Meet the Team

I am the Head of Service for Fusion SEND Hub, where I have worked since September 2017. I have previously worked as an assistant headteacher, lead autism teacher, autism outreach teacher and primary school teacher. I have worked in mainstream and specialist education settings, including primary, secondary, post-16 and residential provision. Most of my work in education has been in specialist settings for autistic learners as well as those with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. My roles have included senior leadership, pastoral management, behaviour support, teaching, training and residential management. I have been a qualified trainer with the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), safeguarding lead and assistant director of a residential school holiday camp for children with SEND. I have studied autism at postgraduate level at the University of Birmingham and have worked with the National Autistic Society in undertaking Autism Accreditation reviews at schools across England.

In my role at Fusion SEND Hub, I am responsible for the overall strategy of the service and leadership of the team. I love working in a close-knit and committed team, and with all the fantastic children and young people we have the privilege of meeting.

I am always keen to talk with families, young people, schools and other partners, so please get in touch with me if you would like to do so. You can reach me on odean@fusionsendhub.co.uk

I am the Office Manager of Fusion SEND Hub. I joined Fusion from its inception in September 2014, having previously worked for the Learning Support Service in Sheffield City Council since 2003 and have been an integral part of our Teaching Schools expansion during this time. My role has developed with the growth and development from a teaching school to a SEND Hub, and the many services we offer to schools and professionals in the area of SEND. I provide organisational support to Olly and the rest of our Team, and provide a central point of contact between the Hub and partnership schools, the Local Authority, parents and carers and participants on the many various CPD events and accredited training programmes we run.

I was the co-ordinator for the National Professional Qualification (NPQ) programme; a joint collaboration between the Sheffield City Region’s TSA’s and Leeds Beckett University. I oversee the annual subscription sign-up of schools across our region to the Fusion School to School Support Service, working closely with Local Authorities, Multi-Academy Trusts and our Schools to ensure they get the best fit from our Service.

I facilitate the many professional learning events we offer and can support schools on developing their staff’s CPD needs in all areas of SEND. If you would like to know more about how Fusion SEND Hub can help you, please email me on thumphreys@fusionsendhub.co.uk

I am a Consultant Teacher in SEND for Fusion SEND Hub who are based at Talbot Specialist School. My role is to ensure that I am at the forefront of any current research in SEND and that this specialist knowledge is shared throughout the whole school community that we work with. As a consultant teacher in SEND, I have opportunities to support schools in developing the role of SENCos and Inclusion Managers with its increased responsibilities. I have helped schools to establish and embed evidence-based interventions through coordinated approaches. I have provided detailed formative and summative assessment information to meet the statutory and learning needs of pupils with SEND.

Prior to working at Fusion, I was a class teacher in a large primary school in Birmingham with a high proportion of pupils with EAL. I was lucky enough during this time to take part on the Comenius project which allowed me to visit schools in other European countries. I visited an inner city Early Years settings in a Paris suburbs and a Primary school in Italy. This experience was of particular interest to me as I was also a child with EAL when I came to live in the UK, which has given me an appreciation and understanding of the potential opportunities and challenges faced by EAL learners in this country throughout my professional career.

During my time teaching in Birmingham, I developed an interest in supporting disadvantaged and vulnerable leaners and decided to enroll in a Masters programme at Birmingham University to study Special Educational Needs. This opened up an opportunity for me to teach in an informal integrated resource and take on the role of SENDCo in a Sheffield school. I subsequently went on to work as a Learning Support teacher for the Local Authority.

It has been, and continues to be, a privileged to work with young people, their families and schools to improve outcomes for students. I am a strong advocate of developing strong partnerships with parents to achieve the best outcomes for young people.

I am committed to an outreach approach for schools, with a view to sharing my expertise and facilitating links between schools to share good practice. I am always looking to create links with and work closely with other agencies. A close collaboration with the Speech and Language service on the use of Shape Coding in a mainstream setting has enabled me to developed effective inclusive approaches for pupils across Sheffield.

