“I have seen clearly that children aren’t absent from school because they don’t want to learn . . . they are desperate to learn but everyday thousands of children find themselves without the support that they need to engage in education and attend school.”
We have heard thousands of accounts given by young people and their families, all of them wanting and deserving of a meaningful education but experiencing significant barriers to this. It is through listening to these accounts that we have been inspired and driven to create meaningful change through ‘Barriers to Education’.
This website has been designed as a practical, flexible resource to support everyone working to reduce barriers to education. You don’t need to read it all at once; the site is structured so you can access the sections most relevant to your needs and the young people you work with. Sections within the website can be read individually and used as discrete documents.
At the heart of the site is the WARMTH Framework. Although the underlying reasons for young people not being in school may differ (such as absence or exclusion) the WARMTH framework is designed to be inclusive for all young people. The Barriers to Education approach recognises the importance of positive and proactive interventions for all young people as these approaches will address the needs of the majority of young people. As Barriers to Education was formed in response to the unmet needs of the many young people struggling to attend school this focus has informed much of the guidance.
Alongside the WARMTH Framework, you’ll find a range of practical tools. Some of the resources included here have a specific focus such as the neuroprofiling tool and burnout guidance, while others provide more general frameworks, such as NEST for understanding and responding to any young person in crisis.
We see this site as a dynamic resource, shaped by the people who use it, which will continue to develop as new tools, resources and case studies illustrating good practice are added. You can contribute case studies, share strategies that have worked for you, or add ideas to the Ideas Bank so that the community can learn and grow together.
However you choose to use it, whether you’re exploring the framework, picking up a tool, or sharing your own insight, we hope this website will support you in helping young people feel safe, supported and able to thrive.
We are hoping this is a resource that can be used as a key foundation for support of young people, so if you are interested in using it in your own work, here are our views on this:
We are very happy for any of the content to be used directly and added to your own existing documents or guidance. Please just make sure to credit Barriers to Education when you do this.
We are very happy for you to copy, paste but also amend any wording so that it fits your Local Area or setting, the people within it and your current work and priorities. If you do this please just make sure to credit us by saying it is “adapted from Barriers to Education”.
You are welcome to use any of the content we have shared as a foundation for your own local ideas, strategies, provision and interventions in your area or setting. If you do this you can credit us to say “underpinned by the Barriers to Education WARMTH principles”
If you are using any part of Barriers to Education, we would love to hear from you! Our vision for this website is for it to be a community owned, shared space where best practice, ideas and successes can be disseminated. Taking the time to share your resources, input or learning in our ‘WARMTH in Practice’ section could offer others (across the country) the chance to make a life changing difference to the young people that they are supporting.
The following sections in this case for change outline why young people experience Barriers to Education, the story of Barriers to Education, the underlying principles informing of our approach and an overview of the WARMTH framework.
Illustrations by Eliza Fricker, Missing the Mark
Aislinn Marek Therapist/Clinical Supervisor at The Calm Within
Ali Egerton Specialist Outreach Teacher/Advocacy Trustee at Spectrum Gaming
Alison Garner Specialist Teacher, Kirklees Communication and Complex Interaction Outreach Team
Andy Smith Founder of Spectrum Gaming
Anna Veal Advocate of alternative approaches to learning, neurodivergent parent to neurodivergent children
Dr Beth Bodycote Not Fine in School
Bobbie Gilham Spectrum Gaming
Professor Caroline Bond University of Manchester
Dr Dan Lake Specialist Senior Educational Psychologist
Ellie Costello Executive Director, Square Peg
Fleur Roseblade First Look SEN, SEND advocate and SEND project manager
Dr Hanna Venton-Platz Clinical Psychologist, Spectrum Gaming
Dr J Kelly parent of two neurodivergent children, one of whom is in recovery after 2 years of burnout.
Dr Jerricah Holder Educational Psychologist and author of the School Wellbeing Cards and course lead for EBSA Horizons, with specialist interest in supporting children families and schools experiencing barriers in their school attendance and wellbeing.
Dr Jo Billington Centre for Autism – Wellbeing Hub, University of Reading
Kerry Murphy Early Childhood Specialist, Lecturer and Author
Kirsteen Pyer Independent Social Worker, neurodivergent adult and parent
Kirstie McStay Spectrum Gaming
Nanny Aut Author of Inside Aut blog on Autistic Village
Dr Pia-Sophie Wool Specialist Doctor in Community Paediatrics, trustee at Spectrum Gaming, parent of a neurodivergent child who has experienced barriers to education
Dr Rachel Lyons Deputy Principal Educational Psychologist, Salford EPS
Dr Ruth Moyse AT-Autism
Shannon Hatton-Corcoran Educational Psychologist
Tim Linehan Advocate for inclusive schools; father of a child who experienced EBSNA
Alison Mashiter Coates, Director Access Education NE
Amanda Hussey Parent
Angela Gordon Assistant Educational Psychologist at Lancashire County Council, previously a secondary Music teacher, interested in improving school experiences for autistic children and young people, part of the EBSA working group with Lancashire County Council.
