My background is in mainstream education, initially teaching MFL and then working with children with SEND from 3 to 18 year olds. I spent many years as a SENCo and then as a specialist teacher with a learning and behaviour support team. Until I retired 2 years ago I led a team of specialist teachers that was then commissioned out by the LA to a private provider. Until recently I was a governor at a local PRU.

I have an M.Ed from the University of Birmingham and a particular interest in the relationship between speech, language and communication difficulties and social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

I started as a regional tutor on the distance learning Masters level course in Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties at the University of Birmingham in 2002 and shortly afterwards began work on the development of web supported learning and the virtual learning environment to enhance the experience of distance learners. In 2011 I began working on the SEBDA post graduate courses where I also introduced the use of a virtual learning environment. For three years I was Programme Manager for the two online post graduate courses in Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties that SEBDA offers in partnership with Oxford Brookes University and have continued as a member of the Course Coordinator team with partiular responsibility for IT support band the virtual learning enviroment. I have been a member of SEBDA for 14 years and a member of National Council for 8 years.