Rachel

I have dedicated much of my career to maximising opportunities for young people. For the last six years I have worked in an SEN school, teaching students on a Sensory and Independent Living Skills pathway. Specialist needs have included ASD, hearing impairment, Epilepsy, Global Developmental Delay, Down Syndrome, ODD, Sensory Processing Disorders, anxiety, PMLD and non-verbal students.

I value collaborative working and put that at the heart of my work. In my most recent position, I have worked extensively with Speech and Language Therapists, Physiotherapists, Social Services and families to ensure maximisation of support and ensure positive outcomes for my students. In previous roles as a Head of Year 8 and as a Youth Re-engagement worker I have co-ordinated engagement activities with mental health providers, local businesses, social services and education providers. 

As a PROACT SciPr facilitator I have run training programs, in collaboration with other education providers, to support the implementation and maintenance of a proactive approach to managing challenging behaviour in the classroom. I have a thorough understanding of behaviour as communication and take a positive approach to supporting behaviour needs.

During the first eight years as a teacher I taught Drama in mainstream secondary schools. This involved delivering Edexcel GCSE Drama, AS and A2 Level Theatre Studies and BTEC in Performing Arts. I also taught Drama at KS3 level, ran a KS3 Drama Club and assisted with acting and singing coaching for the annual school musical productions. 

Alongside my Drama teaching I also taught classes in the near to school facility, taking small groups of students at risk of disengaging from school. I ran a Forest Schools program at an offsite location and saw many positive outcomes for young people struggling to access the mainstream curriculum. This included those with specific learning needs, SEMH and behavioural support needs.