Toni Bailey
Nourish is Toni Bailey, me with access to an extensive network developed over a career in SEND & Inclusion. I am an experienced director and principal originally trained as a primary school teacher, after a short time as a residential support worker in children's homes in the south of the UK.
My care experience led me to quickly find a career route in specialist provisions and I have worked all across the North West and in the North Wales region as a teacher, leader, headteacher and Principal for 3 different residential special schools, all of which catered for pupils with SEMH and / or Autism alongside complex associated needs.
During this time I spent over 13 years working within the exec of a national network of SEMH schools 'engage in their future' including 4 years as chair, which enabled me to advocate and support the national agenda for SEND in the UK and I was also lucky enough, during this time, to be invited to visit New Zealand to work with the education department there.
Following leading a review of the PRU offer in Peterborough I was lucky enough to be recruited to the role of Assistant Director of Education (SEND / Inclusion) for Cambridgshire and Peterborough, which allowed me to gain an in-depth understanding of the pressures facing LA's and has helped me to forge proactive relationships with colleagues in Director roles across the country.
My passion for inclusion led me to a role as Director of SEND for a MAT with mainstream primary and secondary academies.
I was able to support the improvement of SEND provision for pupils, some of whom, potentially, could have been placed in more complex special provision.
During this time I developed and co-produced a range of approaches to help team members become more confident with SEND and Nourish is now a vehicle for me to support more academies, schools, LA's, care homes or any provision who works with the pupils who most find challenging.
In my spare time you will find me with a Bass guitar, or on a mountain bike or teaching/ training Ki Aikido, which I have practiced since 1994, opening up my own Dojo in 2017.
Ki Aikido is a dynamic martial art that is based on calmness and posture and without a doubt the lessons I continue to learn from the practice have facilitated me to become a successful practitioner in the SEND landscape. It also helped me to develop an effective crisis support model :
'The Natural Method'
based on calm reaction and gentle guidance with foundations in trauma informed practice, utilising my qualification as a Trauma Informed Practitioner with IATE.
Check out my testimonials or my LinkedIN page or get in touch, if you would like to know more ?
TRAINING AND
EXPERIENCE
TRAINING
BEd (Hons)
NPQH
Nurture Group Practice
Certificate (Edgehill Uni)
Graduate Diploma in Law
Trauma Informed Practitioner (University of East London)
Youth Mental Health First Aid
DSL Training / Refresher
Equality / Diversity
EXPERIENCE
Nov 25 - Today
Director - Nourish
2023 -2025
Director of SEND
Creative Eduction Trust
2019 -2023
AD SEND & Inclusion
Cambs / Peterborough LAs.
2008- 2019
SEND leadership roles.
SENDCo, Headteacher,
Principal and Head of Service (specialist / residential)
1996- 2008
Advisory role for LAC / CiC
SEND teaching roles in Key Stages 2,3,4 &5
Mainstream teaching roles
1994-1996
Residential care work