Jade Berrow-Hill
Nominee Profile
Location: Worcestershire
In 2023, I decided to take action upon the ongoing broken education system that is failing thousands of children nationally. With the number of homeschooled children rising up to 180,000, and the thousands more struggling within school, I could not sit by and continue to watch this national crisis. Putting together my knowledge as a SEND parent; a late diagnosed neurodivergent woman; an ex SEND teacher; and a disabilities & inclusion advocate, my unique position enables me to provide expertise from all perspectives.
In my very little spare time (being a busy SEND mum battling the broken system myself) I began creating an education initiative titled, ‘I WANT TO LEARN, TOO….PLEASE INCLUDE ME.’ This is a toolkit for educators, parents & carers to better understand what reasonable adjustments and inclusive practice should look like. It supports the up-to-date education needed for anybody working with children and young people to understand neurodivergence. It covers a wealth of information to benefit all settings. It shares tips demonstrating: All behaviour as communication; The purpose and benefits of sensory equipment; Our 8 senses; Accessible classrooms; Adapted teaching resources; Sensory friendly uniform; Communication aids; Understanding barriers to learning. I gathered research for 12 months from educators and the SEND community to ensure their voice was an integral part to the resource.
Starting a GoFundMe enabled me to raise funds to print a portion of books to donate to local schools. The next step is to roll this out as a training programme and support further.
Reflecting on my own school experience being failed and forced out of the education system by the age of 13 with nowhere appropriate for me to go, resulted in me being isolated and forced to largely educate myself. The unnecessary trauma I suffered could have been avoided with appropriate education and inclusive practices. I’m on a mission to ensure no other child is forced out of their basic human right to education.
In my very little spare time (being a busy SEND mum battling the broken system myself) I began creating an education initiative titled, ‘I WANT TO LEARN, TOO….PLEASE INCLUDE ME.’ This is a toolkit for educators, parents & carers to better understand what reasonable adjustments and inclusive practice should look like. It supports the up-to-date education needed for anybody working with children and young people to understand neurodivergence. It covers a wealth of information to benefit all settings. It shares tips demonstrating: All behaviour as communication; The purpose and benefits of sensory equipment; Our 8 senses; Accessible classrooms; Adapted teaching resources; Sensory friendly uniform; Communication aids; Understanding barriers to learning. I gathered research for 12 months from educators and the SEND community to ensure their voice was an integral part to the resource.
Starting a GoFundMe enabled me to raise funds to print a portion of books to donate to local schools. The next step is to roll this out as a training programme and support further.
Reflecting on my own school experience being failed and forced out of the education system by the age of 13 with nowhere appropriate for me to go, resulted in me being isolated and forced to largely educate myself. The unnecessary trauma I suffered could have been avoided with appropriate education and inclusive practices. I’m on a mission to ensure no other child is forced out of their basic human right to education.