I have always been passionate about working with pupils in the Early Years and I have regularly delivery training and supported schools across Sheffield in my role as a Fischer Family Trust Early literacy trainer. My knowledge of the theory and approaches advocated in FFT provide a strong basis in my advice for the provision of individual pupils and when coaching teaching staff.

Dyslexia has always been a personal and professional interest of mine, which I studied at Master’s level. This aspect of SEND has played a significant part in my work over the years when working with schools. I am continually seeking innovative approaches to raise teaching staffs’ awareness of the strengths of the dyslexic learner and to improve support for them at Quality First Teaching and for individuals.

Before working for Fusion SEND Hub, I started my career in teaching in 1999 and worked in mainstream schools for 4 years before going to work at Robert Ogden School (NAS) for 9 years where I worked right through from KS2 to post 16. I ran the primary department for 3 years before moving onto and SLD school, where I became the Moving and Handling co-ordinator as well as KS2 and KS3 teacher. In 2017 I completed my PGCE in Autism and Asperger syndrome at Sheffield Hallam University.

One of my favourite roles in Fusion is being the lead trainer. I am an advanced Team Teach trainer and Moving and Handling trainer and coordinator.

I am the lead training for the Essential Autism awareness course which is a specialist course developed by the National Autistic Society. I have received training to deliver modules from the mental health and well-being toolkit and I am also studying for my diploma in Trauma.

I have a particular interest in supporting young people with PDA and strive to keep up to date with the latest research and workshops in order to offer support and advice to schools on how to work with young people who present with this complex area of needs. I am fully trained in supporting schools on how to implement SCERTS and Boxall Profiles as assessment tools to monitor children’s progress.

I am passionate about improving the outcomes for all children and young people in education and have a proven expertise in managing challenging behaviour. I am committed to providing an outreach approach for schools and of sharing my expertise with other professionals. I am very good at looking at the bigger picture and trying to understand where the child or young person has come from and where they are hopefully going to go to achieve their full potential. I hope that within my training and sharing my expertise with others that I can make a positive impact on many children and young people’s lives and the staff who work with them.

I have been a consultant teacher in SEND for 9 years, working in a number of schools across Sheffield, advising on the most effective ways of supporting pupils with SEND. I deliver training to colleagues in education on a wide variety of SEND issues, including Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, ASD, ADHD, speech and language weaknesses and motor skills difficulties. Many staff within schools are working in challenging situations, and a lack of knowledge and understanding around SEND can increase uncertainty and anxiety.

A major motivation for me is to support colleagues in developing knowledge and confidence, and, therefore, empowering them to improve their Quality First Teaching within an inclusive classroom.

I have a particular personal interest in maths, and investigating how pupils with SEND can be supported with their mathematical learning. I have attended annual conferences on Dyscalculia, and have developed an ‘Introduction to Dyscalculia’ training session which I have now delivered to colleagues in Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster. I have also led a series of workshops across the region for the South Yorkshire Maths Hub on Supporting SEND Pupils in Maths.

Prior to my current role, I was the Inclusion Manager and a member of the Senior Leadership Team at a Sheffield Primary School. During that role, I set up new systems for record-keeping and tracking progress of SEND pupils, established new systems of communication and reviews with parents and supported staff with whole-class strategies and interventions.

In addition to being an Specialist Leader in Education, I am a Professional Development Accredited Lead through the NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics). I am also a member of the South Yorkshire Maths Hub Board.

I started my teaching career as a primary teacher in Doncaster, moving onto become an Assistant Educational Psychologist in Doncaster. After gaining my Masters degree in Educational Psychology, I worked for Rotherham Local Authority as an Educational Psychologist for a number of years before taking a break to raise my young family. I’ve always been interested in research and was involved in a regional and national research project for Rainbows Bereavement and Loss charity, and have been a member of the South Yorkshire management committee for the past twenty years.

