Consultancy with Forming Connections
Let's create the inclusive school/provision that you've been working towards.
Every partnership begins with a free 30-minute online consultation to explore your needs and identify the most appropriate support for your setting.
Our consultancy combines extensive SEND and inclusion expertise with neuroscience-informed approaches to behaviour, regulation and learning. We help schools look beyond presenting difficulties to understand the factors that influence engagement, wellbeing and achievement, supporting staff to develop effective, inclusive and sustainable practice.
Drawing on experience as a teacher, school leader, SEND specialist, Local Authority advisor, parent and AuDHDer, we work alongside schools with curiosity, compassion and practical expertise.
Every setting is unique, so all support is bespoke. Whether you are strengthening your Graduated Response, developing inclusive practice, reviewing provision or supporting individual pupils, our aim is to build confidence, create clarity and achieve lasting impact.
Get in touch to discuss how we can support your school community.
Our Approach
Our work is grounded in a deep understanding of inclusion, SEND, learning and child development. We believe that the most effective schools don't simply respond to need, they create environments where every child can belong, participate and succeed from the outset.
Drawing on neuroscience, attachment theory and child development research, we help schools understand how relationships, emotional safety and regulation shape behaviour, wellbeing and learning. This enables leaders and staff to look beyond presenting behaviours and strengthen the universal provision that benefits all pupils, while ensuring targeted support is available for those who need it.
With extensive experience across mainstream, specialist and alternative provision, alongside Local Authority SEND advisory work, we understand the challenge of translating inclusive values into everyday practice. We work alongside leaders, SENDCos and staff to develop ambitious yet achievable Inclusion Strategies, strengthen the Graduated Response and embed inclusive practice across the whole school, not just within SEND.
Our approach is both strategic and relational. We collaborate with leaders, staff, families and young people to identify strengths, remove barriers and develop practical, sustainable solutions that build confidence and capacity within your own team.
We believe inclusion is more than meeting statutory requirements or providing access. It is about creating a culture of belonging, where every child is understood, valued and empowered to thrive.
Through evidence-informed consultancy, coaching and professional development, we help schools strengthen their universal offer, develop confident and inclusive practice, and create lasting improvements in wellbeing, participation, achievement and outcomes for all learners.
Areas of Support
Areas of support include, but are not limited to, the following. Every piece of consultancy is bespoke and tailored to the priorities, context and needs of your setting.
Inclusion Strategy & Universal Offer
Supporting schools to develop and embed inclusive practice that works in reality, not just on paper. We help schools review and strengthen their universal offer, develop meaningful Inclusion Strategies, identify and remove barriers to learning, and create cultures where every pupil can belong, participate and achieve.
SEND Leadership & Graduated Response
Strengthening SEND provision across universal, targeted and specialist support. We support SEND reviews, provision mapping, assessment processes, individual planning, SEND systems and leadership development, helping schools build a consistent, evidence-informed Graduated Response.
Curriculum Design & Inclusive Provision
Supporting schools to design flexible, accessible curricula that meet the needs of diverse learners. This includes curriculum adaptation, alternative provision and the development of Enhanced Resource Provisions or SEND units within mainstream settings.
Preparing for Adulthood
Helping schools embed meaningful approaches to independence, communication, self-advocacy, emotional wellbeing and successful transitions. Support can be tailored for individual pupils, cohorts or whole-school development.
Behaviour, Wellbeing & Regulation
Helping schools understand behaviour through the lens of child development, relationships and regulation. We support staff to respond confidently to anxiety, dysregulation, attendance concerns and emotional wellbeing, improving engagement, participation and learning.
Parent & Carer Partnerships
Building strong, trusting relationships between school and home through effective communication, collaborative problem-solving and shared understanding. We support schools to navigate challenging conversations and develop genuine partnerships that improve outcomes for children and young people.
Why Choose Forming Connections?
I'm Brenda, an experienced SEND and inclusion specialist with more than 20 years in education, including mainstream, specialist and alternative provision and five years as a Local Authority SEND and Inclusion Advisory Teacher.
I combine practical school experience with evidence-informed approaches to connection, regulation, belonging and learning.
I don't arrive with a generic package and tell you what your school needs. I work alongside your team to understand your children, your context and your existing strengths, then help you decide what will make the greatest difference.
In-person (Derby), In-school or Online
Why Neuroscience Matters: The "Brain-Smart" Approach to Education *
Female ADHD: Chasing Dopamine and Connection, lived and professional experience*
Beyond the Lesson: Executive Function, Regulation and the Science of Memory*
Neuroscience for Education: Learning, Behaviour and Wellbeing Through a Neuroscience Lens (120 mins)
Unlock a "Brain-Smart" approach to education. This 2-hour session bridges the gap between neuroscience and the classroom, offering a professional yet accessible toolkit for staff.
