Neurodivergent consultancy for education

Does your educational organisation want to fully support neurodivergent people in your provision?

It is becoming more and more important to meet the increased need and expectation to be fully and authentically neurodivergent affirming in harmony with your revised EDI (equality, diversity, and inclusion) commitments.

Having my support to make this culture shift can enable you to breathe a sigh of relief and free you to get on with the day-to-day running of your organisation, knowing positive change is coming.

I would be delighted to support and enable your organisation to remain up to date, relevant, informed, and dynamic in your education provision. From advising and advocating, to organising, training, leading and inspiring, I work with you and your specific requirements to create long-lasting, impactful change that makes a real difference to the people within your organisation, as well as to how your provision is recognised and viewed from the outside.

Neurodivergent culture is something to be understood, embraced, systemically embedded, and enjoyed. I am here to show you how with humour, warmth, and efficiency, and without judgement.

Examples under the educational umbrella include:

Nurseries/Early Years: Please scroll down this page for early years' specialism
Schools
SEND provision
PRU and alternative
Individuals
Youth services
Wrap-around care

How it works:

Initial meeting to discuss needs/scope of work with lead.
Provisional project plan created.
Assessment of needs - observations, policies, procedures, staff interviews, client/customer/student interviews - as required and agreed together.
Reviewed project plan with associated budget created.
Work carried out within agreed timescale with margin and regular review points. Records of simple action points will be kept.

"Yasmin has provided great expertise to our charity, Addiction Professionals, in providing webinars and conference workshops on neurodiversity. She knowledgeable, insightful and great to work with."

Kate Halliday

Addiction Proffesionals

My Relevant Experience:

28 years' professional and lived experience in the field.
Qualified Project Manager: Prince 2.
Former Ofsted-registered ‘outstanding’ and multi-award winning education provider of eight years.
Qualified to Master's level in psychoanalytical observational skills at the world-renowned Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London.
Former early years SENDCO.
Experience of living and working in London, New York and Sydney.
Invited parlimentary review speaker - Early Years Education.
Invited speaker at the Royal College of GPs - Autism.
Lived experience of neurodivergence as a late-diagnosed woman.
Lived experience as a mother to a neurodivergent child and all that entails in relation to education, health & care emotionally, politically, socially and financially.
Voluntary founder of a successful national support group for autistic families.
Featured multiple times on radio, BBC news, documentaries and information films highlighting best practice.
Commissioned blogger/writer/featured author on matters relating to education, early years, neurodivergence, autism and more.

My breadth of professional and lived experience (see About page) has equipped me well to confidently attune myself to the work at hand and respond with innovation, commitment, attention to detail and excellent communication. I remain passionate, enthused, and honoured to take part in the emerging global culture shift in neurodivergent awareness and acceptance.

Times, they are a changing! And I am delighted to be part of that change and make your setting part of it.

The Early Years' Umbrella

With over eight years of first-hand experience founding and managing my own Ofsted-registered childcare services and achieving ‘Outstanding’ ratings, I bring a comprehensive ‘Early Years Umbrella’ of services to the table. Under this umbrella, I can offer anything from public speaking and writing to direct practical advice, helping you establish effective educational strategies and create inclusive environments.

Previous Projects:

I founded and managed my own home-based childcare service in 2011

In January 2011, feeling despondent at the childcare options available to me following the arrival of my own child, I set up and managed a highly successful home-based childcare service, which was able to support the needs of a diverse range of children including my own son.

Featured in: The benefits of home-based childcare - PACEY

Following its success, my home-based childcare service was approached to be featured in the short film below by PACEY: Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

Find more of my work with PACEY on my media page.

I founded Maisie Poppins Nursery & Preschool in 2018

As a natural progression and in response to popular demand from families with children at my home-based childcare setting, I went on to found Maisie Poppins Nursery & Preschool in 2018.

I felt honoured that my hard work was recognised with multiple and national awards and was graded ‘outstanding in all areas’ by Ofsted twice, growing into a full nursery and preschool in London Fields, Hackney. I ran these two settings throughout the Covid pandemic and beyond with a firm ‘people over profit’ approach and with enhanced levels of safety and care.

Virtual tour of Maisie Poppins Nursery & Preschool

"We are both teachers and are very impressed with the stimulating, creative learning environment at Masie Poppins. More importantly, the quality of the emotional and social support is very high. Our son has been happier and more confident since starting at the nursery."

"We couldn't have imagined better childcare for our son, who attended from 13 months to two years old. So much thought and care goes into every aspect from activities through to meals. Our son has a dairy allergy which was totally catered for; in fact, on the days he attended, all the children went dairy free! The love and care not only received by our son but also for us as parents was truly outstanding. We left London and were so sad we could not take you all with us. A great role model for childcare everywhere."

"By far the best nursery in the area. My son absolutely loves coming here! Everything is so well thought out, lots of time spent in the garden and the food is nutritious and delicious. I don't have any concerns whatsoever sending my son as I know he is having the best time! Have recommended to all my friends. Also Maisie (Yasmin) is so great and clearly cares hugely for the children's wellbeing and development."

"I could not rate this place more highly. My son has been attending for around nine months and he has absolutely flourished. Having been at home for almost 18 months due to Covid, I was worried that at three years old he would struggle to settle, but the staff went above and beyond to welcome him. At first he was very shy but he has slowly and steadily become incredibly confident, happy and sociable, all thanks to the staff's wonderful attitude. He is constantly learning and developing and will be more than ready for school by next Sept. The team also really listen and take things like safeguarding, hygiene etc very seriously, always looking out for everyone and always happy to answer any query from parents 24/7. Honestly the best thing we ever did sending him here. Thanks so much for being so wonderful!"

