My Specialist Experience Working with Young People with SEN to Develop Trusting and Meaningful Relationships
I am a Qualified Primary Teacher and Specialist Dyslexia Teacher and Assessor (MA SpLD, UCL Institute of Education) with extensive experience supporting young people with a wide range of additional needs in their homes, schools, and online. I have led a sixth form in a specialist provision and also Key Stage 2 in a mainstream setting.
Building trusting, meaningful relationships is the foundation of my practice. Many of the young people I support have experienced anxiety, school avoidance, or emotional dysregulation. I take time to understand each learner’s profile, strengths, triggers, and previous educational experiences. Through authenticity, flexibility, empathy, and high but achievable expectations, I create a safe, structured environment where pupils feel understood and valued.
I prioritise emotional safety alongside academic progress. Celebrating small successes, providing consistent encouragement, and maintaining a calm, predictable approach enables learners to rebuild confidence, re-engage with education, and develop a stronger sense of identity and self-belief.
My Skills and Experience in Teaching Pupils with Executive Function Difficulties
I am a Qualified Primary Teacher and Specialist Dyslexia Teacher with a Master’s degree in Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) from the Institute of Education, UCL. The focus of my dissertation was Executive Function skills within school settings, which led to extensive academic reading and research into how cognitive processes such as working memory, planning, organisation, task initiation, attention, and self-monitoring directly impact learning outcomes. This strong theoretical foundation underpins my evidence-based tutoring practice.
Alongside my academic training, I have significant practical experience supporting children and young people with Executive Function difficulties, particularly within English. I regularly tutor pupils whose academic ability is masked by EF challenges rather than a lack of understanding.
At the primary level, EF difficulties often present as struggles with organising ideas for writing, remembering instructions, retaining phonics and spelling patterns, maintaining focus during reading, and comprehending texts at depth. Without targeted support, pupils may appear to be underachieving despite strong verbal reasoning or creativity.
At the secondary level and GCSE, EF difficulties frequently become more pronounced. Pupils experience overwhelm when revising large volumes of content, difficulty processing information deeply enough to retain and retrieve it under exam conditions, and significant barriers when planning and initiating extended writing tasks such as essays. Many describe their “brain feeling clogged” and being unable to start, despite knowing the content.
I address these challenges through bespoke, scaffolded strategies that explicitly teach Executive Function skills alongside subject knowledge. This includes structured planning frameworks, chunked revision methods, retrieval practice techniques, visual organisers, memory supports, and step-by-step writing scaffolds. By reducing cognitive load and strengthening EF processes, pupils are able to access their true academic ability, work with greater confidence, and achieve success in assessments and examinations.
My Experience Supporting Young People with ASC
I have extensive experience teaching and tutoring children with a profile of autism and young people across mainstream schools, specialist provisions, SEMH settings, and 1:1 home education.
I understand that autism presents uniquely in every individual. My approach is strengths-based and neurodiversity-affirming, focusing on reducing anxiety through clear structure, visual supports, predictable routines, and flexible communication strategies. I use child-led interests to increase engagement and support emotional regulation alongside academic learning.
I collaborate closely with parents, SENCOs, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists to ensure joined-up provision. My work consistently focuses on helping autistic learners feel safe, capable, and successful.
My Experience Supporting Young People with PDA
I have significant experience supporting learners with a PDA profile in both school and private tutoring contexts. My approach is low-demand, collaborative, and relationship-based.
I prioritise autonomy, choice, and emotional regulation, gently encouraging engagement through flexibility and shared problem-solving. By reducing perceived demands and working through interests, I have supported pupils who previously disengaged from education to re-engage with learning in a calm and trusting way.
Parents and professionals have commended my approach for its consistency, empathy, and effectiveness in reducing anxiety-driven resistance.
My Experience Supporting Young People with SEMH and Mental Health Needs
I have experience in SEMH specialist settings and with young people experiencing anxiety, emotional dysregulation, low self-esteem, and school-based trauma.
My sessions are structured yet nurturing, breaking tasks into manageable steps and scaffolding executive function skills such as planning, task initiation, and self-monitoring. By combining academic support with emotional scaffolding, I help young people develop resilience, coping strategies, and renewed confidence in their ability to succeed.
