Specialist Learning Support Teachers – SLSTs

Click on the person’s name to see their One Page Profile.

	Carrieanne Miller	Senior Advisor – Specialist Teaching and Learning Carrie is an experienced Primary teacher and SENCO who has worked in Norfolk schools since 2002. She began working with EPSS as a Specialist Teacher in 2016. Carrie holds a postgraduate SEND award and Level 5 and Level 7 SpLD qualifications in teaching and assessing learners with barriers to literacy. Carrie enjoys collaborating with children, young people, families and school staff to help and support children and young people with their learning and to feel happy in school.
Catherine Golding		Senior Specialist Learning Support Teacher Catherine is an experienced teacher and SENCO who has worked in Early Years settings and Primary schools in Norfolk since 1997. Her special areas of interest are Autism, supporting social, emotional and mental health in children and young people and working with parents and families of children with SEND.
	Helen Keer	Senior Specialist Learning Support Teacher Helen is an experienced primary school teacher and SENCo, who has worked in schools in and around the Norwich area since 1995. She has a BA Hons in German and Dutch and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. She began working with EPSS as a Specialist Support Teacher in 2019 and has been in the role of Senior Specialist Learning Support Teacher since 2023. Helen enjoys working collaboratively with individuals, their families and their schools, to build on strengths and to overcome barriers to learning. Helen holds a Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET).
Kate McCaul		Senior Specialist Learning Support Teacher Kate began teaching in 2002 in Norfolk and has experience teaching primary school children as well as secondary pupils and preschool aged children. She joined EPSS in 2012, working as a specialist teacher supporting children with literacy difficulties. Kate enjoys working with individuals, and their schools and families to find the best ways to support them , building on their strengths and helping them progress and feel more confident as learners. Kate has a Level 5 Certificate: Teaching Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia), and is working toward the Level 7 qualification.
	Anna Pearson	Specialist Learning Support Teacher Anna started off working as a primary teacher and then worked on several research projects, including one investigating the development of young children’s Theory of Mind.  Anna has been very happy working for EPSS for nearly twenty years.  Her special interests are Dyslexia and Autism. OCR Level 7 SpeLD (Dyslexia), University Certificate in Autistic Spectrum Disorders.
Jenny Harris		Specialist Learning Support Teacher   Jenny enjoys teaching children to develop their confidence in learning – from basic literacy skills to GCSE English. Previous experience involved sensitive support for students excluded from school or emotionally based school avoidance. Jenny is a Sound Discovery trainer with workshops for struggling readers. She uses formative and/or dynamic assessment to provide a holistic cognitive profile of a learner’s strengths and needs. OCR Level 7 Certificate in Assessing and Teaching Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia).
	Sarah Gentle	Specialist Learning Support Teacher  Sarah is an experienced teacher and SENCO who has worked in a wide range of educational settings from mainstream schools to Pupil Referral Unit (SSSfN) and across all key stages. Her specialist area of interest is children’s and young people’s social, emotional and mental health.
Dave Pearce		Specialist Learning Support Teacher  Dave Pearce has been teaching in East Anglia since 1974. In 2004 he served as Norfolk Children’s Services’ exclusions officer, followed by advisory work relating to additional and alternative educational provision, linked to the Pupil Referral Unit. He retired in 2011. He re-joined the EPSS in 2016 in his current capacity as Specialist Learning Support Teacher. Dave has advanced qualifications in SEND, learning difficulties and child psychology, and works with a range of education and training providers – primary and secondary schools, and Post-16. He is also a member of the Critical Incident Team.
	Gill King	Specialist Learning Support Teacher Gill is an experienced teacher who first joined Norfolk’s Educational Psychology Service in 2001. Over the last 15 years she has specialised in using the Solution Focused Approach to support individuals experiencing emotional barriers to learning. She is a member of the Critical Incident Team and holds a post-graduate Diploma in Dyslexia. In 2015, Gill moved to be the Lead Teacher in a KS2 Specialist Resource Base in Norwich, and in 2019 is delighted to return to EPSS and continue her work enabling learners to become the best versions of themselves.
Adrian Knott		Specialist Learning Support Teacher Adrian is an experienced teacher and SENCO who has taught in secondary phases across Norfolk. He previously taught in a Bilingual International School in Southern Spain where he led a physical education department and had additional responsibility for developing literacy skills in the primary phase. Adrian also has experience of leading a Specialist Resource Base for Cognition and Learning in Norfolk. Adrian holds postgraduate qualifications in dyslexia and psychometric testing. He has an Assessment Practising Certificate in assessing and teaching learners with specific learning difficulties.
	Helene Coates	Specialist Learning Support Teacher Helenè is a Psychology graduate who subsequently trained as a teacher. She has had experience of teaching across both primary and secondary phases. Helenè started working as a Specialist Learning Support Teacher with EPSS in 2010. She has a keen interest in Dyslexia; working collaboratively with school, parents and the learner to capitalise on strengths and overcome barriers to learning. Helenè has an OCR Level 7 certificate in assessing and teaching learners with specific difficulties in literacy (Dyslexia)
Sam Hearn		Specialist Learning Support Teacher Sam is an experienced Primary Teacher and SENDCo. She trained and taught in Hertfordshire before moving to Norfolk in 2005.  Sam holds the National SENDCo Award, Level 3 in Supporting Dyslexic Learners and a Level 7 Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing.  Having previously worked in therapeutic settings, Sam has continued her interest in this area. She trained as a Youth Mental Health First Aider in 2017, and is currently learning more about Trauma Informed Schools, Emotionally Based School Avoidance and Emotion Coaching. Sam is passionate about supporting the mental health of children and young people, to enable them to access learning and flourish
