Navigating Educational Challenges Together

We support families, schools and professionals to understand barriers to learning. We co-create pathways that enable young people to thrive.

We combine lived experience with professional expertise to build practical solutions that place the needs of the child at the centre.

About Us

Creating Collaborative Solutions for Young People

Are you a parent, school or local authority? Is your child falling through the gaps?

Whether the challenge is Emotional Based School Avoidance, unmet SEND needs, inclusion, attendance, alternative provision, EHCP processes, or finding the right educational pathway, we help bridge the gap between need and provision.

Drawing on specialist knowledge, lived experience and a trusted network of professionals, we bring people together to create practical, child-centred solutions that are both achievable and sustainable.

Our focus is not simply on attendance, compliance or fitting children into systems. It is about understanding individual needs, reducing barriers to learning, and creating opportunities for children and young people to flourish.

Together, we can navigate a way forward.

How we support families

We provide neuro-affirming and trauma-informed support for parents navigating:

Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA)

School-related trauma and anxiety

Neurodivergent burnout and masking

Parent overwhelm and advocacy fatigue

Communication with schools and professionals

 Finding practical next steps with clarity and confidence

Our Approach

For Parents

This is not about forcing children to fit systems that do not work for them. It is about understanding their individual needs, recognising the barriers they face, and finding the right support to help them thrive.

Imagine feeling…

  • More confident in understanding your child's needs

  • Clearer about your rights and available options

  • Better equipped to make informed decisions

  • Supported by people who understand the SEND journey

  • Less overwhelmed by the system

  • More hopeful about the future

You do not need to have all the answers today. Sometimes you simply need the right guidance, information and support to help you find a way forward.

Our Approach

For Schools

Supporting schools to develop personalised pathways for every learner.

This is not about fitting children into existing systems. It is about understanding their individual needs and designing support that allows them to succeed.

We help you have...

  • A clearer picture of the barriers affecting a child

  • Confidence that decisions are based on need rather than assumption

  • Practical strategies tailored to the individual

  • Stronger collaboration between school, family and professionals

  • Alternative approaches when current provision is not working

  • A clear, achievable plan that supports progress and wellbeing

When a child is struggling, schools should not have to navigate complex situations alone. We work alongside educational settings to develop personalised, child-centred solutions that are realistic, sustainable and focused on positive outcomes.

We Hear This Every Day:

  • "I don’t know what the right next step is anymore"

  • "Nobody seems to understand my child"

  • "I feel like I’m constantly fighting the system."

  • "Every professional tells us something different."

  • "I’m exhausted and scared of getting this wrong."

  • "School is harming my child, but nobody listens."

And we want you to know: your child is not broken, and neither are you....

Meet the Founders

Meet Katie

Katie Verity is a passionate SEND advocate, consultant and co-founder of Navigating NonSENse, dedicated to improving outcomes for children and young people with additional needs. As a mother to a child with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and speech and language difficulties, Katie has first-hand experience of the challenges families face when trying to access the right support within often complex educational systems.

Over the past decade, Katie has navigated her own child's educational journey while developing extensive knowledge of SEND law, inclusion, alternative provision, Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA), and Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Her commitment to improving provision led her to co-establish a specialist primary school designed to meet the needs of children who were not thriving within traditional educational settings.

Katie works not only with families, but also with schools, local authorities and professionals to develop personalised, child-centred solutions when existing approaches are no longer effective. She is particularly skilled at bringing together the key people around a child to identify barriers, build understanding, and create practical, sustainable plans that support both learning and wellbeing.

Combining lived experience with professional expertise, Katie's approach is collaborative, solution-focused and grounded in the belief that every child deserves an education that understands and responds to their individual needs. Her work empowers families, schools and professionals to navigate complexity with confidence and create meaningful pathways forward for children and young people.

Meet Claire

Claire Skyme is a trauma-informed educator with over 25 years of experience in SEN education. As Head Teacher of a specialist independent school, Claire has spent her career creating inclusive, nurturing environments where children with complex needs can truly thrive.

Claire holds a Master’s degree in Inclusion, Equality, and Diversity and is a specialist in dyslexia. She has extensive experience working with families navigating emotional school demand avoidance and neurodivergent burnout, and understands how difficult it can be to find the right school, the right support, and professionals who truly listen.

Claire’s approach is rooted in kindness, nervous-system awareness, and the belief that every child deserves support tailored to who they are — not who the system expects them to be.

Meet the Team

Becca

Becca brings a unique combination of professional expertise and lived experience as a qualified teacher, SENDCo, Autism Peer Support Worker, and neurodivergent adult.

She has extensive experience supporting children and young people with autism, ADHD, EBSA, SEMH needs and anxiety, alongside helping families navigate the SEND system and EHCP process.

Neuroblooms

Zoe

We are proud to work alongside Hereford Learning Hub, a specialist alternative education provider supporting children and young people whose needs may not be fully met in traditional school settings. Through a personalised, nurturing and inclusive approach, the Hub helps learners build confidence, re-engage with education and achieve positive outcomes. Their child-centred ethos closely aligns with our commitment to ensuring every child receives the support they need to thrive.

Hereford Learning Hub

Jess

Jess from Seeds of Possibility brings a truly inspiring and creative approach to education, helping children engage with learning in meaningful and enjoyable ways. By building strong relationships and following each child's interests and strengths, she creates opportunities for confidence, curiosity and self-belief to flourish. Her nurturing, flexible and child-led practice offers an invaluable pathway for children who benefit from learning beyond traditional approaches.

Seeds Of Learning

Testimonials

What is a consultation?

A consultation with Navigating Nonsense is a calm, confidential space where we listen to your family’s situation without judgement and help you identify your next steps.

In a consultation we will:

  • Listen to your child’s story and what your family is currently experiencing

  • Help you understand the options available to you

  • Help you develop a strategy to move things forward

  • Connect you to relevant services, resources, and next steps

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