Bracken Harter Social Worker, neurodivergent adult and parent one of whom is recovering from burnout.
Carla Tomlinson Specialist Educational Psychologist (neurodiversity)
Catherine Whittal Parent
Cathy McKeigue Parent / Carer and Peer Educator with Great Minds Together
Ceri Ashwell Funding and Development Manager at Spectrum Gaming
Charlotte Ashdown Advisory Teacher
Cherry Forrest Parent and Mental Health Professional
Clair Domville Director of Advocating Together
Dr Clare Fenton Child Psychiatrist
Claire Hammond Specialist Teacher, Staffordshire Autism Inclusion Team
Claire Neilson Educational Psychologist
Dani Martin Founder of Mental Health Natters CIC, supporting families struggling with school and their mental health in Abingdon and surrounding areas (Oxfordshire). Parent of neurodiverse young people and recently diagnosed autistic
Debbie Alphey Parent
Debby Elley Parent, author and trainer
Elaine McGoldrick Doctoral Researcher
Emma Whittaker Youth worker, community worker, researcher
Gareth Morewood Former SENCo and currently Educational Advisor at Studio III
Dr Georgie Siggers Consultant Neurodevelopmental Paediatrician
Gillian Boyle Parent Carer
Helen Edgar Autistic advocate, author and educational consultant. Parent to two neurodivergent children. Early Years / Primary Teacher SEND settings.
Dr Imogen Howarth Deputy Principal Educational Psychologist, Suffolk’s Psychology and Therapeutic Service
Dr Jamie Barsky Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Jo Kinloch Parent
Jo Lewitt Public Health Specialist Devon County Council and parent/carer to two awesome ND humans
Jo Symes Founder of Progressive Education
Joan McDonald Autistic independent teacher with students on home tuition in Ireland, Posautive
Jude Esau Children & Families Manager, AIM (Autism Inclusion Matters)
Dr Louise Knox bMindful Psychology and EBSNA researcher
Karen Scott MBACP Children and Young People’s Psychotherapist
Katie Pearson Paediatric doctor with personal and parental lived experience of autistic burnout
Kirsty Burton CBT therapist
Laura @ Neuro-Links
Leanne Moss Combining parent perspective with professional SEN expertise
Louise Parker Engels ND Parent of 3. Former primary school teacher and senior leader. Charlie Waller Trust Lived Experience Partner. Co-founder of Define Fine CIC
Louise Young Parent
Lucy Yeomans Educational Psychologist, neurodivergent adult and parent of a neurodivergent child
Lyndsay McCullough Parent
Lyndsay Poore Parent, SEND primary school governor and early years consultant
Mandy Haywood Parent Carer
Mari Saeki Project Lead, Greater Manchester Autism Consortium and National Autistic Society
Melissa Sellers
Michelle Blake Educator, Wonder Neurodiversity
Niamh Roberts Health Improvement Practitioner Specialist (Mental Health)
Nicola Livsey Parent to an autistic boy in recovery from a 3-year burnout
Nicole Deutsch Parent
Nikki Jacques SEND parent, advocate and Not Fine In School team member
Dr Pedro Vital Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Bolton
Dr Rachael King Cheshire East EP Service
Rachel Speers Learning and autism practitioner
Rachael Winstanley Autistic person, parent of two autistic young people, Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist
Rebecca Wozencroft Parent
Rosie Eustace Specialist Support Leader, Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust
Sarah Risness Parent
Sarah-Jane Critchley Autistic author, speaker, consultant & coach. Spent 10 years as the Programme Manager of the Autism Education Trust. Parent of two autistic adults, one of whom experienced school non-attendance
Dr Sian Clark Educational Psychologist
Sorcha Mackay Parent with interest in autism and SM
Dr Sue Granger Autism and ND specialist, autism advisor for primary schools for West Berkshire LA and independent consultant/coach, ND, parent of ND children
Sue Robson Emerita Professor of Education
Vikki Maskell parent
Wioleta Howlett parent carer and SEND advocate
And our team of 51 young people who also actively contributed to the guidance!
Share your idea, experience or resource to help inspire change, support others and show what really works in breaking down barriers to education.
Unfortunately we are unable to give advice/support on individual cases.