Main Menu

About KB Education

PROVEN PROFESSIONALS WITH SEND/SEMH EXPERTISE :

A combined 60+ years of SEND & SEMH experience has given us the expertise and insight to offer deeper understanding, greater compassion and more practical skills when it comes to supporting children and young people. Including Early Years practitioners, Youth workers, sports & outdoor specialists and psychotherapists, our team is bursting with knowledge, energy, real-world experience, genuine care and an absolute dedication to making a tangible difference in the lives of children and families with SEND and SEMH.

Calm and confident, firm and fair, our work is always underpinned with a heartfelt drive to act in the child’s best long-term interests, and by an impressive track record of helping children to rise, transform and grow.

Our Team:

Kelly Butler

Director

I am the founder and creator of KB Education, committed to offering the best educational provision to all SEND children and young people. I am a school leader and educationalist with 22 years experience in mainstream education. I am a qualified SENDCo and have undertaken several leadership qualifications over time including NPQSL and NPQH.

I aim to ensure that all SEND children, young people and families are heard and that school provision is adapted creatively, systematically and sustainably to create successful outcomes.

I am an advocate for raising standards for all children and young people with SEND needs and have spent years creating bespoke provisions within schools to support success for all. As a successful MAT leader, I created systems and accountability measures to ensure high quality SEND provision in the schools.

Leann

Leann

Head of Phoenix, DSL & SENDCO

I am a qualified primary school teacher, SENDco and DSL, with BA Hons in Performance and Theatre.

As an experienced designated safeguarding lead I believe that a young person’s safety is paramount and forms the foundations of a positive learning experience. Over the years I have worked closely with external agencies to develop strong working relationships and have worked hard to support not only the children I work with but also their families to ensure that they feel supported and happy. 

I am passionate about inclusivity and providing opportunities that allow all learners to make progress and enjoy their education.

As a leader in primary settings, I have led teams to support a wide range of children with challenging and complex needs. Developing bespoke provision offers to ensure that all young people receive the best support and learning experiences possible. 

I have over 10 years of experience in both formal and informal education settings and have led a drama school that encouraged children to take pride in their local community. I have supported curriculum development for foundation subjects, working alongside experts to tailor the curriculum and provide more hands-on and exciting learning experiences that meet the needs of a more diverse range of learning styles. I believe that by making curriculum links and using the curriculum as a vehicle to explore life beyond the school setting provides life experiences and a deeper mastery of the basic skills needed to progress in later life. 

I endeavour to promote positive learning experiences for all, supporting young people in finding their passion and helping them grow into well rounded adults. As SENDco I have developed tracking processes to ensure that pupils have fair opportunities and have their individual needs met.

Taking the time to develop more in depth knowledge of a variety of SEND needs and gaining experience of working with pupils with SEND at different ages, has enabled me the insight of how to best develop strategies to support young people, helping them to develop tools to cope in a range of situations beyond the safety of their classrooms. 

Outside of work,  I am a mum of 2 young boys who love to be active. I take pride in supporting them to explore and find their own talents and enjoyments outside of education and am passionate about ensuring all young people have the opportunity to try new things and learn in a way that best suits them.

Lesley Bartram

Lesley

Deputy Head, DDSL

I am a qualified youth worker, with a BA Hons, in Performing Arts, who is passionate about outdoor learning, delivered with an engaging and creative approach. I have more than 20 years experience working in both formal and informal primary and secondary education settings.

My ethos is to create an inclusive environment for the children and young people I work with, driving equality and allowing them to access learning in the best way to suit their individual needs.

Away from work, I am a mum to four young children, who are all individuals, with their own learning styles and interests, including a daughter who is hearing impaired.

I work hard to offer learning experiences for all who have a perceived barrier to learning and to ensure they will feel included and able to access a rich curriculum.

Amy

Amy

Curriculum Lead

I have 8 years experience of being a qualified teacher within a primary school teaching all year groups, 6 years of being a qualified SENCo where I was appointed to strengthen the leadership and teaching and learning of children with SEND and 5 years of being a Specialist Leader in Education where my main work has been to drive a children’s centred approach which set personalised outcomes and ensuring staff are equipped with the knowledge and information to deliver the learning.

For the last 7 years we have lived in Wiltshire as a military family and we have two children and Labrador. We have relocated back to South Yorkshire to spend more time together as a family.