	Micarla Holmes	Specialist Learning Support Teacher Micarla is an experienced SENDCo and Assistant Head Teacher with a broad understanding of a wide range of barriers to learning. Having taught in both Primary and Secondary settings she is knowledgeable about how children learn and factors which inhibit learning. She has a degree in Psychology and holds both the National Award for SEND Co-ordination (NASENCO) and the Certificate in Psychometric Testing, Assessment & Access Arrangements. She enjoys adopting a child-centred approach to identify and plan support for children, which will aid them to both overcome their barriers to learning and increase their independence and self-help skills.
Joanne Wells		Specialist Learning Support Teacher Jo is an experienced teacher and SENCO who has worked in a wide range of educational settings across all key stages. Jo is a person-centred practitioner who works collaboratively with children, families and other professionals.  She is committed to promoting the best outcomes for children and young people.  She ensures that she incorporates empathy and positive regard for others with high expectations and challenge in all the input she provides. Her special areas of interest are Autism and supporting social, emotional and mental health in children and young people. Jo is currently working towards an Assessment Practising Certificate in assessing and teaching learners with specific learning difficulties.
	Jo Evans	Specialist Learning Support Teacher Jo is a Specialist Learning Support Teacher who gained Associate Membership of the British Dyslexia Association in 2017.  She has over 20 years’ experience of working in education in Norfolk, as a secondary school teacher, literacy coordinator and SENCo. Jo holds an MEd in Language Literacies and Dyslexia, the National Award for SEN Coordination and a PGCE and BA Hons in English. In addition to specific learning difficulties, Jo is interested in emotionally based school refusal and more generally in promoting educational inclusion for children with special educational needs.
Cherie Pointon		Specialist Learning Support Teacher Cherie is an experienced teacher and SENCO who has worked in Suffolk primary and middle schools since 1991. She joined EPSS in September 2021 and has a special interest in neurodiversity. She holds the NASENCO award and is currently working towards the Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) to enhance her skills in assessing and supporting children’s literacy development. Cherie enjoys working in collaboration with families and staff in school in order to support and enhance learning for children and young people.  Cherie also works part time as Critical Incident Support Lead for EPSS.
	Sam Sutton	Specialist Learning Support Teacher Sam is an experienced Primary Teacher, Deputy Head Teacher and SENCO, working in Norfolk Schools since 2007. She began working as part of the EPSS team in January 2022. Sam has a degree in Law, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and the National SENCO Award. Her particular interests are working collaboratively with child and their families, promoting the voice of the child, mental health and wellbeing as well as exploring barriers to maths learning.
Ruth Abramson		Specialist Learning Support Teacher Ruth is an experienced primary school teacher and SENCO, who has worked in Norfolk since 1999. She enjoys working collaboratively with schools, pupils and their families to identify and overcome barriers to learning. She has a particular interest in supporting teachers to meet the needs of neurodiverse children and young people. Ruth has an OCR Level 5 Certificate in Teaching Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia), a Level 7 Diploma in Teaching and Assessing Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) and the National SENCO Award.
	Gill Malcolm	Specialist Learning Support Teacher Gill is an experienced teacher, SENCo and Designated Safeguarding Lead. She taught in Northern Ireland before moving to Norfolk in 1991 and has always taught in primary schools. With a particular skill in behaviour management, Gill uses the PIVOTAL approach to manage behaviour positively, to assist children, teachers and parents.  In 2018 she had an exchange placement with a school in Sweden which uses social pedagogy to promote learning, positive behaviour and uses a mentoring approach. Gill’s particular interests are social emotional and mental health needs, neuro diversity and behaviour management   She holds a Bachelor of Education (Hons) Degree, the Level 7 Diploma for Teachers of Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) and in 2019 qualified as a Pivotal Behaviour Trainer.
Kate Grey		Specialist Learning Support Teacher Kate has been teaching across Norfolk and Suffolk since 2003. Kate is an experienced Primary school teacher, Assistant Head and SENCo. Kate has a degree in Biological sciences, a Postgraduate certificate in education and has recently completed the National qualification in Senior leadership. Kate has a particular interest in social and emotional mental health and has trained as a Senior mental health lead whilst developing knowledge in Trauma informed practice. Her interests include speech and language, emotional wellbeing and  working with parents/carers and families of children with SEND needs.
	Amanda Roper	Specialist Learning Support Teacher Amanda has worked in a variety of educational settings and with a range of age groups. She is an experienced teacher and has undertaken the SENCO role in both the state and independent sector. She has a Master’s degree in Education and a Level 7 Diploma in assessing and teaching learners with specific learning difficulties (dyslexia). She has extensive experience of undertaking assessment (including for access arrangements), consultations and training.
Lisa Herron		Specialist Learning Support Teacher Lisa has over 15 years experience as a Teacher and is an experienced SENDCO.  She is an Early Years Specialist and holds a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Studies, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education, the National SENCO Award, and she is working towards her Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET).  Lisa has also completed the core training of Emotion Coaching which teaches young people to use more effective responses to their emotions.  Her particular areas of interest are Early Years, Speech and Language, and working collaboratively to achieve the best outcomes for young people.
	Deborah Fairhurst	Specialist Learning Support Teacher   Deborah is an experienced primary school teacher and has been teaching in Norfolk since 1993.  She has taught every year group from Reception to Year 7 in a range of settings, over the course of 30 years. Deborah also enjoyed being the SENCo at 3 different local schools, over a period of 15 years. She has a B.A. Hons in Art with qualified teacher status, and still enjoys art in her spare time. Deborah attended the OCR level 5 Teaching Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) and is currently working toward the Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET).
TBC		Specialist Learning Support Teacher

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