SEN in Ten

Darren Clark speaks to Katrina Cochrane, dyslexia specialist, assessor, and former Head of Education at the British Dyslexia Association, about her journey from English teacher to becoming a leading voice in dyslexia and dyscalculia, driven in part by her own child’s neurodiverse experience. She discusses the importance of better teacher training, early identification, and why dyscalculia deserves greater awareness alongside dyslexia. 

Darren speaks to Joe Fernandez, CEO and founder of Alpaca, a spin-out from Trinity College Dublin focused on identifying children at risk of reading difficulties before they even start reading. Joe shares how early screening, data, and AI can help schools and parents spot potential dyslexia sooner, reducing stress, improving outcomes, and preventing years of struggle. 

Darren speaks with Simon Airey, teacher and neurodivergent consultant, about receiving an autism diagnosis at 46 and how it transformed both his personal and professional life. An honest conversation about late diagnosis, resilience, and turning personal insight into powerful advocacy for neurodivergent young people. 

Darren speaks to Nana-Kofi Okyere, founder of Sen Bytes, about his inspiring journey into the world of SEND. What started as an accidental role in a special school became a lifelong career dedicated to helping children, families, and schools navigate special educational needs.

Darren speaks to Simon Kitchen, from Dolphin Computer Access about how assistive technology is transforming access to learning for students with SEND. From reducing classroom barriers to building independence, Simon shares how tools are empowering young people with dyslexia, vision impairments, and other print-based disabilities to thrive in school and beyond.

Darren speaks to Jo Rees, former primary teacher, SENCO, and specialist dyslexia assessor, about the importance of trusting parental instinct, advocating confidently, and building positive partnerships with schools. She discusses why some learners can go unnoticed, particularly those who appear to be “coping”, and explains how gathering evidence and requesting appropriate screening can make a meaningful difference.

Darren speaks to Sally Arblaster about how her mobile classroom, Purple Spider The Learning Bus, uses multi-sensory, interest-led reading strategies and supportive environments to engage children, especially those with SEND, in literacy, empowering both students and parents to foster long-term reading skills. 

Darren speaks to Dr Kathryn Gibb about the vital role of educational psychologists in schools, emphasising early intervention, whole-school capacity building and parent-teacher collaboration to support children with complex needs.

Darrren speaks to Chantal Bryan OBE from Teach Us Too  who explains how her charity empowers children with profound and multiple learning difficulties to learn to read and write, emphasising the importance of seeing beyond labels, providing individual access and raising teacher awareness to transform children’s lives. 

Darren speaks to Aada MacGregor, founder of AI Scholar, about using AI-driven personalisation to identify early signs of ADHD and dyslexia, tailor learning in real time and support both students and teachers through data-informed insights.