Ember SENDember send

SEND specialist · Canterbury, Kent

School wasn’t built for a brain like mine.That’s what I’m here to change.

I’m Holly Wilkie — a qualified teacher with years in the classroom and in SEND leadership. I work with schools that need SEND expertise without a full-time hire, and with families lost in a system that wasn’t designed to help them. Someone in your corner — whether you’re a school, a parent, or the young person yourself.

Book a free 30-minute conversation→See how I work →
Qualified
NASENCO · Thrive practitioner
Lived experience
Diagnosed dyslexic · Neurodivergent family
Based
Canterbury, Kent · UK-wide remote
Holly standing in a golden Kent wheat field at sunset
“I want children and young people to feel safe, supported, engaged and hopeful.”

The problem

Good SEND leadership shouldn’t be a luxury.

Many schools know their SEND provision could be stronger. Many families know something isn’t right but can’t get it heard. Ember SEND exists to close those gaps — with expertise that is flexible, human and fully qualified.

1 in 5
Children in the UK have some form of SEND
17 yrs
Holly’s experience with children, families and settings
  1. i.

    No qualified SENDCo on staff

    You’re responsible for SEND compliance, but a full-time hire isn’t financially viable. You need expertise without the overhead.

  2. ii.

    Compliance and inspection risk

    SEND is an area of increasing scrutiny. You need someone who knows the legislation, the frameworks, and what good looks like.

  3. iii.

    Rising school non-attendance

    Emotionally-based school non-attendance is climbing sharply. You need a practitioner who understands the complexity and knows how to help.

  4. iv.

    Families without a clear path forward

    Navigating SEND systems is exhausting. Having someone knowledgeable and kind on your side makes an enormous difference.

Holly with her newborn daughter
With my daughter, a few weeks after she arrived.

Teacher · SENDCo · Specialist · Parent

The SENDCo who knows what it actually feels like.

I trained as a teacher, qualified as a SENDCo, and for the last six years I’ve worked with young people referred out of mainstream by their local authorities — EHCP work, access arrangements, annual reviews, and the kind of complex cases that need someone who knows the system from the inside. I’ve written the plans. I’ve led the reviews. I’ve sat in the meetings where decisions get made about a child’s whole future.

I’ve also sat in those meetings as the parent. Raising a neurodivergent daughter taught me what no qualification could: how heavy the worry is, how exhausting the system feels, and how much it matters when someone competent is finally, genuinely on your side.

Teacher, SENDCo, specialist, parent — that range is rare, and it’s the whole point. I understand the school’s pressures and the family’s fear because I’ve lived both. So whether you’re a head teacher who needs SEND leadership without a full-time hire, or a parent who just needs someone who gets it, you’re not explaining yourself to a stranger. You’re talking to someone who already understands.

NASENCO
National SENCO award
Thrive Practitioner
Licensed
BA (Hons) English
PGCE qualified
17 years
in SEND
Holly at the ballet barre, arm raised, reflected in the studio mirror

What I bring to the work

The thing they told mewouldn’t pay the bills.

I was diagnosed dyslexic at forty-three. For four decades I’d known something was different — I worked harder than anyone around me to reach the same place, and I never quite knew why. School wasn’t built for a brain like mine, and nobody noticed. I just got on with it, quietly, the way conscientious children often do.

I was also a talented dancer. And somewhere along the way I was told, gently but firmly, that ballet wasn’t a serious path — so I folded it away and got practical. At forty-two, I walked back into a studio. In March 2026 I performed for the first time in over twenty years.

Coming back taught me what I now bring to every child I work with: the thing you’re told to put down is so often the thing worth protecting. A young person’s talent and their passion aren’t distractions from a serious future — they’re usually where their confidence and their sense of self actually live. My job is to help them hold on to both, not choose between them.

The approach

Three words I live by.

Honest. Practical. Person-centred. Everything else is negotiable.

01/03

Honest.

The child or young person sits at the centre. The adults around them — parents, teachers, TAs — are the experts I listen to. If something isn’t in the young person’s interest, I won’t do it, and I’ll tell you why.

02/03

Practical.

Reports you can act on. Plans that fit a real timetable. Advice that works on a Tuesday morning, not just on paper. I keep things grounded, costed and honest.

03/03

Person-centred.

No two children look the same on paper, and no two engagements should either. I scope every piece of work around the people involved — not a template, not a tier, not a tick-box.

The ecosystem

One person. Three rooms.

The young person sits at the centre. Schools, families and local authorities all sit around them — and I sit in the middle of those conversations, making sure the right things get heard, written down, and acted on.

  • SchoolsHeads, bursars, SENDCos
  • Families & young peopleParents, carers, the young person themselves
  • Local authoritiesCasework, EHCPs, panel
embedadvocatetranslate
Schools
Leadership · Casework
Families
Advocacy · EHCP
Local authorities
Panels · Reviews
The young
person
at the centre

What I do

Two ways to work together.