Move from reacting to behaviour to understanding the nervous system’s role in learning and safety. We’ll explore brain development, executive function, and wellbeing and regulation, to help you build a calmer, more inclusive environment.
Gain the insights needed to support your students’ growth while protecting your own energy.
Beyond the Lesson: Executive Function, Regulation and the Science of Memory*
Female ADHD: Chasing Dopamine and Connection, lived and professional experience*
Beyond the Lesson: Executive Function, Regulation and the Science of Memory*
Neuroscience and Memory, the optimal conditions that turns teaching into learning.
(90 mins)
*In-person booking now available click link below! Tuesday 16th June 2026
Calm or Energise the Body. Focus the Mind. Secure the Knowledge.
Why does learning so often "go in one ear and out the other"? Even the best lesson fails if a student’s nervous system is dysregulated or their working memory is overloaded.
To make knowledge stick, we must first prime the brain to receive it.
Join us for this 90-minute masterclass to bridge the gap between neuroscience and the classroom. You’ll leave with practical, "Monday-ready" strategies to settle the nervous system, sharpen executive function, and use retrieval science to ensure your teaching leaves a lasting impact.
Female ADHD: Chasing Dopamine and Connection, lived and professional experience*
Female ADHD: Chasing Dopamine and Connection, lived and professional experience*
Female ADHD: Chasing Dopamine and Connection, lived and professional experience*
A lived Experience workshop, exploring the impact and presentation of ADHD in females.
(90 mins)
*In-person booking now available click link below! Tuesday 30th June 2026
This 90-minute workshop explores how ADHD presents in females across the lifespan, with a focus on school-aged girls and female staff.
Blending the latest research with lived experience, the session examines the impact of hormonal changes, emotional regulation, executive functioning, and behaviour in educational settings.
Led by an AuDHD SEND and inclusion specialist and teacher, this is a practical, relatable, and insight-driven session designed to deepen understanding and improve support in schools.
The Mood Matrix ©: An 'emotional' regulation toolkit for secondary schools
Female ADHD: Chasing Dopamine and Connection, lived and professional experience*
Introductory session for schools, 1 teacher licence included in session price.
(120 mins)
*In-person booking now available click link below! Tuesday 7th July 2026
In a busy school environment, a student in "Shutdown" can look like they are being lazy, while a student in "Overdrive" can look like they are being defiant.
The Mood Matrix changes the conversation from "What is wrong with you?" to "What mood/state are you in?".
By implementing this framework, schools can prioritise "Connection Before Correction," recognising that a dysregulated brain cannot learn. It provides staff and students with a common vocabulary to co-regulate, ensuring that the "Long Exhale" and sensory resets become part of the daily rhythm, ultimately lowering the "noise" in the classroom and increasing engagement.
Music, Mindset, Mood, Movement, Memory & Focus
Practical take-aways to improve engagement in the classroom.
(120 mins)
*In-person booking now available click link below! Tuesday 14th July 2026
Unlock the Rhythm of Learning Is your classroom environment working with you, or against you? This 120-minute immersive workshop moves beyond traditional teaching methods to explore how Music, Mindset, Mood, Movement, Memory, and Focus are the secret keys to classroom engagement.
Designed for KS1 and KS2 classrooms, we explore the simple, science-backed "sensory shifts" that can transform a chaotic transition into a moment of calm and turn a mid-afternoon slump into a focused "flow state." Discover how to "hack" the classroom environment to make learning feel easier for your students and teaching feel more sustainable for you.
Focus, Calm & Connection (for staff)
Attention-based activities with practical insights from neuroscience
(60 or 90 mins)
“Workplace stress affects hundreds of thousands of UK employees, every year 776,000 workers reported stress, depression, or anxiety in 2023/24, leading to 16.4 million lost working days (HSE 2024).
A mixture of the theory behind how our brain and bodies react to stress, and how mindfulness practices can support regulation, co-regulation and connection.
Mindful practices give your team the tools to stay present, improve focus, and manage stress before it takes hold. By learning simple, practical techniques, employees can boost wellbeing, build resilience, and create a calmer, more productive work environment.
The Calm, Connected Classroom
The Calm, Connected Classroom
The Calm, Connected Classroom
Training & Support Programme for Teachers and support staff.
6-Weeks Online (60 or 90 mins per session)
For whole school, the first session can be in-person.
Support the wellbeing and behaviour management of your newest teachers with this unique offer
This six-week package of online training and support regulation, wellbeing for both teachers and their classes, and supporting challenging behaviours in the classroom.
This programme uses aspects from polyvagal theory and an escalation curve reimagined as a nervous system journey to help teachers track, understand, and influence their own regulation and that of their students. Supporting the journey with strategies and advice.
The package will also support in early identification of SEND within the classroom, using the graduated response process of assess/plan/do/review, from the SEND Code of Practice, which is a core element with the package.