Director of Inclusion
francesca.mcloughlin@thelink.academyFran has been working in primary education since qualifying with a BEd Hons degree from Leicester in 1987 (Early Years specialism) and has worked across a range of city and rural primary schools in Hampshire and Devon. She has worked in senior leadership for many years and has been the headteacher of Sparkwell Primary School since 2015, developing this school from a newly opened Free School to the inclusive and successful school it is today. She has the NPQH (2012) and a Masters Degree in coaching (Marjons, 2013) and has been a SENCo for almost 20 years with a passion to ensure all children get the best education in a nurturing, inclusive environment. She is also a qualified counsellor for children and young people and uses her counselling skills to ensure families, staff and children have a voice.
Trust SEND Lead
catherine.haynes@thelink.academyCatherine has been a Primary School Teacher for 20 years since qualifying from Bath Spa University College with a BA Hons in Education and a PGCE specialising in General Primary. It was here that she developed her interest in supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilites (SEND) and this has grown throughout her teaching career. In 2013, Catherine completed her PgCert National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination.
Catherine has taught in schools in Warwickshire and Devon and prior to taking up the role of the Link Academy Trust SEND Lead in 2023, Catherine was the Assistant Headteacher and SENDCO at Wolborough CE Nursery and Primary School for 12 years. Through this role, Catherine developed her understanding that all children are unique and the needs that they have can present in a number of ways. All behaviour is communication and it is our job as school staff to work alongside families and other professionals to work out what this communication is and how we can best support each individual child. Catherine works across all the Link schools to offer advice and support to make sure we are achieving the best for our children with SEND and all children are given the opportunities and experiences that allow them to achieve their full potential.
Therapeutic Teaching Assistant
Sibi.moore@thelink.academySibi is a holistic practitioner who first qualified as a counsellor in 2022, before continuing her study and receiving her BA Hons First in Integrative Counselling from Worcester University in 2024.
She has worked as a counsellor in secondary school settings as well as having her own private practice for adults and young people. Sibi works in a Trauma-Informed way and uses her therapeutic background to inform her work with families and to help them advocate for their needs.
Sibi first started working in schools in 2018 and over the years has worked in a number of modalities with children and young people in mainstream and alternative settings.
She has incorporated her love of working outdoors in nature and with traditional crafts to support a variety of Nature-Connection courses and camps for adults and children.
Sibi has a background in Art and Design and Holistic Bodywork. She has an interest in bushcraft, survival skills and regenerative nature practices.
Sibi has also undertaken training in Transformative Conflict and Justice and Convergent Facilitation with Navigate, and Non-Violent Communication with Giraffe Social Enterprises.
Sibi has been working for the IIH for 4 years and brings her varied mix of experience to her work, supporting the planning, provision and development of the SEMH Outdoor and Outreach courses. Sibi is passionate about working with children, parents and staff to bring about positive, relational individual and systemic changes.
Improvement and Inclusion Hub Lead and Academy SENDCo
rebecca.humphreys@thelink.academyInclusion & Improvement Hub Lead
Becky Humphreys has been in education since 2005 when she qualified with a BA(Hons) in Primary Education specialising in Early Years from King Alfred's College in Winchester. Many of her teaching years were spent in KS2 and she had a particular love for Years 5 and 6 and the goal of preparing them for their future education and lives moving forward. After working in schools in Leeds, Somerset and Plymouth, Becky joined Bearnes Primary School in January 2014 where she developed her passion for supporting pupils with SEND and also became a DSL. She was appointed IIH Lead in 2019 and has been completely dedicated in her focus on acquiring a deep understanding of the needs of pupils who require a different approach to learning. She has trained in a diverse range of fields including the SEND Award and the National Professional Qualification in Leading Behaviour and Culture to be able to lead this facility with confidence; in fact she is now involved on the board of a number of external organisations as a reflection of her commitment to inclusion.
SEMH & Therapeutic Lead
nikki.racey@thelink.academyNikki qualified with a BA Hons in Fine Art Sculpture Degree in Northumbria University in 1999. In 2000, she completed her PGCE at Oxford Brookes and spent her early teaching career working at Beacon school in London before working in a broad range of classroom settings over the next 20 years. In 2008, she completed her NPQH training.
Alongside her teaching practice, Nikki has trained as a therapeutic Creative Kinesiology practitioner; she has particular interest in releasing trauma. Nikki’s passion is to support children’s social, emotional and mental health as a route to impacting their learning, personal potential and wellbeing.
In 2017, she began bringing to life her vision and now leads an established therapeutic hub in the Academy. Nikki has woven together her passions of Relational Practice, being in the outdoors and art to create an innovative approach to supporting SEMH. She is accredited with Wild Tribe to work safely outdoors.
Nikki works closely with Sibi, a trained integrative counsellor and together they have written a progressive outdoor SEMH curriculum. She believes key to making change sustainable is working with the system around the child and hence the courses support families and staff to better understand and meet a child’s underlying needs. Nikki has studied Relational Practice with the IIH team, and trained with the British Association of Art Therapists Foundation level Art Therapy and Level 3 ARTiculate and this year is training in Family Constellations therapy.