The neuroscience of learning, the biology of stress.
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​Reconnecting schools to recovery and resilience. Sharon is supporting a number of individual schools, MAT's and Local Authorities to enable the best outcomes for all involved in educational settings during these challenging times.

Projects include;
​Rising Strong.
https://www.evidenceforlearning.net/learningshared/recoverycurriculum7-sharon-gray/ 
 YouTube link: 
https://youtu.be/weXOK8G9AwM

There are no shortcuts on the road to recover - Article in Schools week
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/there-are-no-shortcuts-on-the-road-to-recovery/?fbclid=IwAR2Fv4tVhvVSgd-J658UBOf4_1aZFMkZ7NVnfHhSdOGVEpMuYfE6gBV_m1g

I worked closely with Sharon Gray when she was the Headteacher of a special school in SE London supporting children and young adults experiencing significant social, emotional and mental health difficulties, as a lead art psychotherapist.
Sharon was incredibly inspiring to work, her ethical leadership was clear. I personally learnt so much from her, she believed in me and supported with compassion, kindness and candour. She has a unique spirit of real commitment and care for the emotional and physical wellbeing of children, parents/carers and staff. 
I won’t forget the extraordinary sensitivity Sharon had for a mother and son, when we went on a home visit shortly after another sibling had died. I won’t forget how we worked together and she supported me, as a child I was working with, tried to take his own life in a therapy session. I won’t forget our joint visit to a child in a secure psychiatric unit, and watching how she spoke and supported the child who had been put in the unit’s padded room, highly distressed. Sharon sat by bedside and slowly she crept into her arms, stopped self harming and sobbed, Sharon quietly calming, soothing and comforting her. I won’t forget the years where I brought many concerns about children following their disclosures in art therapy, of sexual abuse, severe neglect, witnessing extreme violence. On every single occasion, she listened, witnessed, took action and tirelessly pursued other agencies to help support children and their families. 
I have worked for many different children’s organisations in the UK, in war zones and in post-conflict countries. I have not come across anybody that deserves recognition for their extraordinary work as much as Sharon Gray. Thank you Sharon, you have made and continue to make the most incredible difference.
 Caroline Christie - Art psychotherapist
Please find the link to the recording of last week's event with Richard Gerver,  Prof Barry Carpenter and myself with The Embark Federation;
Rising Strong, supporting school communities to reconnect wider towards recovery and resilience.
 https://youtu.be/-v4wRGNbjEc

Professor Barry Carpenter  
Matt Crawford - CEO of The highly successful Embark Federation and Sarah Armitage - Chair of Trustees - Embark Federation    
                
I am sure you will be aware of Barrys work. He was recently appointed to the UK’s first Professorship in Mental Health in Education, at Oxford Brookes University. He is Honorary Professor at universities in the Ireland, Germany and Australia. He has been a Fellow of the University of Oxford. He has been awarded an OBE and CBE by the Queen for services to children with Special Needs. In 2017 he was entered into “Who’s Who” in acknowledgement of his national and international contribution to the field of Special Education. He is also an incredibly kind, caring inspirational man with a huge range of experience and expertise, who very much like us, wants to make a positive contribution to supporting our children.

The work has focussed on - Reconnecting schools to recovery and resilience. Pre-empting and preventing further damage on the emotional and mental health of our children. Supporting getting children back into school, in a way that is safe and positively productive. Supporting children, staff teams, families and the wider communities they serve.

At the moment, much of the DfE guidance has been understandable about safety and risk - very little focusses on children and their needs, particularly the social, emotional and mental health needs that will have been impacted on by the pandemic - how we can be and what we can tangibly do to support transition.

Many of our children, particularly those most vulnerable due to risk and or need, also those who are most disadvantaged are highly likely to have experienced increased trauma, chaos, lack of structure, routine, been victims of abuse, violence, experienced financial difficulties, been carers….the list goes on, and certainly experienced bereavement and loss during this time. 

Whilst preparing our schools to be physically safe for all stakeholders is important, I believe that  preparing our staff  teams is also key, supporting our adults to be steady, calm and equipped with the skills and resources to meet needs, whilst being emotionally available and present will make all the difference. If schools don’t get this right, we will be playing catch up for many years to come. The impact of this for our children, for us could be significant.

Our other guest was Matt Crawford - the Leader of a multi academy trust working with over 14 schools involved; including Nursery, Infant, Junior, Primary, Secondary and two special schools and Sarah Armitage - Chair of Trustees.

