At our site or in your school: provision built around the learner

A turning point came during the pandemic, when as a clinically extremely vulnerable teacher he was redeployed to coordinate home learning, working directly with children and families who needed highly individual support to access their education. That experience changed how he thinks about what good practice actually means.

It reinforced something Tom had come to believe: that validation, accessibility and genuine inclusion aren't add-ons. They're where good teaching starts. Post-Covid, Tom moved out of mainstream and into alternative provision, where he met Aaron. Shared conversations about what "outcomes" really mean for learners, who are often treated as interchangeable by diagnosis or label but are fundamentally unique, made joining Elevate-Ed feel like the obvious next step.

• Art & Design Technology
• Nature & the natural environment
• Skills-based learning
• DIY & basic mechanics
• Building trust & relationships

"All of life is education and everybody is a teacher and everybody is forever a pupil."

Following an MA in Social Work, he built extensive experience across statutory and independent settings supporting people with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs, including children and young people in care. He later led therapeutic work directly with children who had been excluded from school, focused on rebuilding their engagement with education, before joining Elevate-Ed.

What sets Adam apart is a genuine passion for personal development, his own as much as the learners'. He believes each person has the capacity to surprise themselves when the conditions are right, and brings a calm, consistent presence that gives learners the space to settle, build trust and take things at their own pace.

• Autism-informed practice
• Learning difficulties & disabilities
• Children & young people in care
• Strengths-based planning
• Person-centred support

Over the years I've taught across all primary year groups, supported learners in secondary and sixth form as a Learning Support Assistant and Exams Invigilator, and worked as a vocational tutor and assessor. Through all of that, I've come to realise that the work I'm most drawn to is supporting children and young people who haven't necessarily had positive experiences of education.

I've seen how overwhelming school can be when the environment doesn't fit a learner's needs. That's what led me toward alternative provision: the chance to slow things down, build trust, and help a young person reconnect with learning in a way that feels safe, manageable and meaningful.

I'm a STEM person at heart, I have a First-Class degree in Materials Engineering and still love maths and science. In practice, that shows up as lots of hands-on activities, real-world examples, problem-solving tasks and breaking things down into small, achievable steps. I enjoy making learning feel practical and accessible, especially for learners who've lost confidence or feel intimidated by more formal approaches.

Supporting neurodivergent learners is something I especially care about, both professionally and personally. As a parent of a young adult with ADHD, ASD and OCD, I understand the challenges neurodivergent learners face, such as masking, overwhelm, burnout and executive-function difficulties, in a very real way. That lived experience shapes how I work: calm, patient, predictable, and always focused on helping a young person feel safe enough to take risks and try again.

What matters most to me is that learners feel seen, heard and believed in. I want them to feel that our sessions are a place where they can breathe, be themselves, and make progress at a pace that feels manageable. My hope is that they leave each session feeling a little more confident, a little more capable, and a little more hopeful about what comes next.

"Progress, not perfection."

• Primary & secondary teaching
• SEND & additional needs
• Curriculum design & assessment
• Vocational learning & accreditation
• Calm, consistent support