Learning Manager, Sue Kershaw 

Qualifications:

BA Hons English/Theory of Education (University of York)

PGCE Qualified Primary Teacher 

Professional Experience:

Sue is a very experienced primary school teacher (over thirty years!). Her professional area of interest has always been Special Educational Needs. As well as working as a mainstream class teacher she has also worked in a special school, teaching children with a range of learning difficulties including autistic children with high support needs. She has also worked as a 1:1 tutor in schools, with a particular specialism in supporting children who have difficulties with writing. She has been a private tutor, working mainly with neurodivergent children, focussing on basic literacy and numeracy skills. 

Sue has extensive and up-to-date knowledge of autism and PDA as well as lived experience (see below). She has recently realised that she is autistic herself. As a result her practice is genuinely neuro affirming with a strengths-based approach that aims to be adaptive to and supportive of the needs of her neurodivergent students.

She is thrilled to be collaborating with Clare Truman and Spectrum Space to deliver alternative educational provision to children who are currently unable to access a school setting.

Personal Experience- A note from Sue

“I left classroom teaching in 2019 when my then undiagnosed autistic son began to struggle with mainstream school. He had what appeared to be a mental health crisis; we now know he was hitting autistic burnout after masking in school all his life, not having his needs met.

He was out of school for over two years, not able to leave the house, with no formal schooling. 

He was eventually diagnosed as autistic with Severe Generalised Anxiety Disorder (after being on the waiting list for CAMHS for three years.) 

It took a year to obtain an EHCP. When we first applied for it, we were envisaging EOTAS, (Education Other Than At School) but our son then decided he'd like to try a school with small class sizes. We managed to secure a place for him at a special school. He is currently having a gradual transition to his new school. He hopes to go on to study at university.

I have two other children- an adopted daughter now aged in her thirties who has ADHD, dyspraxia and dyslexia and has recently been diagnosed autistic; and a son who has just graduated in Modern Languages at the University of Oxford.”