I have been supporting Matt Crawford and his team in the strategic leadership their own reconnection to recovery and resilience approach across the Trust - ‘Rising Strong', a truly phenomenal experience of optimism and hope, a real honour, pleasure and privilege.Seeking to identify the positives from this experience, not just survive through it and thread this through the new normal for this Trust - a curriculum that is as rich in hope and humanity as it is in knowledge.

We shared practical examples and resources, a whole library of resources that have been creatively planned for staff to support transition with early years through to KS3 and 4 children - this will support almost 5,000 children across this MAT. 

We will also talked through the detailed risk assessments carried out with all stakeholders to ascertain what the lived experience is/was, the issues, the concerns, identifying what we may anticipate needs might well be and use this analysis to then inform planning.
​Sharon Gray NLE OBE
____________________________

​"We cannot begin to thank Sharon enough for her incredible support during our leadership collaboration/strategic development day. Not only did she tailor the support to meet the needs of all our schools (6 in total) she also empowered all of us and our staff to reflect on our current procedures and review effectiveness. We left the day feeling very positive and now have a deep and thorough joint understanding of our next steps to ensure emotional health and wellbeing is at the core of all we do -  thank you so much- total star!"
Helen Roberts, Headteacher, Seven Oaks, Kent

"Sharon has been an invaluable source of support since I moved into the role as Principal.
Through school improvement visits, Sharon has guided the leadership team and provided the school with challenge relevant to our journey.​

Sharon’s knowledge and experience is exceptional. She quickly understood our challenges, our structures and our goals. She is a strong source of ideas, strategies and solutions. 
Her energy and drive is infectious … a continuous drive for improvement is at her core, yet a supportive and mutually agreed pathway (course of action) is always the way forward. 
Recently the school achieved an Ofsted judgement of Outstanding across all areas; this is the first time in the school’s history.  Sharon has been influential in this achievement- a great source of energy and drive, providing reports and support that exude aspiration and inspiration. Sharon is always available, ready to support during inspections, dispel any myths and provide solutions to dilemmas.

All of this makes her an exceptional School Improvement Partner."
Sue Ackroyd, Principal, William Henry Smith School, Brighouse

“Sharon champions the rights of those whose voice in education is so often not heard – the Vulnerable Child, she does it by example with  passion and energy!  She was a key note at the East Sussex Virtual School Conference and left us with an inspirational development plan that was created by all the delegates (PATH), she opened up dialogue and helped key adults (Teachers and Social Workers) think about different ways of working with and engaging the Young People as well as changing attitudes to inclusion.
Sharon has continued to support, advise and share ideas with us, and for that ongoing involvement we are truly grateful.”
Anna Brookes, Head of East Sussex Virtual School for Children in Care, East Sussex 

"Sharon has brought a level of professional challenge and guidance that has been instrumental in improving standards across our all-through ASD Specialist Academy. Staff welcome her empathetic yet forensic approach to all aspects of outcomes; pupil progress, attainment, curriculum and enrichment innovation.

Sharon advocates for the rights of the most vulnerable. Her expertise and insight also ensures that staff are supported to think creatively to ensure our students continue to be inspired to learn and supported to succeed, whilst developing independence and confidence."
Trystan Williams, Principal, Venturers' Academy, Bristol
​
“My staff were really inspired by the Sharon's talk and came out buzzing about what they could do differently. It is a long time since I have witnessed such overwhelming positivity from CPD.'
Kathy Taylor, Headteacher, Seven Oaks, Kent

‘Excellent selection of speakers- Sharon Gray is an expert in her field’
‘Sharon Gray was inspiring and imaginative’
‘Fantastic ideas from Sharon and lots to consider’
‘Sharon Gray is an inspiration, can't wait to get back to school to share everything with staff!’
‘Sharon Gray OBE- human dynamo and amazingly experienced person. Great speaker, Inspirational, thank you’
‘Sharon Gray was phenomenal and her approach and knowledge, truly inspiring!’
‘Great speakers especially Sharon. Real passion, Real experience’
‘Sharon Gray’s presentations were excellent. Really clearly imparted the key elements of brain development and the impact of trauma which have to be attuned to in order to learn. Use of puppets and building blocks really valuable visual tool!’
 Feedback from delegates at the Brighton and Hove Children in Care Annual Conference, Keynote Speaker and Workshop leader

