Mark has set up Close The Gaps, a consultancy that works across the school, AP and charity sectors to help support struggling and disadvantaged young people. This has included lots of support for unregistered alternative provisions and schools, working to promote inclusion for those young people who struggle to access mainstream education.

Mark's experience as an alternative provision consultant is built on more than 20 years of school and alternative provision leadership. Highlights include helping to move an inner-city academy in Special measures to a Good Ofsted grading, and leading safeguarding and governance across a national group of twelve AP schools.

Dr Catherine Brennan is a safeguarding specialist who has worked at a senior level across a range of sectors including alternative provision and with the young homeless. She has previously been Head of School for an Independent Special School and Operations Director for an un-registered alternative provision.

She currently consults for a range of organisations including the Ministry of Defence, and specialises in complex independent safeguarding investigations. Dr Brennan is a published author, and has been involved in designing and delivering a range of training courses on topics including safeguarding, professional standards, and non-restrictive behaviour management across specialist and mainstream settings. 

Helen is an SEMH and alternative provision consultant and also the founder and director of Iris Coaching & Consultancy Ltd. Helen has SLT experience as a SENDCo, Deputy and Acting Head in mainstream schools, where she found her passion in supporting and developing provision for disadvantaged pupils with SEMH needs to build inclusive education. Helen has worked as an SEMH and Behaviour Specialist Advisor for a Local Authority; improving and adapting provision in mainstream schools and alternate provisions. Helen believes in building the Relational Approach in settings to develop the team around the child, developing emotional-regulation skills and using restorative practices to create nurturing learning environments which meet the SEMH and behaviour needs of disadvantaged pupils.

Rachel has over 20 years of experience in the education sector, working as a supply teacher, an alternative provision practitioner, an SEMH mentor, and a literacy intervention mentor. She is a qualified primary school teacher and registered Thrive practitioner. Rachel is based at U-Educate, an external alternative provision operating within mainstream schools to support re-integration.

Rachel is passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and young people, and represents the part of the AP sector that operates within mainstream schools. She brings a valuable perspective to the group from the nascent but growing specialism of internal alternative provisions.