Hi, my name is Sarah Tyler and I am a passionate special needs advocate.

Early in my career within education and care, I discovered that children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities are fun and rewarding to work with as no two days are the same and they keep you on your toes. 

I started in nurseries with children from 0-5 years and as a 1:1 support for those children who had additional needs. This is where my passion for the special needs sector started and I dove into learning as much as I could to better support these children. From here I worked all over Medway and Kent supporting afterschool clubs, again specialising in working with complex young people. 

For my next role, I joined the National Autistic Society as a Residential Support Worker. Here I supported children with autism and other disabilities to grow their independence by providing a range of activities both within the home environment and the community. This is where I began to appreciate the struggles of the parents and guardians who support children and young people with special needs and disabilities. The difficulties that both the parent and child go through on a daily basis, with seemingly ordinary tasks, taught me the importance of understanding each child's needs right from the start, as changing their behaviours or rituals is not an easy task.

From here I headed into the school environment at a SEMH school. I was tasked with setting up a department for children and young people who have EHC plans with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs to engage in education after several failed placements at normal and special schools. This position required me to support complex young people as more of a youth worker and tutor rather than a traditional teacher. It allowed me to improve my skills in communication with children and young people using a variety of methods tailored to each of them. It also exposed me to the struggles of young people who were at risk of exploitation and beginning to engage in criminal behaviour. As head of department, I engaged with the professionals around each child and gained an appreciation of the difficulties they face in trying to keep these young people safe. My work in this setting also allowed me to understand the impact of trauma on these young people and how not addressing it in a healthy and constructive way was negatively impacting their development and future prospects. 

Currently I am supporting apprenticeships for the children and young's people's workforce. I teach residential childcare, early years educator and practitioner, and I cover Maths and English functional skills and digital skills development. My aim is to equip the new workforce working with these children and young people with the same tools I have developed in my career so they can be being trauma informed, understand current safeguarding risks, and ensure that the children and young people they work with and are around have the very best support they can have.  

I also work in partnership with Mrs. Farley's Tuition, where I tutor a number of children and young people in core subjects, and support their parents and guardians in seeking appropriate support for their child from schools and authorities.  

Qualifications