Caroline is one of the founders of Communicate-ed. She is a specialist teacher who has practical experience in all areas of the access arrangements process and trains for local authorities, universities and SEND services. Caroline has contributed to a range of publications, including academic journals. She has worked with a number of publishers to develop tests, and has been involved in various DfE and Ofqual training and policy projects. She was a member of the working party that established the Access Arrangements Online system. In 2024 Caroline was presented with a University of Roehampton Chancellor’s Alumni Award, for Innovation and Inspiration in her industry.
Amy is the Managing Director of Communicate-ed. She holds a BSc in Psychology, is a qualified primary teacher and has worked as an access arrangements assessor for a number of years, supporting both secondary schools and FE colleges. She runs our Helpline and Mentoring schemes, and also manages our sister company, Include-ed, who provide the popular PAPAA and APAAC qualifications.
Debbie organises our online training programme and looks after the central office. Before joining Communicate-ed Debbie gained her Diploma in Advanced Surgical Nursing and worked as a Veterinary Nurse for nearly 20 years and as a NVQ assessor and internal verifier with a Veterinary Training Consultancy. Debbie’s interests include running, swimming, walking and reading as well as spending time with her family.
With a background in administration and communications, Katie carries responsibilities for Communicate-ed databases, website, financial administration and marketing. She also looks after our membership scheme.
Rebecca is a Specialist Teacher with more than 21 years’ assessment experience. She has a current Assessment Practising Certificate, regularly carrying out diagnostic assessment for dyslexia and dyscalculia, as well as carrying out access arrangement assessments. She is a senior assessor and IQA for the PAPAA course, supporting students with the course demands. She is a member of the APC accreditation team for the BDA and is a SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC) approved CPD provider, with current SASC courses for mentoring on diagnostic report writing; building assessment confidence in report writing for SpLD in maths; branching out into EAA: a guide for Level 7/APC holder; and using the SASC 2025 report format for SpLD in maths.
Lia has been teaching and supporting learners of all ages for over 30 years and in varying educational settings. She is a specialist teacher assessor who is highly experienced in all aspects of access arrangements, has held a current Assessment Practising Certificate since 2008 and regularly assesses in schools and colleges. An accomplished educational trainer, Lia is the co-creator of a postgraduate access arrangements assessor course and is the author of the Patoss/JCQ book, ‘Assessing the Need for Access Arrangements’. She works as an independent educational consultant through her company ‘Castiglione Consulting Ltd’.
Judy is an independent education consultant specialising in Dyslexia and Dyscalculia. When Judy was Senior Lecturer in Inclusion at Edgehill University, she was responsible for developing a PGCE in Dyscalculia and she wrote the British Dyslexia Association’s courses on Dyscalculia. She has written a guide book for parents of children with Dyslexia, two books of ready-made lessons for learners with Dyscalculia, the Dyscalculia Pocketbook and most recently the SEN Books publication ‘Making Maths Visual and Tactile’. She has delivered key notes, workshops and training in Dyscalculia across the world.
Derek is a Teacher of the Deaf who has worked for many years modifying examination language for Awarding Bodies. He has represented the British Association of Teachers of the Deaf in liaising with the ABs and compiled the BATOD ‘Language of Examinations’ booklet. He has also acted as an external adviser for Ofqual’s research into language modification. He prepares and presents the courses on Language Modification for both CIEA and Communicate-ed.
Fintan works nationally as a Behaviour and Learning Consultant and Trainer for schools and school support systems including, social services, health services, the police and foster carers with regards to providing behaviour management strategies for children and families struggling with SEND and behaviour issues. He was Head teacher of the first specialist school in the UK for students with issues relating to ADHD, ASD and ODD, and has written a number of books and articles on these conditions and a range of learning, behaviour and socialisation issues.
Tory is a qualified therapist who mainly works with adopted and fostered young people and their carers. She holds a MSc in Attachment Studies, postgraduate training in Play Therapy, Therapeutic Life Story work and is currently doing a PhD in Psychology. Before training to be a therapist Tory and her husband brought up a large family of birth, adopted and fostered children.
Rob Long is a Chartered Educational Psychologist who offers high quality training to schools and colleges to teachers and other professionals. Rob’s main area of interest is supporting children and young people who face social, emotional and mental health difficulties. He has written and had published several books and assessments to support his work., offering teachers, support staff and families practical ways to manage and understand difficult situations. Rob is vice-chair of the Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Association and a tutor for the Oxford/Brookes University distance learning course on Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties.
Ally is a Specialist Teacher who has assessed pupils across various age ranges and settings, as well as working as a SENCo in a large mixed comprehensive school. Ally has led on both literacy and numeracy interventions working with pupils with a range of special educational needs. She has been part of a team of experts working with NFER to develop the National Reference Tests.
Jo is a qualified teacher of the visually impaired (QTVI) who has worked with all ages from pre-school to further education since 1987. She worked in a London peripatetic service supporting children with a visual impairment for 15 years, serving 6 of the London Boroughs as well as heading a nursery. After working with Children with Severe Learning Difficulties in Melbourne Australia, Jo took on the role of Senior Advisory Teacher for Children and Young People with Visual Impairment in East Sussex, alongside volunteering with a local Association for the Blind.
