Meet the team - Sharon Gray OBE NLE

Thrive Trainer and Education Consultant and Advisor

Qualifications: B.Ed Hons
Diploma in Drama Therapy
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Diploma
Certificate Play therapy

Advanced Scuba Diver!!!!

Work Experience: Sharon’s work and purpose is in taking a systemic approach to help adults, teams, schools, communities and local authorities to create environments that enrich the emotional wellbeing, creativity and learning of children and young people. The focus is to release a child’s innate desire to learn and for them to discover joy in their learning and so achieve the best outcomes possible. Working with staff, she aims to enable and facilitate transformational working practices with those working in mainstream settings and specialist settings, with vulnerable children, young adults and their families, who face multiple challenges, including, mental health difficulties, inequality, poverty, challenging behaviour and addiction.

She has been a Headteacher for 18 years. This includes 12 years’ headship leading special schools, including residential units for children and young people experiencing severe social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH). Sharon spent 6 years as the Headteacher of a larger than average mainstream school with an enhanced provision for children excluded from other schools due to experiencing significant SEMH difficulties. She has also worked with two nurture units and a provision for vulnerable 2 year olds. During this time she became the Executive Head whilst supporting an additional school in need.

Sharon was an Ofsted inspector for 9 years and a BSO accredited inspector. This enabled her to have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the inspection process and gain new ideas and insights from different schools.

A little more about me: Sharon has been in education all her life, apart from when she was permanently excluded at a very young age… she can’t help but think that her passion for the work she does was born out of this experience.

Sharon loves scuba diving, travelling, generally adventuring and exploring. She loves learning and laughing in equal amounts!

Sharon has two dogs, Samson, a labradoodle who was also her school dog and Claude, who whilst the biggest bundle of love and fun, was not a school dog!