My Experience Supporting Young People with ADHD
I have extensive experience supporting learners with ADHD, both professionally and personally.
My teaching incorporates clear routines, structured scaffolding, visual organisers, chunked instructions, movement breaks, and multisensory learning. I provide immediate, specific feedback and build strong rapport to maintain engagement and motivation.
My academic background in Executive Function and Working Memory (the focus of my Master’s research) allows me to explicitly teach planning, organisation, sustained attention, and self-regulation strategies. I empower learners to understand how their brains work and to develop practical strategies for independence and success.
My Experience Teaching Functional English and Maths
As a former Head of Juniors (KS2) and teacher within both mainstream and specialist SEND schools, I have taught English and Maths from early years through to GCSE and Functional Skills Level 2.
I have delivered Functional Skills Maths and English in specialist settings for learners up to age 25, adapting content to real-life contexts such as budgeting, travel training, cooking, and independent living skills. My teaching is structured, personalised, and rooted in identifying gaps while building confidence and fluency.
I ensure lessons are accessible, engaging, and meaningful, enabling learners to apply skills beyond the classroom.
My Experience Developing Confidence and Self-Esteem
Confidence is central to my practice. Many young people I support arrive with fragile self-belief due to repeated academic or social challenges.
Through achievable goals, consistent praise, strengths-based teaching, and personalised success pathways, I help learners rebuild confidence in themselves as capable individuals. My nurturing but aspirational approach enables pupils to take risks in learning, celebrate progress, and develop a positive relationship with education.
Over time, this growth in confidence translates into improved academic outcomes, stronger social skills, and increased independence.
My Specialist Experience Providing Engaging Sessions to Inspire a Love of Learning
I am passionate about creating engaging, multisensory sessions tailored to each learner’s interests and cognitive profile.
Whether using practical real-life contexts, sensory storytelling, technology, enrichment experiences, or structured academic scaffolds, I ensure learning feels relevant and motivating. My background in curriculum development and enrichment leadership has strengthened my ability to design creative, meaningful educational experiences.
For many learners who have previously disengaged, I plan my sessions to reignite curiosity and foster a renewed enjoyment of learning.
My Skills and Experience Supporting Young People to Develop Independence
Supporting independence is a core outcome of my work.
In specialist settings, I have taught travel training, cooking, life skills, and Functional Skills qualifications. I have led sixth form provision for young adults with MLD and PMLD, using the Engagement Model to assess and support progress.
Across all age groups, I explicitly teach executive function strategies, organisation, problem-solving, and self-advocacy. My goal is always to equip young people with the skills, confidence, and resilience needed to navigate education and life with increasing autonomy.
11 Reviews on “Glynda”
Glynda has been tutoring my daughter for the last 3/4 months now and I’m really happy at the connection they have made. Glynda has followed everything I’ve asked and ensured she has gone with my daughter’s pace and is taking the time to figure her out which is great. Very happy
SENsational did a fantastic job of finding a candidate, Glynda, who met our very specific needs – someone who could come to our home on weekends and had the right skills to support our daughter in the transition to secondary school academic challenges. In a short space of time Glynda made a dramatic difference to how we approached homework and test revision. No other agency was able to meet the very specific requirements we had.
My daughter Jess has been tutored by Glynda for nearly a year now. Before she had very little input. She has complex medical needs, developmental delay but is a very bright, sassy little girl. Glynda has gone above and beyond in taking the time to learn about Jess’s needs. Her likes and dislikes. How to engage with her. The difference in a year is truly amazing. She’s engaging with activities she would never have engaged in before. Is learning to communicate and learn on an ACC device. I’m truly grateful to have found Glynda and to see the positive impact she is having in my daughter’s life. Thank you Glynda! You are truly one of a kind 🙂
Glynda has tutored our two neurodivergent children, J and K, for almost a year. J and K are both neurodivergent (autism, ADHD, OCD, anxiety and suspected PDA).
Glynda is excellent in approaching J and K and creating a safe and fun low demand learning environment, tailored their needs and interests. She has re-ignited curiosity to learn in both of them – something that was more or less lost after years of struggling in mainstream school.
