficulties have impacted learning.
In English, I support reading, comprehension, spelling, writing and oracy using structured, engaging and multi-sensory approaches. Writing resistance is understood as a response to difficulty or anxiety, and children are supported through modelling, shared writing and creative, low-pressure tasks that help them express ideas and rebuild confidence.
In maths, I focus on developing secure understanding through clear modelling, practical resources and small, manageable steps. Learning starts with strong foundations using concrete and visual materials before moving toward more abstract concepts. I explicitly address maths anxiety and unhelpful beliefs, supporting children to approach problem-solving with confidence and curiosity.
I also offer supportive homework help and calm, personalised preparation for 11+ and entrance exams, balancing skill development, exam strategies and emotional wellbeing so children feel secure rather than overwhelmed.
Alongside English and maths, I teach science, art and design and technology through hands-on, exploratory learning. I also support Functional Skills and verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Teaching is guided by ongoing assessment and each child’s learning profile, with a strong focus on transferable skills and growing independence.
Building Confidence, Independence and a Love of Learning
Across all my work, I support children to develop a positive sense of themselves as learners — building confidence, curiosity and resilience over time. Sessions are carefully structured to promote independence and reflective thinking, helping children to understand how they learn, recognise what supports them and develop strategies they can use when learning feels challenging.
I place strong emphasis on creating a calm, trusting and collaborative learning environment where children feel safe to take risks, make mistakes and rebuild confidence. This is particularly important for children who experience anxiety, low self-esteem or reluctance to engage with learning. By combining emotional security with high-quality, responsive teaching, I support both steady academic progress and the development of healthy, positive learning habits.
Alongside academic learning, I explicitly teach routines, organisation and study skills. These predictable structures reduce cognitive overload, support emotional regulation and help children to feel calmer, more secure and better able to engage with learning. Over time, this approach supports growing independence and fosters a genuine enjoyment of learning that children can carry with them beyond our sessions.