​I very much enjoyed speaking at;
The inaugural engage in their future /Te Ara conference in Wellington, New Zealand 2018.
This was a very exciting opportunity not just to represent eitf on the global stage, but also to potentially help shape the future of SEMH (social, emotional and mental health) education in
​New Zealand 

"We were recently privileged to have Sharon Gray speak at The Activity Centres’ National Conference in Wellington New Zealand. Her seminar was more popular than any of the others and attendees commented both on the quality of the presentation and also the content – she has that rare combination of passion and knowledge.
Subsequently Sharon met with and provided expert advice to the New Zealand Associate Education Minister and also attended a meeting of high ranking government officals from a number of agencies (Education, Social Development, Child Youth and Family). Her input and knowledge was very well received and helped give direction to some of the review work that is currently taking place in New Zealand around the continuum of provision for at risk young people." 
Jonathan Cobb - Activity Centres’ National Committee, New Zealand

"Sharon was a real inspiration for our trainee teachers giving them lots of ideas about how inclusion really could work in practice.  Her experiences show how inclusion really is possible with some imagination, inspiration but most of all through building positive relationships with others especially children." 
Dr Jacqui Shepherd, Lecturer in Education
Course Convenor - BA Childhood and Youth
University of Sussex, Brighton

"I'm not sure how the magic happens, but as soon as we begin - we learn, we feel, we construct. The facilitation is amazing, enabling rich discussion and deep learning. One word to sum up - enlightening, thank you"
​"Powerful, emotional and insightful - reminded me to be mindful of how we work with colleagues and parents/carers to ensure the environment around the child supports positive change. Its not helpful to focus the problem on the child - lets look to work with the environment" 
​"Blown away, as always, by the sincere compassion Sharon shows"
Delegates on the Thrive Practitioners Course 

"Being the SLT of a special school for children experiencing severe social, emotional mental health difficulties (SEMH) we searched long and hard for school improvement adviser who had the experience across mainstream and special schools, in particular, provision for children and young people experiencing SEMH. We needed someone who could not only help us develop our provision in a holistic and systemic way but also, who could ensure we achieved high aspirations for our children by providing an education comparable to that of their mainstream peers.

Sharon perfectly ‘fit the bill’ and we haven’t looked back!
​
Sharon has a very effective working style which is supportive and knowledgeable but also honest. She eases us into honestly reviewing our practice in a way that opens up areas for discussion and ensures that outcomes can be identified and defined with clear success criteria.

Although we are exhausted following a visit from Sharon (as she has boundless energy) we have, each time, made demonstrable progress and agreed clearly defined set of actions to complete before she returns. Just the magic ingredient we needed to help us move on in our journey."
Headteacher, SEMH Special School

"Thank you so much for the delivery of a fantastic keynote at our Inclusion Conference, we were so pleased to have you there.
It was very well received with many people reporting to me afterwards that they found you inspiring and were motivated to go back and make some key changes in their schools."
Penny Nice, SEN Practice and Standards Manager, Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Services (ISEND) East Sussex 

"Sharon makes a difference wherever she works. I am delighted to be able to utilise her unique skill set with our partner academies."
  • Chris Moodie, CEO at Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham Multi-Academy Trust 
 
  • "Sharon is one of the most authentic, innovative and passionate educational leaders I have ever worked with. ​She is transformative"
  • Richard Gerver, World Renowned​ ​Speaker & Author 
"One of the most inspirational women I have ever met.
Thank you"
Tweeted by a conference delegate after a key note presentation at the Nurture Group Network Summer School
​
I thoroughly enjoyed;
giving a lecture for future teachers at Beijing University around personalising learning and authentic inclusion, modelling a lesson for 80 education leaders and Headteachers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Finland, Germany, USA and then delivering my Key Note at the;
15th Famous Teachers and Presidents Forum & Educational Forum in Hangzou, China, 4th and 5th November 2017. It was a real opportunity to support the development of personalised learning and authentic inclusion.