Helen

Operations Lead

I began my career in commercial property law administration, department management and HR for a global top 10 law firm. After starting my own family, I applied my skills and experience to the role of operations and HR manager for my family’s property development business. This role gave me the flexibility to support my local high school as part time careers coordinator which I did for 7 years, offering careers advice and guidance to their pupils.

As Operations Lead I put my broad skillset to work whilst supporting young people which is incredibly rewarding.

Maria

Maria

Psychotherapist/ Counsellor

I am a BACP accredited Counsellor and Psychotherapist, an EMDR psychotherapist (Level 2) and also a PhD Psychology student. Before Phoenix, I had worked in a range of settings, including, the charity sector, mainstream education and North Yorkshire Police.

Although I prefer to work with creative, therapeutic interventions to support children feeling overwhelmed by their emotions, I will often draw on more structured models, such as Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR), to support me in my work. Ultimately, I will work with the most appropriate psychotherapeutic model, or models, to enable me to provide a safe, confidential and
healing space for clients.

Jane

Assistant SENDCO

I have over 14 years of experience working in mainstream Primary settings where I supported children to achieve their full potential, especially children with SEND

I enjoy working in challenging environments and sharing my knowledge and expertise with others to ensure the best possible outcomes for the children we work with. Within school I worked as part of a team to develop an inclusive environment to ensure all children, regardless of need or ability , are given equal opportunities to succeed.

I particularly enjoy supporting children with emotional regulation and have trained in delivery of emotional literacy as a tool to support young people with understanding their emotions.

I particularly enjoy supporting children with emotional regulation and have trained in delivery of emotional literacy as a tool to support young people with understanding their emotions.

Outside of work, I enjoy the small pleasures in life such as reading, walking and watching my 2 older children playing rugby.

Harry

Harry

Phoenix Support Worker

My name is Harry and I graduated Hull University with a degree in Sports, Fitness and Exercise Science. I also completed a diploma in gym instructing and personal training. I am a skilled boxing coach, qualified at Level 1 with England Boxing and have spent several years instructing children’s boxing classes from ages 4–16. I run sports coaching sessions with the young people at Phoenix to teach them the importance of physical exercise in a fun and engaging way. I am also experienced as a Youth Worker and adept at working in outdoor learning environments, being recently qualified in Bushcraft Skills, which I enjoy teaching to the young people at Phoenix.

White labrador

Finn

Finn is a gentle and affectionate therapy dog who is happy to listen

Black labrador

Alfie

Alfie loves to play catch and will always listen to instructions

Testimonials

"Regular communication, improved attendance and improved relationships, support with SEND applications"

Secondary Headteacher

"He was settled calm and enjoyed going. He changed, was more calm, more relaxed, more respectful and I am so grateful for the work you have done with my child"

Parent

" I love this little cooker it's ace and I can do it myself , I like that we do different stuff at Phoenix. I am looking forward to my first session with Maria tomorrow"

Child aged 14

"What a difference you all make to the lives of the children that come and spend time with you."

Visitor

"Great communication with school. Full report from the transition days was provided which has been extremely helpful in cross-referencing information and reviewing next steps. Spacious provision and knowledgeable, experienced staff."

Primary SENDCO

"Strong contribution for PEP and ePEP process. Strong transition support and ongoing support for children after leaving Phoenix ... Ultimately we have found Phoenix to be a safe pair of hands for our children"

Professional visitor

"Outstanding knowledge of SEN and EHCP process – robust assessments provide evidence to support requests"

Professional Visitor

"The way that the children interacted with each other and with staff was effortless. It was so clear that Phoenix is a safe place for everybody."

Visitor

"Phoenix is definitely helping my feelings and how I deal with things"

Child aged 10

"During observations, I saw a place where students feel secure to be themselves, whilst staff worked hard on the support structure and needs based activities enabling them to engage meaningfully in their education."

Trust Inclusion Lead

"A noteworthy aspect of Phoenix is the therapeutic nature of the curriculum"

Professional Visitor

" What you are doing here is just amazing..."

Parent

"...staff... experience across various settings supporting children with additional needs and trauma has clearly played a pivotal role in developing and implementing a curriculum that goes beyond academic content, incorporating therapeutic elements to nurture the emotional well-being and life skills of students."

Trust Inclusion Lead

"This is fun maths... I can do this "

Child aged 9

“Children still need a childhood with dirt, mud, puddles, trees, sticks and tadpoles”

― Brook Hampton