Nikki

SEND Teaching Experience

With over a decade of experience teaching and supporting children and young people with special educational needs, I have worked across primary, secondary and post-16 settings, including mainstream, SEMH and specialist provision. My experience spans a wide age range, from younger learners developing essential foundations to teenagers preparing for qualifications, further education, employment and greater independence.

I currently support young people with SEND across a range of subjects, including English, Maths, Functional Skills, Science and History. I am experienced in working with learners who have gaps in their education, low confidence or a history of disengagement, and I use carefully scaffolded and personalised teaching to help them rebuild skills, develop self-belief and experience success.

Supporting a Range of Needs

Throughout my career, I have supported learners with autism, ADHD/ADD, PDA, SEMH, dyslexia, dyspraxia/DCD, dyscalculia, anxiety, trauma, complex needs, speech and language needs, and working memory and processing difficulties. I recognise that every learner is different, so I take time to understand their strengths, interests, barriers and preferred ways of learning before adapting my approach accordingly.

My teaching is creative, flexible and highly personalised. I use multi-sensory approaches, visual supports, assistive technology, structured interventions, chunked learning and practical activities to make lessons accessible, meaningful and engaging. I place particular emphasis on building confidence, independence, executive functioning, communication skills and self-esteem alongside academic progress.

Re-engagement and Emotional Well-being

Much of my work has involved supporting young people who have struggled in traditional education settings or who experience anxiety, SEMH needs or barriers to attendance and engagement. I create calm, predictable and nurturing learning environments where students feel safe, respected and able to work at a pace that is right for them.

Positive relationships are central to my practice. By building trust and responding to emotional needs with patience, consistency and empathy, I help learners develop resilience, emotional regulation and a more positive relationship with education. For learners who have experienced anxiety or disengagement, rebuilding trust in learning can be just as important as academic progress.

Leadership and Professional Development

Alongside my teaching experience, I have held SEND leadership responsibilities, including working as a Primary Lead, training and mentoring staff and helping to develop inclusive and accessible approaches to teaching and learning. This has strengthened my ability to identify barriers, adapt curriculum content and create structured learning experiences that enable pupils with a wide range of needs to engage, participate and make progress.

I am committed to continuing professional development and continually build my knowledge of SEND, trauma-informed practice, multi-sensory learning, emotional regulation and inclusive teaching strategies. This enables me to draw on current approaches while remaining responsive to the individual learner in front of me.

Working with Families and Professionals

I work closely with parents, carers, SENCOs, schools, social workers, therapists and other professionals to ensure support is consistent, collaborative and centred around the individual young person. I contribute to EHCP reviews, provide clear feedback on progress and engagement, and suggest appropriate strategies or interventions where helpful.

I believe successful tutoring extends beyond academic outcomes. My aim is to help every young person become more confident, independent and engaged, while developing the skills they need for education, everyday life and their future.

Making a Positive Difference

I am passionate about helping young people recognise their strengths and experience success. Seeing a learner re-engage with education, develop confidence and begin to believe in themselves is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. I want every young person I teach to leave our sessions feeling understood, capable and proud of the progress they are making.

My teaching is rooted in inclusivity, trust and a genuine understanding that every learner is different. I believe children and young people make the best progress when they feel safe, understood and valued, so I take time to build positive relationships and get to know each student’s strengths, interests, challenges and preferred ways of learning.

I adapt my teaching carefully to the individual, using a wide range of strategies including multi-sensory learning, visual supports, scaffolded tasks, chunking, repetition, practical activities, assistive technology and structured interventions. I also use students’ interests wherever possible to make learning meaningful and engaging, particularly for those who may have become anxious about or disengaged from education.

My approach is flexible and responsive rather than one-size-fits-all. Some learners benefit from clear structure and predictability, while others need more choice, movement, creativity or a slower pace. I regularly adjust sessions in response to a student’s emotional regulation, confidence and readiness to learn, while still maintaining clear goals and purposeful progress.

I believe a good tutor does far more than explain academic content. A good tutor listens, builds trust, recognises when to challenge and when to adapt, and helps a young person develop confidence in their own abilities. Alongside academic progress, I aim to build independence, resilience, problem-solving skills and self-belief so that learners feel increasingly able to take ownership of their education and recognise their own progress.

Collaboration is also central to my practice. I work closely with families, schools and other professionals to ensure support is consistent, collaborative and tailored, while always keeping the young person’s voice at the centre. Above all, I want learning to feel positive, achievable and purposeful, and I find it incredibly rewarding to see students re-engage with education, grow in confidence and begin to recognise their strengths and what they are capable of achieving.