About

Laura is an experienced consultant, facilitator, and speaker with a passion for child-centred provision and practical understanding of the operational aspects of school leadership.

Having worked in Education for over 15 years as a Teacher, middle and senior leader, her experience in non-selective, selective,  single sex, mixed comprehensive and alternative provision means that she treats schools as the unique communities that they are.

In one of the first cohorts for the National Award for SENCo Laura has supported school staff, Governors, and families through the changing landscape of Special Educational Needs, was a Specialist Leader of Education for SEND (South East) and as  Director of Inclusion across a Multi-Academy Trust, focussed on strategies to improve experience and outcomes for the most vulnerable children, including developing internal Alternative Provision.  Laura was Specialist Partner for the NPQSENCo for the National Institute of Teaching.

Laura is a founding member of the Supervision in Schools network through UCL and St Mary's University, is a Fellow of Charted College of Teaching, a proud SEND Governor for a Primary School and Trustee of an Alternative Provision and Special School Trust. She is currently reading for an MA in Social Justice and Education at UCL.

At the centre of the work of Schools Supported is a belief that education shapes the future for us all, and that every child deserves an education that meets their needs.

Schools Supported came about in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and significant reviews of provision for SEND from the Government.

We believe that it is schools themselves that drive educational innovation and we trust Headteachers and their teams to know their schools best. Our approach is focussed on honest communication, drawing the veil back on things that as leaders, we can't always see while recognising that no school is the same as the next.

• We won't arrive and think we know better than you.
• We underpin our work with a belief in equity for all.
• We won't put staff under pressure .
• We will give you real data and information from your stakeholders.
• We will give you evidence informed recommendations that put High Quality Teaching first.
• We are always up to date with legislation, research and trends in education.
• Everything we do puts the lived experience of students and stakeholders first.
• If we can't help, we will do our best to link you with someone who can.

Schools Supported values the autonomy, context and budgets facing Headteachers. We will give you real information, real implementation strategies and achievable recommendations which you can control. That way, after we collaborate with you, we leave you to get on with the job of authentic school improvement based on our work.