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Emma Shackleton is a primary teacher turned SEMH and behaviour specialist, with almost 30 years’ experience in education.
She is co-founder of Beacon School Support an impactful and dynamic company with inclusion and support at its core - helping schools nationwide to tackle behaviour challenges head-on through whole-school audits, coaching and training in person and via their hugely popular online CPD platform: Behaviour 360.
As both a national and international conference speaker and co-host of the hit School Behaviour Secrets podcast, Emma shares practical strategies that inspire educators to create classrooms where every pupil can thrive.
Alison is a joint CEO at Nurture International with over thirty years experience working with learners who exhibit social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties. Alison’s roles include creating and managing a team of clinical psychologists to focus on supporting learners who had experienced early developmental trauma. Alison has been a distance education tutor at Birmingham University, and is the author of Family SEAL.
Yvonne is a joint CEO at Nurture International with over thirty years experience in working with learners who exhibit social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties. Yvonne’s roles include Head of Consultancy and Training for Nurtureuk, Head of a Primary Special school and co-ordinator for Behaviour at Wigan Authority where one of her roles was to be on the CAMHs partnership board.
Dawn is the West Midlands Regional Lead for WSS. She is a qualified teacher and been in education for 25 years. She has extensive knowledge of Early Years, Primary and Secondary phases of education where she has lead on a range of curriculum areas, projects and leadership positions. She has been a SENCO for 12 years where she has worked in RP and mainstream and been a lead SENCO for her cluster of schools. She is currently a Specialist SEND advisor for Local Authority where she provides strategic advice and support to settings and is involved in a number of collaborative SEND strategies. She also delivers NASENCO in conjunction with MMU and is an Area SEND Ofsted Inspector.
Dr Claire Lee is an education researcher in the Centre for Psychological Research at Oxford Brookes University. With a background in teaching, she completed her PhD in 2020 at the School of Education, University of Bristol, examining the learning lives of children from UK Armed Forces families. She conducts qualitative, dialogic research with children, parents and teachers, including using arts-based methods to explore children's learning lives and parents'/carers' experiences of supporting their children's education. Claire led the recent ‘Supporting All to Thrive (SATT) research project that investigated the educational opportunities, experiences and outcomes of children with additional learning or support needs and/or disabilities from UK Armed Forces families.
‘Rebecca is Head of Policy and Deputy CEO of the Naval Families Federation (NFF), promoting understanding of the needs of Naval families to ensure policy decisions are shaped and changed with consideration of their daily lives. As a former senior teacher, experienced across both secondary and junior phases, Rebecca provides advocacy and educational subject matter expertise to support with complex enquiry work; she also contributes to research relating to the Armed Forces Community. As a Naval spouse, with two school aged children, Rebecca’s personal experience and understanding underpins her work at the NFF.’
Karen Ross works for the Army Families Federation as their Health and Additional Needs Specialist and has been in the role for over fourteen years. Her role involves advocating and empowering Army families on any health or additional needs related issues. She regularly meets with stakeholders and policy makers in MOD and single Service chain of command and with outside organisations and agencies such as NHS England & the Department of Health and Social Care and with the equivalent agencies in the Devolved Administrations. Karen’s role covers the UK and overseas commands, so anywhere that Army families are based.
Alexandra Stokes is the Policy Advisor for Education and Childcare at the RAF Families Federation (RAFFF), with responsibilities covering a broad range of issues affecting families, including SEND. Drawing on a background in primary education, Alexandra engages directly with families to provide information and guidance; collects evidence on the lived experience; and advocates for the RAF community to policy makers and stakeholders as the RAFFF work to shape change and improve the quality of life for the RAF family around the world.
Anna Hutchinson is an experienced education professional with a background in teaching, school leadership, and policy development. She began her career teaching across the primary key stages, developing expertise in classroom practice, assessment, and senior leadership. Anna later moved into an advisory role within a local authority, supporting schools to improve outcomes for children from minority backgrounds. For the past six years, Anna has worked for the Army Families Federation (AFF), advocating for improved education and childcare provision for military children. Her work is evidence-based and focused on shaping policy and informing decision-makers to reduce barriers and improve access.
Julie Lowe is the Policy Officer for Families, Homes and Communities at the Royal British Legion (RBL). Part of RBL’s Campaigns, Policy and Research team, Julie works to improve public policy and services that support children and families in the Armed Forces community, including special or additional education needs or disabilities. Qualified in adult and children’s nursing, Julie has experience across the Armed Forces charity sector, the Ministry of Defence and British Army.
Simon Currigan is co-founder of Beacon School Support, which supports more than 150 schools across the West Midlands and provides SEMH and behaviour guidance to 60,000 educators across the UK. He hosts School Behaviour Secrets, a top 15 UK education podcast with 750,000 downloads. With more than 18 years’ experience, Simon helps schools create inclusive, supportive learning environments using practical, evidence-based strategies. He previously worked as a mainstream primary teacher and in pupil referral units as both a teacher and centre manager.
