Co-Founder Alice Hoyle

I am  a late diagnosed neurodivergent mum of three girls aged 14, 12 and 7.  Needs in my family include Autism, ADHD, dyslexia,  dyscalculia and sensory processing needs with other associated needs.  My children are currently mainstream educated at three different state schools (both primary and secondary). One of my daughters has an EHCP, another, although she definitely qualifies for an EHCP, does not as her needs are being managed at school, and we have decided as a family not to apply again.

​I work nationally (and sometimes internationally!) as an Educational Consultant. I specialise in Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) with a particular focus on Relationships, Sex and Health (RSHE) Education (I co-wrote this book) and I mainly train teachers in this subject alongside working with parents as well as directly teaching students.  I have worked as a teacher, a head of department, a local authority adviser, and a national specialist teacher. I currently teach a small group of autistic pupils their RSHE at a local education provider for an afternoon a week.  I'm also passionate about sensory wellbeing and the importance of education providers meeting sensory needs. My latest book Becoming a Sensory-Aware School: A Toolkit to Develop a Whole School Approach for Sensory Wellbeing written with local OT Tessa Hyde will be out in November 24. 
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​I co-founded RepreSENt during the period my middle child was undergoing diagnosis and we realised how much mainstream education had missed her needs. Emma Bolt (my hotshot SEND Sidekick or The Badass Boss Lady depending on our varying caffeine and capacity levels) offered me invaluable support during the EHCP application process and with her expert advice I got a really strong EHCP through with no need for mediation or tribunal.  During one of our many cup of teas and ranting sessions we decided they would bloody well set up a school ourselves in my living room if we couldn't find suitable secondary schools for our daughters who present with some similar needs and are the same age! I got creative with the name and branding (love a bit of Canva) and here we are! Emma is now taking on the day to day lead on RepreSENt (like I say Badass Boss Lady!) as she has more capacity and is far more strategic and organised than my own brand of ADHD squirrel sidequests! We do however make an awesome team! 

You can find out more about me here: https://www.alicehoyle.com/ 
Contact me if:

• You are looking for support with how to talk to your child about SEND friendly Relationships and Sex Education.
• You want support with your childs education provider to become Sensory Aware. 
• You are looking for a mentor/coach for your neurodivergent child exploring lifeskills particularly sensory advocacy. 
• You want to get involved more with RepreSENt.

You can contact me on [email protected] 

Co-Founder Emma Bolt

It turns out that writing a summary about myself doesn't come naturally! Do I lead with the obvious career highlights from the last 24 years? A career that has been diverse in its scope, resulting in a wealth of skills and expertise worthy of a personal profile? Or do I focus on parenthood, which is the other significant, and undoubtedly, the most important role in my life? The truth is, these days I constantly find myself in a state of confusion, wearing too many hats, attempting to juggle too many balls and needing to  meet too many expectations, that I forget who I actually am! So it’s probably a good thing that Alice suggested that we provide a blurb about ourselves, as it has forced me to stop and remember the ups and downs of my journey so far. 
Luckily, my ‘paid’ job has equipped me with some professional clout. In 2000, fresh out of University, I headed to London where I worked my way up the ladder in sales, sponsorship and marketing roles for Eurosport, National Geographic Channel and Sky News. My life then took a different path for a while, whilst I travelled the world and grabbed all the opportunities I could to work in different cultures and countries. New Zealand soon became my home, and for two years, I worked in Marketing Communications within Higher Education. When my now husband and I started addressing the big questions of marriage and starting a family, we decided to head back home to the UK in 2009.

Since then, I have worked in various Professional Services roles in Higher Education, most recently establishing and running an Immigration and International Student Advice Service, with a focus on improving student experience and engagement. My career, and everything that I have achieved so far is a huge part of who I am, but becoming a mum is by far the most all-consuming, empowering and challenging role I have ever had.

​I have two awesome children. My eldest presents with a full range of needs, including ADD, DCD, APD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, S&L and sensory processing needs (top marks if you know all the abbreviations without Googling them - which to be fair, I still need to do sometimes!). My youngest is luckily ‘just dyslexic’, though he doesn’t consider himself lucky! 

This isn’t the experience of parenthood that I expected. At all! But I truly believe that it has moulded me into a person with whom I resonate more deeply than ever before. My passion, determination, and commitment extend not only to understanding the SEND world and the laws and regulations but also to embracing and acknowledging how we all operate within it. This journey led me to Alice, my partner in crime, and together, we co-founded RepreSENt.
My professional expertise and personal dedication, which is driven by a deep empathy for the challenges faced by SEND children and their families, keeps me focussed on pushing for positive changes within our education system, highlighting the need for a wider educational offering and SEND advocacy. 

Contact me if:

• You are looking for support with an EHCP application or need some signposting and a handhold with a new diagnosis.
• You are a SEND teacher interested in teaching at our new school.
• You have a local premises that might be suitable for a new school. 
• You want to get involved more with RepreSENt.

You can contact me on ​[email protected]