Francesca qualified as a Primary and Early Years teacher in 2000. She has worked in a number of settings with pupils of all ages and has been specialising in autism, complex needs and challenging behaviour since 2011. 

Francesca’s passion for special educational needs & disability (SEND) stems from her desire to better help and support her autistic son. ‘My core belief is that young people should be at the centre of everything we do’.

Francesca is an experienced senior leader in the Independent Special School sector. She holds a National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH), a Master’s degree in SEND with a specialism in Autism and the National SENCO award. Her studies have led her to undertake research on a range of topics such as the benefits of outdoor learning, the use of mindfulness-based stress reduction, the development of the Social Moral Spiritual & Cultural (SMSC) curriculum in special schools, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and supporting  staff wellbeing.

“I am thrilled to be part of the team at Eagle House School (Sutton & Strawberry Lodge) and am very excited to be working in a setting that so skilfully combines education and therapies in order to prepare young people for adulthood.”

Chris started at Eagle House School (Sutton) in 2018 as maths lead and was promoted to Deputy Head (Quality of Education) in 2021.

Chris has worked with children and young people with autism and other special needs in education, care and respite settings since 2008 including mainstream secondary and independent specialist schools.  In addition to teaching, Chris has been a lead trainer in de-escalation and physical intervention techniques working with therapists, families and other professionals to support the safety and well-being of individuals with special needs. 

“I am keen to continue developing the KS3 and KS4 curriculum so our pupils finish year 11 with qualifications and independence skills that support them into further education.”  

Elizabeth has many years of experience working within the specialist education sector. Prior to coming to Eagle House Group, Elizabeth led the arts faculty at her previous specialist school and has lead on arts specialisms in other provisions. She has a degree in Related Arts and was inspired to teach after working alongside schools on the BBC School Report initiative.

As an award-winning producer/presenter and writer, she has worked for both commercial and BBC radio networks throughout the world. In her spare time, she acts as an awards judge and mentor to young people hoping to work in the media industry.

As a qualified teacher she has a specialist 6th form certificate and is experienced in leading leavers classes in a specialist setting. As a mother to a daughter with autism, Elizabeth has a passion for helping young people to achieve their full potential.

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Sarah joined Eagle House Group in 2012 having worked in a mainstream School supporting pupils with autism and other SEN within the Learning Support Department. Within Group, Sarah’s role has included delivering Literacy interventions, ensuring exam access arrangements and teaching and leading English across the school.  

 She has a BA Hons Open with a focus on Literature and History as well as holding the National Award for SEN Coordination and the Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CPT3A). She is currently working towards her MA in SEND.

 “I am proud of the way in which our pupils grow and become resilient, independent young people through the opportunities we provide, and I am looking forward to seeing this continue and develop over the coming years.”

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After graduating with a BSc in Psychology and Drama, Kaily went on to complete a Master’s in Occupational Therapy. Kaily has a passion for autism and has been supporting individuals with autism for most of her career.

Joining Eagle House Group in 2017, she leads the Occupational Therapy team across Eagle House School (Sutton) and Eagle House 6^th Form (Strawberry Lodge). She develops pupils’/ learners’ independence skills and supports their sensory regulation to ensure they can access the curriculum and reach their full potential. She empowers them to be proud of their autistic identity and is committed to ensuring they have the appropriate skills necessary for future employment.

Kaily believes strongly in the benefits of regular training and upskilling of staff, ensuring effective cross-disciplinary working and continual improvement and development.

‘I am excited about the limitless potential of our pupils/learners. I want to ensure they harness their skills, strengths, and abilities to support their future life outcomes, so that they can live an empowered life that is as independent as possible.

Preethy comes to us with many years’ experience as a Clinical Psychologist and works with Eagle House School (Mitcham), Eagle House School (Sutton) and Eagle House 6^th Form (Strawberry Lodge). She has in-depth clinical experience spanning the spectrum of childhood disorders from primary to tertiary care levels and has a specialist interest in mental health in children and adolescents with autism and special needs.

Preethy’s role within schools is to work with pupils and staff to promote mental and emotional well-being. She does this through assessment and evidence-based interventions and also whilst working closely with our clinical team. This includes a wide range of Eagle House Group professionals including Behaviour Support, Occupational Therapists, Speech & Language therapists and teaching staff.

Through consultation and use of a multidisciplinary approach, we collaboratively work together to proactively problem solve with a view to developing effective ways of supporting our pupils and learners, who may present with difficult issues.

Preethy also offers advice on mental health difficulties and provides links with child mental health services as well as supporting positive change to actively support learning, raise standards and promote successful inclusion.

Hannah has been working with children and young people with special educational needs for over 10 years in a variety of settings, including primary and secondary special schools, clinics, a young offenders institution, and in the community.

After graduating with a BSc in Psychology in 2010, she worked as an LSA in a school for children with severe and complex learning difficulties, autism and physical disabilities, and became drawn to Speech and Language Therapy. Seeing how supporting communication skills could dramatically improve a young person’s quality of life inspired Hannah to pursue a career as a therapist.

Since graduating from City University in 2014, Hannah has specialised in working with children and young people with autism in school settings. Hannah has worked at Eagle House School (Sutton) since 2016 and is passionate about empowering parents, teachers and LSAs to support and develop pupils’ communication skills.

After studying at Oxford University, Adele pursued a career in the fashion industry. After leaving work to have a family, she became involved in autism when her daughter was diagnosed as having ASD at the age of four.

“We were very lucky that Nell started at Eagle House aged five and we benefited from the expertise and support of the school. Nell’s twin brother and older brother really appreciated the sibling support offered and the regular workshops and coffee mornings allowed me to learn about different approaches and techniques for dealing with an autistic child, as well as meeting other parents in the same situation.”

When returning to work, Adele was keen to take on a role that would involve giving other families like her own, the support and information needed to help them make the best decisions for their child with autism. “I was delighted to be given the opportunity to work at Eagle House Group and feel that the experiences I have been through as the parent of a severely autistic child really inform my approach to the role of Parent Liaison Officer – whether offering practical advice or giving parents information on where to find further support.”

The education, health and social services systems can seem really daunting for the family of a child with autism. By offering advice to families in selecting a school and helping them through the SEN process, Adele wants to make them feel supported and well informed when making important choices for their children.

Liz feels passionate about supporting families with children & young people with special needs. She started her career in a pre-school as a volunteer, gaining her NVQ Level 3 in Early Years Education, and progressing to become the pre-school SENCo.

Liz then managed a pre-school on an Army Camp, gaining her NVQ Level 4 then a degree in Early Years Care & Education. Feeling inspired by her work in supporting families, she became a Sure Start Centre Manager, where she trained as an outreach worker and gained a Post Graduate Certificate in Leadership.

Always ready for a challenging role, Liz managed the Visitors Centre at a women’s prison in Surrey. Within this role, her focus lay in ensuring families had as positive an experience as possible.

Following this, Liz became an Education Welfare Officer for Surrey County Council then Welfare Officer for all Surrey Special Schools. This led her to work as a Family Link worker in an inspirational special school for the last four years.

Liz says ‘My journey has given me a considerable breadth of experience in dealing with pupils and families from a wide variety of backgrounds. I am delighted to be bringing my experience to Eagle House School’.