Support for LEANS: The LEANS Champions programme

Advice and support from the volunteer educators in our LEANS Champions programme.

About the LEANS Champions programme

LEANS Champions are experienced education professionals with specialised LEANS training, who have generously volunteered to support and advise other educators in the UK and Ireland. They represent a range of roles, schools, and communities.

LEANS Champions have four roles: 

  1. Awareness: To raise awareness of the LEANS programme and importance of neurodiversity education among other education professionals.  
  2. Adoption: To encourage considered, ethical choices about adopting LEANS. 
  3. Support: To provide advice and model good practice in LEANS delivery. 
  4. Connection: To help connect educators using LEANS with each other. 

Champions can offer help based on their professional experience and knowledge of the LEANS programme—but they can’t make decisions or deliver LEANS on your behalf. Speaking to a Champion may be especially helpful for schools and teachers who are adopting/delivering LEANS for the first time, or educators who do not yet have a local community of practice around this topic.

This programme is starting small, as a pilot in 2023. All Champions are volunteers. Help us to help you by reading the guidance below BEFORE contacting any Champions!

Currently, the Champions only offer support to educators and community members in the UK and Ireland. They will not be able to answer queries from other parts of the world.

Checklist: What to try before contacting a Champion

Please stop and read this guidance before going on. You may be able to answer your LEANS question right now, with our existing resources! We have extensive, free guidance on this website and in the LEANS resource pack itself. 

Champions contact checklist

Please don’t contact a Champion for advice/support unless you have already done the following:

  1. Downloaded the free LEANS resource pack, and reviewed the Teacher Handbook. The handbook is the most important source of LEANS information. Try Part 1 for an overview or refresher of what’s involved in the LEANS programme. Download it as part of the free resource pack.
  2. Checked our FAQs section to see if we’ve already answered your question.
  3. Read the LEANS terms of use, which explain what is and isn’t allowed when using and sharing the materials.
  4. Checked our ‘LEANS list’ which lists and links to the many other types of LEANS and neurodiversity-related information available through the website or as free downloadable documents.

Have a website or resource download problem?

Please contact the LEANS project e-mail (LEANS@ed.ac.uk), rather than Champions.

Info on our mailing list, training, research collaboration or media enquiries? Contact the LEANS team.

Still stuck after the checklist? How Champions can help

If you’ve tried the checklist of steps above and still need further guidance, you might ask a LEANS Champions for advice and support about…

  • Strategically talking to colleagues about adopting LEANS, or more generally about neurodiversity and education
  • The LEANS self-evaluation process (in Teacher handbook), if you’re deciding about adopting the programme
  • Understanding or applying the guidance in the Teacher Handbook
  • Safety and ethics issues around neurodiversity teaching
  • Challenges/questions that have come up as you are delivering LEANS
  • How different staff members can work together to adopt and deliver LEANS

These are ideas, not an exhaustive list!

If you can’t find an answer to your LEANS question and think a Champion might be able to advise you, please reach out.

Champions and other LEANS project team members are not able to advise educators or families about supporting individual children at school, or help with issues such as diagnoses or securing supports. This is outside of our remit. Thank you for your understanding.

 

Contacting a Champion

Please choose one Champion/Champions team to contact, based on your location (Scotland, England, Wales, ROI). In NI? See our note about support.

Some Champions have listed special areas of expertise. For example, rural schools or fee-paying schools. This may help you decide who to contact with your query.

All initial contact is by e-mail.

Individuals or teams have indicated whether or not you can request to schedule a call with them. Some Champions are also open to event and speaking invitations related to LEANS and neurodiversity teaching (see individual listings).

Please do…

  • Start with the checklist above before-mailing anyone, to see if LEANS has already answered your question elsewhere! 
  • Mail only one Champion or Champions Team at a time, not the whole list.
  • Include “LEANS Champions” in your subject line, to help them find your query.
  • State your location and question up-front, to help them judge if they can help.

Remember that Champions’ availability will vary, around their main roles. If you have a time-sensitive query, contacting a Champion may not be realistic; we would encourage you to please ask local colleagues.

A Champion may sometimes pass your query to another Champion or directly to the LEANS research team. Or, they may let you know it’s outside our remit.

Reminder: the Champions programme only offers support to educators and community members in the UK and Ireland. They will not be able to answer queries from other parts of the world.