Named one of the 'Early Years Voices' by FAMLY

FAMLY is an Early Childhood Platform, which collaborates with change makers, activists and prominent voices within the Early Years' community to provide helpful resources for families.

After being approached by FAMLY, I wrote several articles regarding leadership, positive relationships, inclusion and wellbeing. You'll find my blog posts and article features below.

Fancy a free webinar? You can find my one-hour session for FAMLY by clicking here. In it, I cover topics such as the importance of having an authentic vision for your whole setting’s curriculum, communication strategies to enable a shared understanding among staff and families and the benefits of ongoing meaningful CPD for all staff.

Watch my free webinar for FAMLY by clicking the image above.

Featured in and writer for PACEY: Childcare Professional Magazine

PACEY: Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years is a charity and membership organisation based in London and working in England and Wales. A standard-setting organisation, it promotes best practice and supports childcare professionals to deliver high standards of care and learning. I feel proud to have been featured in and have written for their magazine, Childcare Professional. You can find my articles by clicking on the images below.

Find more of my educational articles, blog posts and features by clicking here.

Please see examples of targeted support for early years' settings below. Let me know what support you need - work is bespoke to the client.

A) ‘In a constant conversation with your environment’

EYFS Activity enrichment.

I can advise on how to enrich the environment for the children, through invitations to play and understanding the interests of the individual child, as I know ‘every child is unique’. I work in partnership with you to enable the staff team to confidently speak about the link between the activities they create and how they meet the requirements of the EYFS. During this visit, I can make suggestions on how to log these records and the level of detail necessary for reports, to ensure high-quality communication with professionals and clients is embedded within your setting.

I can provide targeted support for your early years’ setting to turn problem areas into inspirational practice and raise the bar, helping you lead with confidence. I offer bespoke sessions upon request with as much support as you need. I am a former ‘outstanding’ early years’ founder, director and manager who led and opened a new setting through the pandemic and early years’ staffing crisis and beyond. I have a neurodivergence and disability (SEND) specialism.

B) ‘On the Spot’

Confidence Building.

I understand that being asked questions and being put ‘on the spot’ can be daunting for anyone, especially if you are new to a role within the childcare sector. Through coaching and by asking your team questions regarding their practice and the EYFS, I can help them build confidence. As a neutral third party, I can offer suggestions on how to develop answers and give pointers and strategies for those who need additional help with their delivery of answers.

Using role play within these sessions allows for a relaxed and fun atmosphere which is conducive to active learning.

C) ‘Embedding an ethos and inspiring a team’

Staff Team Coaching.

I can review your policies and procedures and work in partnership with you to ensure all aspects of the EYFS are met. I offer support on other policy elements and share knowledge I have gained through opening and expanding a setting. I will work with you to create a curriculum that weaves through your ethos and values to enable an enhanced learning experience for the children in your care and to inspire your team, drawing upon their skills and creativity. I will coach you on how to become a confident, inspirational and adaptable leader who can embed a culture of ‘Continuous Professional Development’ to increase the practice of your team, enabling the best outcomes for children and your clients.

D) ‘Nurture Your Team’

Staff Retention.

I will coach you from my experience of recruiting and managing a team of 30 people. Maintaining and inspiring a stable workforce in the midst of an ongoing early years’ staffing crisis is a tall order for any early years setting, but is of course essential to overall success. I can offer support and coaching on how to ensure you deliver high-quality reflective and professional supervisions, enabling a team of confident, reflective and inspired practitioners. I can show you how to embed a positive working culture, ensuring staff wellbeing and offering conflict resolution support.

E) ‘Hazard a Guess’

Risk Assessment Coaching.

I can coach you on how to conduct a thorough risk assessment that is bespoke to your setting, as well as an assessment of your current practices. Support with the frequency of different risk assessments and external factors, such as how to assess weather conditions, will be included. During this session, I will create a ‘risk assessment’ role play to enable your team to think about risks and hazards in a different way.

F) ‘Your Identity’

Business Support.

Through my experience of creating and implementing a strong brand identity of a growing and saleable brand, I can support you with the building of your brand identity. Together we’ll look at the importance of consistency, a valid customer profile based on the environment of your setting and ‘finding your tribe’. I can assist in developing a clear ethos and understanding of the current childcare market, including external factors that have changed the landscape – from thorough competitor research through to suggesting management systems and software that would best suit your business.

Fees for educational consultancy

Flat rate for educational consultancy: £150 an hour

1 Hour Session:

One-hour session via zoom to solve one issue together.

2 Hour Session:

Two-hour session via zoom to solve up to two issues, including a 15-minute break.

Please note: In some cases, one topic may take several sessions to resolve and you might like to discuss it more extensively. In this case, I am able to offer discounts as follows:

Multi-Session Discounts:

5 Sessions Package: 5% discount. Total before discount: £750. Total after discount: £712.50. (Saving £37.50.)
10 Sessions Package: 10% discount. Total before discount: £1,500. Total after discount: £1,350. (Saving £150.)
20 Sessions Package: 15% discount. Total before discount: £3,000. Total after discount: £2,550. (Saving £450.)

*Fees are calculated at a flat rate for all work carried out in zoom meetings, emails, research, prep and any other consultancy work undertaken in all forms. All work is agreed together in advance.

*Fees rise annually in April.

My working style is

Supportive and non-judgemental.

Empowering and strengths based.

Transparent and approachable.

Honest and authentic.