"My students and I really appreciated your outstanding lectures which I can feel the passion, the vision, and the call for teaching of an excellent teacher. The most impressive thing that I learnt from Sharon is passion in education. Loving students encourage us to be the very best teacher possible, the most important job of the world; loving students is the origin of the calling. Education and learning is not just about cognition and brain, but also about emotion and heart. Teachers do not just build the brain, they also build the heart."
 SONG Huan, Associate Professor 
Vice Director of Institute of Teacher Education 
Institute of Teacher Education, Beijing University

Thank you Sharon, your words encourage me to be the brave teacher I want to be, just like you, a passionate and student-centered teacher who really cares about and helps students to find their potential; what’s more, to never give up on these students who are vulnerable, sensitive and unconfident. The wholehearted approach, it is not easy to put into practice. With your inspiration, I am confident to carry it into my teaching practice, even though there are some challenges. Thank you again, Sharon, best wishes to you!  You are the most inspirational woman I have ever met.
Thank you  
Zhu Hongrong trainee teacher, Beijing University
 "I was so honored to listen to your lecture today at Beijing University, it made a deep impression on me. I felt your great passion of being a headteacher and your love of this devoted profession. Also, your patient and special teaching methods broadened my eyesight. In fact, now, we do not have enough possibility and chances to know more about foreign language teaching style which is different from our China’s traditional methods and also deserved our deeper attention.
 I was touched by your acceptance to all kinds of students, especially those vulnerable students. Meanwhile, I was deeply interested in your school’s interesting activities and your endeavor to excite and engage all of your students and their parents in life long learning
 I will make efforts in my teaching profession with the passion and love that I saw in you.Thank you for having us and giving us a great lecture. I am looking forward to your return"
YiyunZheng trainee teacher, Beijing University
Key note - Authentic Inclusion - engage in their future, National Conference representing leaders and schools/educational provisions for children experiencing social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH).
Chatting to Lemn Sessay about his experiences through the care system.
26 years experience of enhancing learning, enhancing leadership.
                                    Sharon Gray NLE OBE - A Wholehearted Approach.
 I work hand in hand with schools and communities to enable teachers, leaders, carers, parents, schools, academies, and local authorities to cre​ate learning environments in which children and young people can authentically flourish. My personal journey, experience, research and practice shows that great education gives particular focus to three key elements: emotional well-being, creativity and learning. Working in this way we touch not just the children, but the whole community, ‘there is tangible evidence that through its systemic approach with and through parents and the community that the community itself is being transformed in a positive way’ (UK government IQ report).

I aim not to just meet your needs and expectations but to surpass them.I hope my website provides the information you require. Please do not hesitate to contact me for further information about any aspect of my work.
My philosophy is one of authentic inclusion. I aim to support you and your community to enable best outcomes for all involved. I work in a creative, dynamic, solution focussed way with individuals and teams to empower every member to see themselves as a responsible, accountable and vital part of securing success and achievement.  I work systemically to enable everyone to be a successful leader and a lifelong learner. I feel privileged to take on roles within educational leadership and support.
 
For an example of this approach please see : Young Minds - Teachers TV videos - Child Centred PATH's http://bcove.me/ymvm6b4n and The Systemic Approach SEMH http://bcove.me/cl3c6hqf


Examples of current projects/work: 

  • I am honoured to be a member of the Youth Justice Board with the strategies lead for education in custody and the development of our first secure school. Our vision;
    That every child lives a safe and crime-free life, making a positive contribution to society. Creating a 21st century system where root causes of offending are tackled, restorative approaches taken, needs of individuals are effectively met with care, improved education, health and welfare to achieve effective positive change - Ministry of Justice.
  • A member of the advisory board - Team Teach
  • Effective Use of Teaching Assistants and SEND Reviewer (EEF/ MITA Project) - London Leadership Strategy
  • Pupil Premium Reviewer.
  • SEND review/audit in mainstream secondary (Birmingham) and primary schools (London, Midlands, Manchester, Rochester) with follow up whole school improvement support, guidance and training.
  • Developing the SEMH support across a local authority, facilitating the strategic vision, action plan, guidance, mapping out resources, finance. Developing modular whole school training around social, emotional, mental health provision and systems to measure impact and outcomes. Creating an audit for senior staff to support accurate self evaluation and prioritisation for improvement.​
  • PATH visioning events enabling whole school communities to join together to articulate the school vision and translate it into a school improvement plan owned by all with clarity around roles, responsibilities and accountabilities.
  • Medway Improvement Board - One of a selected team of 4 professionals, carrying out an independent review for The Ministry of Justice.
  • Quality provision audits in alternative provision and pupil referral units.
  • School improvement partner for special school primary - SEMH
  • School improvement partner for residential special school secondary - SEMH
  • School Academy Advisor - Autism Special schools
  • School improvement partner for 4 mainstream primary schools.
  • Incluson Link Adviser - 14 Primary Schools, 2 Secondary Schools and 1 special school - London Borough.
  • ​Headteacher mentor/coach - in special and mainstream schools
  • Preparation for Ofsted support
  • Key note speaker for; The New Technologies International Conference, Belgrade. NAHT, Focus Education, CAPITA, OSIRIS, EMTSA, Nurture Group Network, engage in their future, various local authority behaviour conferences, Cambridgeshire SENCo conference, Ealing Headteachers leadership conference.
  • Consultancy support for two dual registered children homes/educational providers.
  • Oxford University Press, developing and presenting 'Leadership Pathways' support materials. 
  • Engagement and mood management training in schools (Behaviour management)
  • Thrive Licensed Trainer​

