I am deeply proud to have taken on the role of Head at CNES in April 2024. My commitment is to foster an environment where every student can thrive, enjoy their learning, and develop the skills that will serve them well beyond their time at CNES. With 18 years of experience in education, I have always had a strong passion for SEND and have served as a SENCo for over a decade in various schools. I am excited to continue working closely with all members of our school community to drive forward the development and success of our school.

After an 11 year career in consultant engineering, I started my career in education working at a local primary school. Starting as a teaching assistant and quickly working my way up through qualified teacher status to leadership positions, I have worked across primary and secondary settings both within mainstream and special education.

I have developed an unwavering belief that every child has the right to an education which meets their needs and prepares them for their own individual futures no matter their barriers or difficulties in learning; an ethos I continue today. I’m incredibly proud and excited to take up the Deputy Head role here at Cambian New Elizabethan School, and look forward to supporting our young people to achieve their personal best and prepare them for their futures as they move towards adulthood.

Throughout my teaching career, I have been dedicated to ensuring equal opportunities for all students. With a background of working in Secondary settings as an English teacher, I have also worked as a thrive champion, an SEMH lead, and as an inclusion lead, with the aim of supporting students in achieving their individual potential.

I strongly believe that every child deserves access to high-quality education in a supportive environment, where they feel heard and encouraged to not only flourish in the classroom, but in other areas of life as well. This led me to working with charities in supporting teachers and students in schools across the globe.

I have learned a great deal by working with a variety of people from all walks of life, and I intend to bring this knowledge to our students at CNES, so that they can continue to be supported in reaching their full potential.

I started my teaching journey in a primary school in East London over 15 years ago and have found myself working in many diverse settings that has eventually led me to CNES. I have worked in every age group across primary and secondary schools. In my eleven years of experience as a school leader my aim is to motivate the staff towards greater achievement, ensuring the standards of learning are upheld, and enhancing my leadership and teaching abilities whilst doing so. I am very passionate about giving children a real chance in life and as a leader at CNES there is no better opportunity to enable children to gain valuable life skills in their journey to adult life. I have found by being a positive role model, creating a safe environment and enabling the students to achieve their best is inspiring and most rewarding.

I’m Ioanna, and I am the yoga and massage therapist here at CNES. My role is to provide our students with yoga therapy on a 1:1 basis or in small groups, with sessions integrated into the school day. Through yoga, breathing techniques and relaxation I help them to improve their motor planning and control, along with their self-awareness, wellbeing and emotional balance. The students have targets to achieve during the year and I also can provide them with audio relaxation and stress relief techniques.

As a school we support and offer each young person a personalised approach depending on their needs.

I’m also a qualified massage therapist for special needs. We offer the students therapeutic massage according to the tradition of the Indian head massage to nurture them on an emotional, mental and physical level. Having these sessions helps them to release the ‘fab four hormones’ into the body: oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine and endorphin.