Meet Helen

I am a Special Educational Needs specialist and Dyslexia expert. I founded Helen’s Place to support young people to be their best ‘self’ through holistic intervention, focusing on building positive working relationships with all stakeholders of their education.

Why this approach?

Because I am dyslexic myself and I understand how important these working relationships are for young people in education and their workplace. If students and happy and enjoy their lessons, they are more able to learn.

My experience

I began my career teaching in Barnsley, South Yorkshire working as a secondary Maths and French teacher. Helping young people unpick problems and find creative solutions to solve questions was extremely enjoyable and sparked something in me. This led to working with young people to improve their overall academic progress by building their confidence through smaller group work and study sessions.

Qualifying as a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo), and working part-time as an SEN teacher in a mainstream school soon followed, which allowed me to continue to undertake research and support professional bodies with a mission to create systematic change within the educational system.  Volunteering at a local primary school has given me the opportunity to provide critical oversight in special needs provisions within the early years’ school environment.

I am Chair of the Wiltshire Dyslexia Association, supporting events, providing advice on pedagogy and contributing to the association’s social media networks.

As a Trustee of the British Dyslexia Association, I aim to continue supporting people with Dyslexia and make the world a more inclusive place.

My Qualifications

Member of:

Associate Member of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA)
Membership Number: 20/AMB04046

AMBDA Dyscalculia Number: 23/AMD05008

APC Number: 23/APC05078
The Chartered College of Teaching (affiliate)
British Educational Research Association
National Education Union
PgCert + 30 Credits Dyslexia and Specific Learning Difficulties with AMBDA: Bath Spa University

PgCert National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination: University of Bedfordshire

PhD ‘Where do I fit it? Exploring how dyslexic young people experience social interactions in a mainstream secondary school’: University of Bath

MRes Social Policy: University of Bath

MA Education: The Open University

PGCE Secondary Modern Foreign Languages: Sheffield Hallam University

MEng (hons) Mechanical Engineering with French: University of Sheffield

Published Work

My work has regularly been published in both peer-reviewed and guest publications. I have been invited to speak at various events and conferences including a recent All Party Parliamentary Group at the House of Commons.

Want to work together?

As you can tell I do a lot of different types of work. You can find out all the different things I can help with and you can get in touch with me using the button below.