The Haven, Overton

29/09/2026

I’d really value some honest feedback from Haven families.

I have always offered meet & greets completely free of charge because I think they’re really important.

They give learners and parents the chance to come in, see the space, meet me and work out whether The Haven actually feels right for them before committing to anything. They also give me the opportunity to learn a little about the learner — what they enjoy, what they find difficult, what might make them anxious and what support they may need — so that I’m not meeting them completely cold on their first session.

I really don’t want to lose that part of the process.

However, over the last two weeks I’ve had 10 meet & greets cancelled or changed by parents, often fairly close to the appointment time. I completely understand that life happens, particularly for families with neurodivergent or anxious children, and sometimes plans genuinely do need to change.

But unfortunately, offering so many appointment slots for free and then having them cancelled at short notice is becoming unsustainable, particularly when those spaces could have been offered to other families.

So before I change anything, I’d really like to know what you think would feel fair.

• A small deposit to secure the meet & greet, which is then taken off the first booked session
• A small booking fee for meet & greets
• Meet & greets remain free, but there is a charge for late cancellations/no-shows
• Something else?

I want the process to stay welcoming and accessible, while also finding something that works practically for The Haven.

I’d genuinely really appreciate your thoughts. 💚

28/09/2026

I was tagged in this by the lovely Victoria Kennedy. This is exactly my approach at The Haven

Recently, while delivering training in a school, I was asked a question that comes up a lot,

“How can I possibly meet everyone’s needs if all of my PDA learners are on their own autonomous learning pathway?”

It’s a good question, and having worked in classrooms myself, I completely appreciate how difficult it can feel when you’re trying to meet the needs of multiple learners all at the same time.

But autonomy doesn’t have to mean 30 completely different lessons happening simultaneously.

One of my favourite ways of thinking about PDA and learning is through the analogy of driving your own vehicle.

For a PDA learner to engage in the journey, there are a few things we need to consider:

🚗 Do they feel safe enough to start the journey?
If a learner doesn’t feel safe, regulated or understood, learning is unlikely to be the priority. The learner must feel safe with their passenger.

🚗 Are they comfortable having you in the car with them?
Before we can guide someone, we need a relationship that allows us to be part of their journey.

🚗 Do they actually want to go to the destination we’ve chosen?
This is the “What’s in it for me?” piece. We might think the destination is important but does it feel meaningful or relevant to them?

🚗 What support do they need along the way?
Some learners might need you sitting beside them as a helpful passenger.

Others might need you to programme the satnav, then let them take the wheel.

Some might just need you available if they get lost.

And others may be perfectly capable of making the journey independently.

The destination may sometimes be the same. The route and the amount of support needed to get there doesn’t have to be.

Supporting autonomy isn’t about abandoning structure, expectations or learning outcomes.

It’s about asking:

How can I help this learner feel that they are still in the driver’s seat?

illustrated by the wonderful Eliza Fricker at Missing The Mark

28/09/2026

A little Haven update 🌿

I’ve had lots of enquiries over the last week or so, and quite a few of our sessions are now filling up quickly.

Just a little note that places will be booked on a **first to confirm basis**. If you’ve messaged about a session but haven’t confirmed your place yet, I can’t always guarantee that the space will still be available.

And please do give me a nudge if you’re waiting for a reply from me! Admin is definitely not my strongest skill 😅 and at the moment a lot of my energy is going into making sure our learners are settled, comfortable and well supported when they come through the door.

I never mind a second message — sometimes it’s genuinely helpful!

Thank you so much for all the interest in The Haven. It’s really lovely to see our little groups growing while still keeping them small, calm and supportive. 🌿

26/09/2026

🔎 SATURDAY RESOURCE FIND | SCHOOL AVOIDANCE

We’ve shared several of our own resources this week, but there is already some really useful work out there too.

So today’s post is a little different.

I’ve pulled together some free resources from other organisations that may be useful if you’re supporting a child or young person who is finding getting to, or being at, school difficult.

There are resources for children and young people, parents and carers, schools and practitioners.

I’ve added the links in the comments below 👇

These resources haven’t been created by The Social Work Practice Hub. They remain the work of the organisations credited and the links will take you directly to the original source.

💙 Save this post for when you need it.

And if you know of a particularly useful free resource, add it below. It would be good to build a useful collection together.

25/09/2026

Please share the news wide and far!

We are hosting our first event on Friday 25th September (from 10-1) at our new office - 25 High Street, Overton (where the lovely Wilson's used to be).

