Our team

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 a non-school 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.

Leanne is a Qualified Primary Teacher with over 20 years experience working in education. Having personally navigated the SEND system, she has gone on to establish a CIC providing advocacy support for neurodivergent families in West Yorkshire. 

She is passionate about sharing the voices of young people who are often dismissed or misunderstood and bringing about life changing outcomes via education that is delivered creatively. Leanne is Director of www.budupwood.co.uk a non-school alternative provision providing a safe and nurturing environment in which positive relationships are formed, nervous systems are regulated and a love of learning can be reignited.

Lucy McMann is the Founder and Managing Director of SENse Learning - a specialist Alternative Provision supporting young people with additional needs who are out of school or struggling to attend. SENse Learning works with some of the most complex and vulnerable young people across the South of the UK. Lucy is passionate about alternative provision and really understands that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to education, doesn’t work for all young people. Prior to this, she worked in specialist schools and provisions, as a Teacher and Leader, including as a Lead for Teaching and Learning with Autism. Lucy has experience in supporting and teaching young people with a range of SEN, delivering training and developing curricula and educational policies.

Matthew is the Founder, Proprietor, and CEO of Apex Specialist Education (inc. Healey Learning Centre); which is a collective of specialist schools and alternative provision. The organisation is driven in promoting equitable education for children across the North West. Matthew is a passionate educational specialist with a Master’s Degree in Education, dedicated to advancing equity and research-informed practice. As CEO of Apex Specialist Education, and a former Headteacher, he has driven transformative school improvement in secondary and alternative provision settings.

Matthew’s data-driven approach and innovative curriculum design empower vulnerable learners to flourish.

Owen has twenty-five years of experience working across mainstream, pupil referral units, alternative provision, and high-needs SEN settings. He has established and supported multiple alternative provisions and led a successful independent special school registration.

He holds an MSc in Educational Leadership, is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, and is a qualified SENDCo and BPS Specialist Educational Assessor. Owen is about to complete an MEd in Autism and will shortly start his doctorate at Southampton. Owen is the Head of Alternative Education at New Forest Care, whose AP settings primarily support young people with specific educational needs related to neurodiversity.