Over the past ten years I enjoyed being part of the leadership team as SENCo and Inclusion Manager for a Sheffield primary school with an integrated resource.

This role also incorporated work as the designated teacher for looked after children. Within this setting, I completed my National SENCo award and accessed training to develop my coaching skills.

Since joining Fusion SEND Hub in September 2021, I have had the opportunity to further my interest in motor difficulties, and am currently a member of the Dyspraxia Foundation. I’m excited to be part of a talented team of consultant teachers, and to be in the privileged position of supporting schools and SENCo’s across South Yorkshire, to enable children’s needs to be further recognised, understood and supported and to facilitate inclusive practice for all SEND learners and practitioners.

After completing my degree in English Language and Linguistics at Sheffield University, I struggled to choose between teaching and speech and language therapy. I chose teaching but have always had a special interest in speech and language therapy, working closely with therapists in school and delivering interventions. I have worked in primary schools in both Rotherham and Sheffield over the last 15 years. As a class teacher, I appreciated the help an advice given to me in relation to teaching children with a wide variety of special needs, to help them thrive in my classes and learned a great deal from various different professionals. I completed the SENDCo qualification in 2016, further adding to my knowledge and expertise. I pride myself in knowing and understanding the pressures of teaching in the classroom today and therefore offering advice that is achievable and practical for all involved.

I started in my role as Consultant teacher In SEND in September 2021 and I am passionate about being able to disseminate my own knowledge and the knowledge of the team to a wide range of schools across the area. It is a privilege to work with children in a 1:1 setting and really get to know their strengths and needs. I also really enjoy running workshops and training for staff members to help them improve the quality of provision for all children but particularly those with Special Educational Needs.

I joined Fusion SEND Hub as a Consultant Teacher in January 2022 and I have a specialist interest in phonics and early reading. I began my career in education 18 years ago, initially as a teaching assistant for 7 years, supporting children and young people with SEN before deciding to go to University and qualify as a teacher. I have worked in both Primary and Secondary schools across Rotherham and Sheffield in various roles such as Key Stage 1 Lead, teaching year 1 and 2, Read Write Inc Lead, Deputy Safeguarding Lead and SENCo.

Throughout all of these roles, my main passion and focus has been working with children with SEND. I completed my SENCo Award after becoming SENCo in 2017, further adding to my knowledge.

I am looking forward to using the skills I have gained to support children and staff in different schools, to ensure Quality First Teaching and ensuring the correct support is in place for children and young people with SEND.

I have been a teacher for almost 17 years and have taught in schools in Sheffield, Mansfield and Leicester. I have taught in KS1 and KS2 and have also had a variety of roles including KS1 Lead, Maths Co-ordinator, Acting Deputy Head, Safeguarding Lead, SENCo, EAL Champion and Senior Assistant Head for Inclusion. I have also worked as one of the Lead SENCo’s for Locality B in Sheffield which has helped me gain a greater understanding of working across both primary and secondary schools to meet the needs of children with SEND.

Throughout all of these roles, my main passion and focus has been working with children with SEND. I completed my SENCo Award after becoming SENCo in 2010 and shortly after I completed a Postgraduate qualification in supporting children with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) to help me support young people to learn effectively and to help teaching staff to meet their needs.

Along with an interest in Dyslexia, I am a passionate believer in the importance of supporting the child as a whole including their mental health and wellbeing. I led the Healthy Minds project within my last school, have completed a Mental Health First Aid qualification and am a Trauma Informed Practitioner. I have also set up and led a Nurture group and have delivered workshops at the annual Yorkshire Nurture Network conference.

I joined Fusion SEND Hub as a Consultant Teacher in January 2022 and am really looking forward to working with children and staff in different schools and using the skills I have gained working in challenging environments to support Quality First Teaching and provision for SEND pupils.