Please come and see what The Village Office will have to offer.

It is a pre-opening so apologies in advance for any 'work in progress'!
..and best of all, there will lots of delicious cakes, coffee, tea, juice ...and a chance to donate to a cause very close to both our hearts.

Thanks all in advance for your support.

Elizabeta & Kate x

24/09/2026

There has been a lot in the media about families rushing to apply for EHCPs ahead of proposed SEND reforms.

And I keep thinking how unfair that feels.

Families who are already exhausted from trying to get the right support for their child are now being left wondering whether they need to act quickly before the system changes.

For many families, an EHCP is not just paperwork.

It can be the thing that finally gets support agreed.

The thing that makes provision clear.

The thing that gives parents something concrete to point to when support isn't happening.

So of course people are worried.

Not because parents are trying to “get something” for their child.

But because many have already learned that without something formal in place, support can be inconsistent, delayed or simply unavailable.

I absolutely support the idea that children should get help earlier and should not need an EHCP for every adjustment or intervention.

But families need to be able to trust that this will actually happen.

They need clarity.

They need reassurance.

And, more than anything, they need a system that doesn't make them feel they have to race to secure support before the rules change.

Children's needs haven't suddenly changed.

Families shouldn't be made to feel that the clock is ticking.

24/09/2026

What does a safe learning environment actually look like?

It isn’t just soft lighting, beanbags and a calm-looking room.

Those things can help.

But real safety is much deeper than that.

It looks like knowing you won’t be embarrassed for getting something wrong.

It looks like an adult noticing when you are overwhelmed, rather than assuming you are being difficult.

It looks like being allowed to ask questions.

To move.

To take a break.

To say, “I don’t understand.”

To need something explained differently.

It looks like predictability, but also flexibility.

Clear expectations, without unnecessary pressure.

Challenge, without shame.

Support, without making a child feel incapable.

It means understanding that two children may need completely different things in order to access the same learning.

And perhaps most importantly, it means relationship.

A child needs to know that the adult in front of them is on their side.

That mistakes won’t change how they are seen.

That difficult moments can be repaired.

That they belong there.

Because children learn best when they feel safe enough to be curious, make mistakes, ask for help and try again.

A safe learning environment isn’t about removing every challenge.

It is about creating a place where children feel secure enough to face them.

24/09/2026

What a wonderful morning we've had at The Haven, Overton.

My younger group were in for a couple of hours today and we ended up getting ready for a trip to Greenland via the Bermuda triangle! We made our passports, a departure board/flight itinerary, packed our suitcases and looked up information about the Bermuda triangle.

We then went on a little discovery tour about polar bears.

After that we did some investigating with our camera to work out how to make objects appear big or small.

Totally child led and what a journey it was.

24/09/2026

Random things that happen in a ND household...

I'll go first.

Missing toilet flushes

Please don't leave me hanging, add your random happenings (help the algorithm out for me 😉)

23/09/2026

Words matter.

New research from UCL Institute of Education and Words Matter has looked at something that can sometimes get lost amongst conversations about attendance, behaviour and attainment:

How children feel about the way adults speak to them.

More than 9 in 10 young people said positive communication from teachers made them more motivated to come to school.

And 94% said it helped them learn.

What did young people say made the biggest difference?

Patience.

Fairness.

Understanding.

Being treated with respect.

And feeling listened to.

None of those things require an expensive intervention or a new programme.

They are about relationships.

And I think that's incredibly important.

Because sometimes we talk about relationships as though they're the lovely extra bit of education — something that comes after the teaching, once the “real work” has been done.

But relationships ARE part of the learning.

A child who feels safe enough to say “I don't understand” can learn.

A child who isn't frightened of getting something wrong can try.

A child who feels listened to is more likely to communicate when something is becoming difficult.

And a child who feels respected is much more likely to feel that they belong.

This isn't about expecting teachers to get every interaction right. Teachers are human, under enormous pressure, and the teachers in this research overwhelmingly recognised the importance of positive relationships too.

But it is a useful reminder that the small interactions matter.

The tone.

The words.

The way we respond to a mistake.

The extra few seconds we give a child to answer.

The difference between “You weren't listening” and “Shall we go through that again?”

Sometimes the things that make the biggest difference to a child's education aren't particularly complicated.

They just need us to remember that there is a person behind the learning.

Source: UCL Institute of Education & Words Matter, September 2026