Glynda´s knowledge within this field is one of a kind, and she has made such a difference for our children – and family. Her warm and caring personality combined with her great knowledge about SEN as well as her ability to read a situation and adapt the learning situation is crucial for the development we see in J and K.
THANK YOU!
Glynda has been incredible for my daughter and she took to her really quickly. She’s learning so much through play and the things she loves. I would highly recommend
Glynda has an amazing understanding and respect of our daughters needs and behavior, and the way Glynda approach and engage her is amazing to experience. Our daughter (ASD and PDA) is in autistic burnout and struggles with anxiety, and Glynda´s ability to create a safe and student led learning environment for her is one of a kind. We recently used Glynda´s expertise through an ASD assesment of our daughter, and the psychiatrist said that she was thrilled to see, how Glynda understands, respects and educate our daughter, and that it is rare to find a tutor with such great insight. And yes, we as parents agree! We are so grateful to have Glynda as part of our children’s educational and developmental journey.
Glynda’s session at Proud to be a Teacher 2025
I attended Glynda ’s session at the Proud to be a Teacher 2025 conference. Glynda Cullen, a member of SENsational Tutors, gave a talk on “Inclusive Education in the Age of AI,” and I found it both inspiring and practical. She provided a clear and approachable overview of how AI can support students with SEND, sharing concrete examples like text simplifiers, personalized content tools, and adaptive feedback systems. Glynda was warm, patient, and genuinely passionate, taking the time to answer every question thoughtfully and making sure everyone could follow along. She covered a wide range of topics, including how AI can help with scaffolding lessons, simplifying complex texts, providing instant feedback, and supporting students’ communication and engagement.
Ms Glynda has been an incredible support for our 8-year-old son since she started working with him in September. We have already seen noticeable improvements in his English comprehension. As an autistic child, English has always been a real challenge for him, but he is now beginning to construct his own sentences, which is a huge achievement.
Ms Glynda took the time to understand his individual needs and quickly identified his areas of difficulty. Her creative and flexible teaching approach has kept him engaged and, just as importantly, has significantly reduced his anxiety around English homework.
She is friendly, professional, and completely reliable, and we are extremely grateful for the positive impact she has had on both our son’s learning and confidence. We would highly recommend Ms Glynda to any parent looking for an experienced and understanding SEN tutor.
Bespoke and expert support
I very much feel that SENsational took the time and effort to match our child with a tutor that was right for them. For the first time our child has engaged with tutoring and we have seen a huge growth in their self esteem and confidence.
Glynda is simply excellent: intuitive and responsive and someone who clearly understands the distinct needs of neurodivergent children.
Session on AI and Inclusivity
I’ve attended a session at Proud 2025 where Glynda shared her insights on AI and Inclusivity.
I want to say a big THANK YOU! That was absolutely amazing!
We don’t usually get a lot of sessions on inclusivity, at least I haven’t come across any. That’s why Glynda’s session was so important – she shared her ideas on inclusivity, working with kids with SEND, how to make education more tailored to their needs.
Simply amazing. Also, I loved Glynda as a presenter – so calm, thoughful, patient…. she didn’t leave any questions we had unanswered!
I would definitely try to attend more session with Glynda.
Avani has ADHD combined diagnosis. Her main area of need is in Executive Functioning skills/study skills. She suffers with anxiety/melt downs, cognitive ability to comprehend questions in English language/literature and history mainly. She struggles with task initiation and lack of concentration for any meaningful length of time. Her perfectionism and inflexible way of working hinder her ability to write constructively under timed conditions.
Glynda has been tutoring Avani since September 2025. Glynda built a trusting and honest relationship with Avani very quickly as they had to hit the ground running, due to Avani’s final GCSE exams this spring. Glynda’s professional and friendly way of supporting/tutoring Avani has been amazing, and they have worked exceptionally well together from the start. Avani is working incredibly hard with Glynda and making good progress in learning the strategies and way of working which suits her needs.
We are extremely happy with Glynda’s expertise in this area and could not have wished for a better tutor to help/support and motivate Avani.