Whether you’re leading a school or holding it together at home — pick the track that fits. If you’re not sure, start with a free conversation.

Track 01

Schools & local authorities.

Qualified SEND leadership, audits and casework — embedded into your week as much or as little as you need.

  1. 01
    Schools

    Fractional SENDCo

    Qualified SENDCo leadership without a full-time hire. Strategy, statutory compliance, casework and parent meetings — embedded into your week as much or as little as you need.

    From £350 / day
    Day rate · Retainer
    Enquire
  2. 02
    Schools & LAs

    SEND Audit & Report

    An honest, plain-English audit of your SEND provision with a prioritised action plan. Useful for inspection prep, leadership change, or simply taking stock.

    From £999
    Fixed-price project
    Enquire
  3. 03
    Schools, families & LAs

    School Non-Attendance Support

    EBSA-informed work to understand what’s really going on and build a graduated return that doesn’t make things worse.

    From £350 / day
    Day rate · Half-day available
    Enquire

Track 02

Young people & families.

Steady, jargon-free support for young people and the families holding it all together — at home, at school, and beyond.

  1. 01
    Families & LAs

    Support for Families & Young People

    Navigating the SEND system, learning strategies, school liaison, EHCP guidance and Thrive support. For when you don’t know what to ask, who to ask, or what your child actually needs.

    From £65 / hour
    Packages available
    Enquire
  2. 02
    Schools & families

    Thrive Assessment & Plan

    A licensed Thrive assessment with a practical, relational plan you can put into use the next day — at home, in class, or both.

    From £280
    Fixed-price project
    Enquire
  3. 03
    Young people & families

    Post-16 Transition Support

    Coaching and practical support for young people stepping into college, work or independent living — and for the families holding it all together.

    From £65 / hour
    Min 3 sessions
    Enquire
+ Ember network

Need something beyond what Holly does directly — EP, SaLT, OT, specialist tutor, alternative provision? She connects you with a trusted independent she already works alongside.See the network →

Not sure which track fits? Start with a free conversation.

The Ember network

A wider circle of expertise, when you need it.

Holly has built genuine relationships with a trusted network of independent specialists. When a child or family needs something beyond what she provides directly, she connects you with the right person — people she knows, trusts, and has worked alongside.

  • Educational Psychologists
  • Speech & Language Therapists
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Specialist SEND tutors
  • Thrive practitioners
  • Mental health support
  • Alternative provision
  • Private tutors

How it works

How this actually works.

Every engagement starts with a conversation.

  1. 01
    Free conversation

    Thirty minutes, no obligation. Share what’s going on; I’ll ask the questions that matter and tell you honestly whether I’m the right person to help.

  2. 02
    Tailored proposal

    A clear scope, approach, timeline and cost — written so you know exactly what you’re agreeing to, and what you’re not.

  3. 03
    We get started

    A scheduled presence, a defined project, or responsive support — whichever fits. Always clear, always communicative.

  4. 04
    Ongoing partnership

    I don’t disappear after a handover. I stay invested, available, and genuinely interested in outcomes.

Pricing

What it costs to work together.

Starting prices, written down — so you know where you stand before you even get in touch.

Track 01

Schools & local authorities.

  • Schools
    Fractional SENDCo
    Day rate or retainer. Min ½ day.
    from £350
    per day
  • Schools & LAs
    SEND Audit & Report
    Plain-English audit + action plan.
    from £999
    fixed project
  • Schools, families & LAs
    School Non-Attendance Support
    EBSA-informed. Half-day available.
    from £350
    per day

Track 02

Young people & families.

  • Families & LAs
    Support for Families & Young People
    Packages available. EHCP, school liaison, Thrive.
    from £65
    per hour
  • Schools & families
    Thrive Assessment & Plan
    Licensed Thrive assessment + practical plan.
    from £280
    fixed project
  • Young people & families
    Post-16 Transition Support
    Min 3 sessions. College, work, independence.
    from £65
    per hour
  • Free first conversation
    Thirty minutes, no obligation. The right place to start.
  • Written proposal first
    Exact costs agreed in writing before any work begins.
  • No lock-in
    Pay for what you actually need, for as long as you need it.

Sit between the two, or not sure which fits? Start with a free conversation.

In her words

Why Ember exists.

“The children who are hardest to reach are usually the ones who have been let down the most. That’s not a reason to give up on them. It’s a reason to try harder.”
Holly Wilkie · Founder, Ember SEND

Testimonials from schools and families will be shared here as they’re ready.

Start here · Free 30-minute conversation

Tell me what’s
actually going on.I’ll listen properly.

No script. No sales pitch. If I’m not the right person, I’ll say so — and I usually know someone who is.

  • 30 minutes
  • No charge
  • No obligation
  • Replies within 2 working days