Heroes of 2024: Kirstie Kerr, Fiveways School

This year, I am nominating Kirstie Kerr for IMPOWER’s Heroes of 2024 celebration. Kirstie is a special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) at Fiveways School in Somerset, and recently spoke at our plenary session at the National Children and Adult Services Conference (NCASC) about a former student’s transition to another special school that better suited his needs.

Kirstie was a key part of Elliot’s transition as he developed and outgrew the curriculum at Fiveways. She worked closely with Elliot’s mum to ensure the transition was the right transition – Danielle was really worried about Elliot moving school, but Kirstie affirmed her that this was the right decision for Elliot. Now, Elliot is thriving socially and academically and will have a different future to the one he may have had before.

When I visited both schools recently to film Kirstie, Danielle, Elliot, and new curriculum lead Ben Crump, I was blown away by the resources available at both schools, and the sheer dedication of staff to meet the individual needs of each and every young person in their care.

Thank you so much to Kirstie and the teams at Fiveways and Fairmead schools – you really are amazing at what you do.