Dawn Thomson (Moray)

Dawn also accepts questions from Northern Ireland

Professional background: Head teacher, class teacher

Contact e-mail: dawnthomsonleansc[at]gmail.com

  • Can request a phone/video call
  • Can contact about participating in virtual talks or events

Special areas of expertise: Small/rural schools; Rural communities; Co-teaching LEANS; Mentoring/supporting class teachers to deliver LEANS

Jennifer Haston (Falkirk)

Jennifer also accepts questions from Northern Ireland

Professional background: Outreach Teacher with the Inclusion and Wellbeing Service in Falkirk. Previous experience as a Class Teacher and Support for Learning Teacher in a mainstream Primary School

Contact e-mail: jenhastonleansc[at]gmail.com

  • Can request a phone/video call
  • Can contact about participating in virtual talks or events.  

Special areas of expertise: Delivery of LEANS within mainstream Primary Schools; Delivery as part of a co-teaching team

Jo Bowles (Fife)

Jo also accepts questions from Northern Ireland

Professional background: Class teacher, primary school 

Contact e-mail: jo.sews[at]yahoo.com

  • Can request a phone/video call

Special areas of expertise: Rural schools; Has delivered LEANS programme.

Heather Smith (South Scotland)

Professional background: Local authority officer, seconded from role as Inclusion teacher (primary)

Contact e-mail: Heather.Smith[at]dumgal.gov.uk

  • Can request a phone/video call
  • Can contact about participating in virtual talks or events  
  • Can contact about in-person talks and events

Special areas of expertise: Inclusion

Susan White (South Scotland)

Susan also accepts questions from Northern Ireland

Professional background: Additional support for learning teacher

Contact e-mail: gw10whitesusan3[at]ea.dumgal.sch.uk

  • Can request a phone/video call
  • Can contact about participating in virtual talks or events  
  • Can contact about in-person talks and events, but only if these would be scheduled outwith school hours or on inset days

Special areas of expertise: Working across multiple school settings; Large schools; Small rural schools; Composite classes

Dr Alun Flynn (Powys)

Alun also accepts questions from Northern Ireland

Professional background: Principal Educational Psychologist, hcpc practitioner psychologist

Contact e-mail: alun.flynn[at]powys.gov.uk

  • Can request a phone/video call
  • Can contact about participating in virtual talks or events.  
  • Can contact about in-person talks and events

Becky Morgan (Powys)

Professional background: Area educational psychologist

Contact e-mail: Becky.morgan1[at]powys.gov.uk

  • Can request a phone/video call
  • Can contact about participating in virtual talks or events.  
  • Can contact about in-person talks and events

Special areas of expertise: Rural communities

Northern England

Karen Hutchinson (North East)

Karen also accepts questions from Northern Ireland

Professional background: HLTA autism specialist in the High Incidence Needs Team as part of the SEN Inclusion Team in Gateshead.

Contact e-mail: karenhutchinsonleanschampion23[at]yahoo.com

Special areas of expertise: Key Stage 2,3,4 [England]

Kathryn (North East)

Kathryn also accepts questions from Northern Ireland

Professional background: HLTA with an Autism Specialism working within the High Incidence Needs Team (HINT). Part of the SEN Inclusion Team in Gateshead.

Contact e-mail: kathrynleanschampion[at]yahoo.com

  • Can request a phone/video call

Special areas of expertise: Neurodiversity; Autism; ADHD. Key Stage 2, 3, 4 [England]

Midlands and Southern England

Amy Such (Midlands and South East)

Amy also accepts questions from Northern Ireland

Professional background: Educational Psychologist

Contact e-mail: amysuch[at]learningandwellbeing.org

  • Can request a phone/video call
  • Can contact about participating in virtual talks or events
  • Can contact about in-person talks and events

Special areas of expertise: Academies; Independent schools; Mentoring/coaching; Systemic thinking; Theory & implementation

Heba Al-Jayoosi (London)

Heba also accepts questions from Northern Ireland

Professional background: Assistant Headteacher, Inclusion & Research Lead (Primary School), Deputy regional lead (Whole School SEND, NASEN)

Contact e-mail: heba[at]mayflower.towerhamlets.sch.uk

  • Can request a phone/video call
  • Can contact about participating in virtual talks or events
  • Can contact about in-person talks and events. Heba is only able to schedule these with significant advance notice. Please do not send short-notice requests. Thank you.

Special areas of expertise: Mainstream inner city schools

Jacqueline Wardlaw-Quirke (Central London)

Jacqueline also accepts questions from Northern Ireland

Professional background: Currently a specialist Dyslexia Learning Support Teacher and School Access Arrangements Assessor. Qualified as a SENDCo, classroom teacher, and Speech Therapist.

