Supporting SEND across care, education & families
ABOUT NOVA SEND SERVICES
Where Nova Began
I created Nova SEND Services in response to the growing need for practical, specialist SEND support across education, care and family settings. Through my work in schools and leadership roles, I saw how often individuals with additional needs were not fully understood or supported, and how this impacted both outcomes and the confidence of the professionals around them. At the same time, families were often left navigating complex systems without clear guidance.
Nova was developed to bridge that gap, providing practical SEND consultancy, training and specialist tutoring. This includes working alongside education settings, care providers and businesses to strengthen practice, build confidence and create more inclusive, responsive environments, as well as supporting children, young people and adults whose needs are not being met within their current provision.
Meet Alex
I am Alex, the founder of Nova SEND Services and a specialist SEND consultant with a deep commitment to supporting individuals with additional needs across education, care and community settings. My work is shaped by lived experience, professional training, and a strong belief that everyone deserves to feel safe, understood and supported.
My Path into Communication and SEND
My career began in language and communication, studying British Sign Language Interpreting and English at the University of Wolverhampton. Working as a BSL interpreter across education and community settings gave me a strong foundation in accessibility, trust and the importance of meaningful, inclusive communication.
After the birth of my first child, I retrained as a teacher and completed a PGCE in Primary with Mathematics (QTS). During this time, I began to recognise signs that my son was autistic. Following a long and often complex diagnostic journey, he was confirmed as autistic and later as having ADHD. This experience gave me a deeper understanding of the invisible barriers individuals and families can face, and the emotional impact of navigating systems that can feel overwhelming and unclear.
This combination of professional experience and lived insight continues to shape my work, supporting both individuals and the professionals around them to build understanding, confidence and inclusive practice.
From classroom to leadership
I moved into the SEND sector, first as a maths teacher and later as an Assistant Headteacher. In these roles, I supported learners aged five to nineteen with a wide range of needs, including autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, and complex presentations.
Working closely with families, schools and multi-agency professionals, I developed a deep understanding of the challenges that arise when individuals are unable to access education or wider support in a way that feels safe, appropriate or manageable. This experience now underpins my work supporting education settings, care providers and organisations to strengthen practice, build staff confidence and create more inclusive environments.
Seeing the gap
During this time, I became increasingly aware of the lack of specialist support for individuals who were out of education, waiting for a placement, or struggling to engage due to anxiety, trauma or unmet needs. This gap extended beyond education into wider care and community settings, where staff often lacked the training and confidence to respond effectively.
Families and professionals frequently described support that focused on curriculum or tasks, rather than understanding the individual. Many services were not equipped to work with those who communicate through behaviour or who require a relationship-first approach in order to feel safe, regulated and able to engage.
Creating Nova SEND Services
Nova SEND Services was created to fill that gap, providing practical SEND consultancy, training and specialist tutoring across education, care and family settings. I work with education settings, care providers and organisations to build confidence, strengthen inclusive practice and support staff to respond effectively to a wide range of needs.
Alongside this, I provide trauma-informed tutoring for individuals who need emotionally safe, relationship-based support, as well as clear and practical guidance for families navigating complex processes such as EHCPs, EOTAS packages and Section 19 provision. My approach is grounded in connection, flexibility and a belief that support must adapt to the individual, not the other way around.