Previous Experiences
  • I have been a Headteacher for 21 years, most recently, Headteacher of a larger than average mainstream primary school in an area of significant deprivation. The school had 2 Nurture Units, a provision for vulnerable two year olds and an Enhanced Provision for those most vulnerable children experiencing severe social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH) who had been permanently excluded from other schools - Primary, Secondary and PRU's - Judged as 'Outstanding' by Ofsted under my leadership.
  • ​Previous to this I was the Headteacher of a special school supporting children and young adults experiencing severe SEMH difficulties in South East London, Bermondsey. The school was Judged as 'Outstanding' by Ofsted under my leadership. I was then the Advisory Headteacher in an all age residential special school supporting children and young adults experiencing SEMH. This was in Cambridgeshire, the school was also judged as 'Outstanding' by Ofsted during my guidance and support.
  • I was an additional Ofsted Inspector for 9 years, this enabled me to learn from every school that I visited.
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Achievements 

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  • ​Appointed as one of the 22 National 'Maximising the Impact of TAs' London Leadership Strategy Reviewer's - DfE, EEF MITA research project - May 2017.
  • ​Thrive Licensed Trainer​ - Leading courses in Suffolk, Nottingham, Ipswich, London and Norfolk.
  • OBE Awarded - Queen's Birthday Honours list 2015
  • NLE - National Leader in Education - 2015
  • Reading Recovery School of the Year Award – June 2015 
  • Institute of Education Nurture Network Quality Award Gold – March 2015 
  • Majorie Boxall Award for Excellence Teaching School Alliance - October 2014 
  • NCTL National Leader of Education – October 2014 NCTL Executive Headteacher (October 2013 – August 2014) Robin Hood Nursery and Primary School, Mansfield Woodhouse  
  • Pride of Britain Award Winner – Teacher of the Year - 2013 

Examples of my work

  • Ofsted judgments whilst Headteacher of larger than average mainstream primary school that had been judged as inadequte before I arrived. I joined in September 2009.
2010 - Good 
2013 – Outstanding​
  • June - 2015 - HMI visit results in school being used as an exemplar in a 'Good practice guide' and a variety of videos made to share best practice in; rigorous monitoring of teaching and learning, parental engagement, provision and outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, self evaluation and whole school visioning (See Ofsted website)
  • I am a co-opted member of 'engage in their future', formerly NAES, and sit on the national committee that represents SEHM schools. This committee supports the development of guidance and policy with the DfE for the most vulnerable learners who have been excluded from school or who are at risk of being excluded. 
  • I have worked as an additional inspector with an inspection service provider working on behalf of Ofsted for 9 years. This enables me to have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the inspection process and gain new ideas and insights from different schools.
  • I work with the London Leadership Strategy as an SEND reviewer and one of the 22 National 'Effective use of TAs' project leads.

How I can help

  • I aim to demonstrate my philosophy in everything I do by involving everyone. I ensure every person in the organisation is clear about their role, responsibilities and accountabilities and has the highest expectations. I believe that teams working together create the necessary climate of challenge and support to bring about continuous improvement and success. 

  • The key to ensuring value, respect and success for all is woven throughout effective leadership. I believe in establishing systems for rigorous monitoring and detailed, informative feedback to all members of the organization. I use my philosophy of firm love to model my own very high expectations. My approach is one of infectious enthusiasm, igniting energy and passion to enable the very best outcomes for all involved through for example:
  • School Improvement Support.
  • Pupil Premium, SEND, Effective use of teaching assistants reviews.
  • Whole school audits/reviews.
  • Whole school training - Preparing for Ofsted, Mental health and well being, Behaviour management, Teaching and learning, Curriculum development, Assessment, SMSC, Parental Engagement, Mood management and engagement.
  • ​Senior leaders coaching and mentoring.
  • Governor training.
  • Team Teach training from September 2017
  • Thrive training from September 2017