Contact e-mail: Jacquelinewardlaw[at]yahoo.co.uk

Please address e-mails to ‘Jackie’ or ‘Jacqueline’. Thank you!

  • Can request a phone/video call

Special areas of expertise: Independent/fee-paying schools; Faith schools; Special schools; Working in communities with high levels of deprivation; Mentoring/supporting class teachers to deliver LEANS

Rachel Warry (Newham, London)

Rachel also accepts questions from Northern Ireland

Professional background: Autism specialist teacher. Class teacher (mainstream schools and SEN school). Has experience across age groups from the early years through year 7 (England).

Contact e-mail: Rachel.warry[at]newham.gov.uk

  • Can request a phone/video call
  • Can contact about participating in virtual talks or events
  • Can contact about in-person talks and events

Havering Champions Team [2 members]

This team offers support to people living/working in East London and Essex only. Thank you.

Team contact e-mail: CAD.LEANSC[at]havering.gov.uk

  • Can contact about participating in virtual talks or events.  

Team areas of expertise: Local authority multi-disciplinary SEND support team; Supporting SENCOs and school leaders with LEANS adoption and delivery; Mentoring and coaching.

About the Champions in this team

Team member 1: Marco Cheng

Professional background: Educational Psychologist involved in statutory assessment processes for children and young people. Previously Learning Support Assistant in mainstream primary school, and part of a Local Authority-based autism support outreach service. Currently part of a multi-disciplinary team supporting pupils with SEND (Havering Local Authority). Provide support across multiple schools (mainstream primary and secondary, special schools).

Team member 2: Laura Williams

Professional background: Qualified teacher (Primary Education); Mainstream class teacher; Advisory Teacher for speech, language and social communication needs. Currently part of multi-disciplinary team supporting pupils with SEND and providing training/advice on inclusive provision (working across primary schools in Havering Local Authority). Experience across a variety of diverse mainstream schools.

Unfortunately, we don’t yet have any Champions based in Northern Ireland.

Some Champions in other areas are able to accept queries from Northern Ireland—this is clearly marked at the top of their profile listings.

LEANS Champions Ireland Team [3 members]

This team also accepts educator questions from Northern Ireland

Team contact e-mail: leansireland[at]gmail.com

  • Can request a phone/video call
  • Can contact about participating in virtual talks or events
  • Can contact about in-person talks and events

Team expertise

  • Types of schools and pupil groups
    • Small/ rural schools and communities
    • Very large schools
    • Educate Together schools
    • Minority Faith schools
    • DEIS schools
    • Multi-grade classes
  • Teaching
    • Autism, Special Educational Needs
    • Co-teaching LEANS
    • Mentoring/supporting class teachers to deliver LEANS
    • Mentoring/coaching, in general
  • Lived experience: Sarah is an Autistic educator, mother of neurodivergent children
  • Leadership / School Improvement Planning / School Self-Evaluation
  • Proactive championing of LEANS including writing and presenting.

About the team members

Team member 1: Sarah Cormican Kelly

Location: Dublin

Professional background: Principal Teacher

Team member 2: Claire O’Neill

Location: Cork

Professional background: Currently a Deputy Principal and SENCO in a co-educational primary school. Previous experience as a post-primary and primary teacher and teacher educator.

Team member 3: Claire Droney

Location: Cork

Professional background: Special Education teacher (SET); autism advisor; teacher educator; author 'The Everyday Autism Handbook for Schools' (Jessica Kingsley Publications)

 

I’m interested in becoming a Champion

That’s great news! The LEANS team hopes to run more training for education professionals in 2023. We’d encourage you to please join our project mailing list, where we will announce any new opportunities in addition to general LEANS news and events.

 

I’m based outside the UK / Ireland, and am interested in being a Champion or starting a programme in my country

Right now, we don’t have an established pathway to set up formal Champions programmes in other countries (i.e. programmes affiliated with and directly supported by the LEANS project). If you are interested in commissioning an online Champions training course for a group of education professionals in your country, you are very welcome to contact us to discuss this.

Please keep in mind that any professionals and community members can get together to talk about LEANS, advise one another, or set up a social media space/group to talk about neurodiversity teaching. You don’t need training or permission from the LEANS team to do any of those things, and could start doing them right now!

Funding and support

The LEANS Champions programme  is part of the LEANS Community (LEANS-C) impact project, funded by the University of Edinburgh’s ESRC Impact Accelerator Grant scheme. This is a joint project with our charity partner the Salvesen Mindroom Centre.