Katie Fletcher is a specialist teacher and trainer with over 15 years of experience working in the primary education sector across East Lancashire and Greater Manchester. Before becoming a SEND consultant, Katie was a full-time SENDCO of a two-form mainstream primary school which had a high instance of SEND and two SEND units attached.

“My passion for SEND began with a curiosity for understanding the neuroscience behind human behaviour. My thirst for knowledge has continued into my career and this year I am excited to train the next generation of SENDCOs, as a part-time Associate Teacher for the University of Cumbria where I will facilitate training and mentoring for an upcoming cohort on the NPQ SEND offered by the Church of England.

As a specialist teacher with Reachout ASC, I am developing as an expert on Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). I am also a recognised Mental Health First Aider and have a passion for implementing trauma-informed relational practices and restorative justice techniques within schools to support young people.

I was integral in the commissioning of a Communication and Interaction Unit at the school where I was based – an achievement which I am proud of. I am currently exploring the use of semi-formal curriculum pathways in order to build on my previous work successfully reintegrating excluded pupils into a school-based setting.

I had such a lovely moment recently with a young student who I noticed was becoming overstimulated in the environment. I used proprioceptive input and intensive interaction strategies to support his regulation in order to bring him to a place of calm where there was reciprocal interaction. The staff have gone on to use similar strategies following my visit and are now implementing effective techniques with him daily. This kind of outcome makes it all feel worthwhile!”