Rob is the co-founder of The Dyscalculia Network, an organisation that provides training and advice for teachers and parents supporting pupils with maths difficulties.
He has over 15 years’ experience teaching young people with special educational needs. Over the past decade, he has specialised in supporting children who struggle with maths, working across both independent and state schools.
Rob is a member of the CRESTED Council, where he represents issues relating to dyscalculia and maths difficulties across specialist schools throughout the UK.
He holds an OCR Level 5 Diploma in Teaching Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (Distinction) from Helen Arkell. He is also co-author of The Maths Difficulties and Dyscalculia Assessment, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in July 2025. This assessment is unique in that it not only measures scoring accuracy but also explores the strategies and techniques learners use when tackling key areas of foundational maths.
Rob has delivered presentations at a wide range of educational exhibitions and has worked with schools, colleges, and universities both across the UK and internationally.
Dr Yetta Wong is a lecturer at the School of Psychology, University of Surrey, whose work focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying learning and development. With a background in psychology and cognitive neuroscience, she is particularly interested in developing new ways to accelerate learning and in translating research into practical strategies, with an emphasis on supporting learning of children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
My name is Grace McGill. I am an eye care champion and have lived experience of learning disabilities, autism and sight loss.
I have been employed by SeeAbility for seven years, helping to get the Easy Eye Care Pathway for people with learning disabilities and autism commissioned – which has been successful across SE London - and promoting its use. I am passionate about making things better for people with a learning disability.
Malvi Patel is the Clinical Lead for SeeAbility’s Special Schools Eye Care Service, overseeing the delivery of equitable, specialist eye care across special schools for children and young people with learning disabilities and autism. She works closely with schools, families, multidisciplinary teams and hospital eye services to ensure vision needs are identified early and supported through school‑based care pathways. Alongside her leadership role, Malvi remains clinically active, spending one day a week delivering eye care directly in schools.
The Young Experts by Experience in Acquired Brain Injury (YEBEABI) is a diverse group of young people who have all experienced an acquired brain injury in childhood or adolescence. We support each other, share experiences and raise awareness of ABI within education, by discussing support strategies that we found helpful during our own return to education. We use our knowledge to create useful materials for teaching staff such as our ‘5 top tips’, because it is important to us that everyone has proper education regarding what having an ABI really means. Our mission is to create positive experiences in education for others who have brain injuries and make sure that everyone knows that you can still do amazing things, even if you have an ABI!
Dr Gemma Costello is a Specialist Educational Psychologist in Paediatric Neuropsychology. She is currently the Consultant Psychologist and Clinical Lead at the Cambridge Centre for Paediatric Neuropsychological Rehabilitation (CCPNR), working as part of an inter-disciplinary team, supporting children, young people and their families following Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).
Gemma is an active member of special interest groups in both paediatric neuropsychology and neurorehabilitation. She is committed to promoting the role of Educational Psychology in paediatric acquired brain injury, working with services across the UK and more recently contributing to Educational Psychology and Paediatric Neuropsychology training. Gemma is a member of the steering group of the National ABI in Learning and Education Syndicate (N-ABLES) which aims to identify ways to support education professionals in developing a minimum level of awareness and understanding about ABI and the educational requirements of this group of children and young people.
Joanna Woodhouse is a qualified teacher and SENCO with a Masters Degree in SEND and Inclusion. She has wide ranging experience of working with children and young people with Special Educational Needs. Professionally, Joanna has worked on the successful rehabilitation of children and young people with complex Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) to mainstream secondary educational settings. This has involved working collaboratively with colleagues in the health, care, and social sectors.
Joanna is a member of the National Acquired Brain Injury in Learning and Education Syndicate (N-ABLES) and co-chairs their Educational Professionals Advisory Group. She regularly delivers training, both locally and nationally, to teachers regarding the return to education and the provision and management of young people with an ABI.
In September 2019 Joanna’s own daughter sustained an ABI following a sudden accident. This traumatic event has given her a unique insight into the impact of an ABI on both young people and their families. Joanna has now left mainstream teaching and is able to dedicate more time to using her personal and professional knowledge and expertise to improve awareness, understanding and outcomes for children and young people with ABI.
Dr Emily Bennett is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Paediatric Neuropsychologist specialising in paediatric neuropsychology and neurorehabilitation at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. She is the lead psychologist for the Trust’s paediatric neurorehabilitation (BRILL Team) service. Emily’s clinical work involves supporting children, adolescents and young adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) and complex neurological, neuro-oncological and neurosurgical conditions.
In addition to her clinical role, Emily lectures on local Doctorate, Masters and Undergraduate courses and is actively involved in research. Emily also collaborates with educational colleagues, to support the development of provision for CYP with an ABI in education. Emily is the Chair for the National ABI in Learning and Education Syndicate (N-ABLES) and has been involved in the ‘Time for Change’ work of UKABIF and the All-Party Parliamentary Group hoping to secure better awareness, provision, and support for people with an ABI.
Click on the image to watch the recording from the first meeting which took place on Monday 29th January 2024.