I have spent over 20 years working in education as a Deputy Headteacher,
SENDCO, and Safeguarding Lead, and I am now Head of Education in an
alternative provision in London. My passion for education is rooted in making the
system work better for all children, not just those who thrive in the traditional school
model.
During my time as the Designated Safeguarding Lead in a large secondary school in
Lewisham, I saw many students struggling with full-time in-person schooling. These
were often students with undiagnosed SEND or non-EHCP needs, who required
decompression time outside of the school environment. I frequently found myself
caught in the frustrating cycle of enforcing attendance without having viable
alternative options for students who couldn’t manage mainstream school full-time. It
was clear that a more flexible model, like flexischooling, could have been the key to
their success.
Reflecting on my current role, I continue to witness the limitations of the traditional school
system. Local authorities spend significant amounts of money sending children to
alternative provisions, when many of these students might thrive with a hybrid
approach—combining a few days of mainstream schooling with online learning or
other flexible arrangements.
The rigidity of the current education system is costly, not only for schools and local
authorities but also for the students and their families. Finding the Flex offers a
solution to these challenges, allowing children to succeed in ways that mainstream
schooling alone often cannot accommodate.
What I Bring to Finding the Flex
With over two decades of experience in curriculum development, SEND, and online
learning environments, I offer a unique perspective on how to create flexible,
student-centered educational models. My background as a Deputy Headteacher
responsible for curriculum innovation has equipped me with the skills to help
reimagine what hybrid education could look like. At Finding the Flex, we are
exploring a range of personalised approaches—flexi hubs, volunteering, online
learning, and decompression days—that allow schools to meet the diverse needs of
their students.
I believe that flexischooling offers the potential to alleviate some of the pressures
faced by teachers while giving children more autonomy over their learning. Having
led initiatives to create online learning environments in mainstream schools, I am
passionate about making education more joyful, flexible, and supportive. This work
aligns perfectly with my commitment to ensuring that children who struggle with the
traditional school model have access to options that better serve them.
My goal at Finding the Flex is to challenge the rigidity of the current education
system and offer flexible learning experiences that benefit not only the students and
their families but the system as a whole. After many years in mainstream education,
it’s hard not to feel disillusioned with how inflexible the system is, and how that lack
of adaptability serves neither students nor teachers. By making flexischooling a
widely available option, we can create a more positive, inclusive and student-
centered approach to learning. This shift could have a lasting, positive impact on
students, schools, and the broader education landscape.
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