Pride of Britain Award Winner
|
I am an Educational Consultant who puts emotional health and wellbeing at the heart of everything i do. I support individual schools, clusters of schools, Local Authorities and communities to ensure best outcomes.
Most recent experiences include; Keynote presentations with NAHT, Focus Education, CAPITA, British Council, various TSA and clusters of schools and overseas - Poland, Serbia and most recently Beijing and Shanghai. School improvement support in special schools (SEMH and ASD) and mainstream schools. Various consultancy support in and with a range of Local Authorities including; Cambridgeshire, East sussex, Birmingham, London Borough Barking and Dagenham, Ealing, Manchester, Durham, Sutton, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Surrey, Oldham. |
My experience
An active member of the SEND London Leadership Strategy team and work directly with them through the DfE to secure positive outcomes for children and young people experiencing SEND.
SEND Reviewer and MITA Reviewer for the London Leadership Strategy - Effective use of teaching Assistants. The Advisory Head for a Primary Free School in Liverpool, supporting the LIPA team through the bid writing process, interview, and appointment of Head teacher and staff team. Working alongside the substantive Head to then ensure the school was ready for opening, developing the curriculum, performance review, quality first teaching and learning, developing systems of rigorous monitoring. I am currently 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 am also co-developing the UK Hub for the ecl foundation.The el foundation is an international charity, registered in the UK, whose work and purpose is enhancing children's lives. We help adults to create environments that enrich the emotional well-being, creativity and learning of children and young people. Our focus is to release a child's innate desire to learn and for them to discover joy in their learning. We have national hubs in the UK, Namibia and South Africa and representatives in Holland, America and Asis. All delivering transformational new working practices to adults working with vulnerable children and their families, who face multiple challenges, including, mental hath difficulties, inequality, poverty, violence and addiction. I worked as an Ofsted inspector for 9 years and successfully completed the assessments and training under the new framework for inspection. This enabled me to have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the inspection process and gain new ideas and insights from different schools. |
Achievements and history |
I have been a headteacher for 22 years. I am the former Headteacher of a larger than average mainstream school in an area of significant deprivation. The school has 498 pupils, a pre- school provision for vulnerable 2 year olds, two nurture units and an enhanced provision. Local schools and the Local Authority placed pupils at risk of or who had been excluded from their previous schools.
I joined this school in September 2009. At this time the school was in special measures. In July 2013, the school was judged by Ofsted to be outstanding in all areas. My previous experience includes 12 years leading special schools including residential units for children and young people experiencing severe social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEMH). Under my leadership I have enabled and supported sustainable change. The Cedars Primary School, Beormund and Harbour were all facing considerable difficulties when I joined them. They have all now been judged by Ofsted to be outstanding. "Sharon Gray, as an experienced, skilful and charismatic leader occupies her place as the ‘head’ of this system boldly but with grace. She has a clear vision of where the schools she has led and supports, and their community need to be and striking ideas about how to get there. At the same time she fosters the confidence and leadership qualities of those around her. She attracts loyalty and commitment. There were some who found it hard to step up to her vision and energetic demands – she faced them with this and sensitively supported them to find jobs and roles elsewhere. No one left with resentment but rather appreciation of encouragement to find different challenges. Roles are clearly defined in this system – everybody knows what they and others are responsible and accountable for." Judith Hemming |
