About Us

Tyrone is an experienced education professional and former headteacher and SENCO. He has a stronger passion for transforming the life chances of children and young people. He has a proven track record of driving positive change across mainstream, SEND and Alternative Provision in both primary and secondary settings.

Tyrone has championed Physically Active Learning as an innovative strategy to integrate movement into the curriculum to enhance pupil engagement and improve wellbeing. He brings extensive expertise in teacher training and mentoring and supports his local university annually by sharing with trainee teachers his experiences in creating inclusive learning environments. 

His passion for improving the school experience for pupils has helped improve attendance and develop a sense of belonging. Whilst working in AP, Tyrone oversaw record pupil reintegration's to their respective mainstream schools. He is an advocate for ensuring children thrive in education and has supported numerous settings identify barriers to education.

Tyrone is excited to see how the DfE Attendance Mentoring Pilot Expansion can support children improve their attendance and thrive academically, socially and emotionally. He is determined to ensure school attendance remains a national priority following the significant post-pandemic drop. Tyrone will work with area managers and mentors across the South of England who will provide one-to-one support to children who are persistently or severely absent. He will also collaborate with external stakeholders to share an understanding of the barriers to attending school.

Jude has been involved in school management and leadership for over 30 years in a range of educational settings. She has been a Deputy Head, Acting Head and a Literacy Consultant; leading staff development and embedding sustainable change through building positive relationships with children, staff and school communities.

As a Lead Mentor for her local university and Teaching Hub, Jude has provided training, led induction and worked as Appropriate Body Lead contributing to developing the pedagogy of future teachers. She has worked closely with many Early Career Teachers and mentors providing training and mentor support.

Jude is passionate about building positive learning environments and deepening understanding of young people’s needs so all pupils thrive at school. Through her attendance and mentoring work, Jude has extensive experience of working with young people and families to identify and remove potential barriers to education.

The DfE Attendance Mentoring Pilot Expansion is key to continuing this work. Establishing trusting relationships with young people and families whilst providing a structured mentoring programme is key to improving attendance. Jude is dedicated to working with area managers and mentors in the north of England to support children who are persistently or severely absent from school.

She is both excited and privileged to be able to share this work with external stakeholders whilst also continuing to learn from educators and mentors in the regions she will serving.

I have been working with children, young people, and their families for 25 years, which seems like a long time—even longer when you realise this is now a quarter of a century..

I have built my career on creating impactful, systemic change and have had many ‘firsts’ in the fields of County Lines, child exploitation, and modern-day slavery and human trafficking (MDSHT).

As the UK’s first Local Authority Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for County Lines and gang exploitation, I pioneered safeguarding approaches, including developing national victim support processes adopted by policing teams across the country. I chaired a national board of experts in the field of child criminal exploitation (CCE), influencing change within local authorities, the police, and NGOs.

I have sat on Out of Court Disposal Order panels as a civilian representative-passionately advocating for young people not being treated as criminals due to their exploitation, led Home Office-funded initiatives—including a visit to the Ukrainian border in Romania at the start of the war to assess the risks of young people being trafficked and the potential impact on the UK—and been the service lead for national projects supporting children and young people at risk of exploitation. I have also designed and developed support packages for the families of those caught up in exploitation as well as training professionals throughout the UK on the subject. In addition, I have been a consultant for the BBC and ITV on County Lines and CCE projects they’ve developed over the years.

My career has also included supporting young people’s mental health as a therapist, working for the Priory and MIND, as well as delivering lectures at institutions like the College of Policing and the Wilberforce Institute for Modern Day Slavery.

Education and meaningful relationships are key to breaking cycles of disadvantage and exploitation, and I have seen firsthand how the right people can make lasting, effective change. I am driven by the opportunity to support young people to thrive and ensure that no one is left behind. Being a Solution Focused therapist, and practitioner I believe in building strong foundations and moving forward- this is particularly pertinent with young people and the cohorts we will be working with.

I am excited to bring all this knowledge and experience to the AMP and am always happy to share this with anyone who has an interest.

Regarding outside of work, I live in a small village in Essex and have a 9-yr old son-who reminds me at every chance he gets that I am old, and very uncool!

I have a small recording studio and am signed to a couple of record labels, as well as being a DJ and playing as part of a live act. I am obsessed with synths, drum machines, and things that go beep and boop and if you get me started on this subject, I will go on, and on, and on…

With over 15 years of experience in education, I’ve had the privilege of wearing many hats, from starting as an LSA in a bustling London secondary school to delivering drama classes to being the PSHE Coordinator in a college. Whilst in the role of Head of Drama in a secondary school, I learned to thrive in high-energy environments where creativity and collaboration kept many plates spinning at once – dramatic to say the least! As the PSHE Coordinator, I have gained a keen understanding of what happens to our young people when they leave secondary school education and how their challenges change and move with them. When I am not working and spinning plates, I am spinning plates at home with a loving husband, two very opinionated daughters and a clingy cat!

Joining the AMP has brought together some of my greatest passions: creating opportunities for young people, working with dynamic teams, and making a positive, lasting impact. I’m energised by new challenges and deeply committed to empowering the next generation.

After many years working with adults in HM Prisons on drug and alcohol programmes and recently with homeless men and women with multiple disadvantages, I am very excited to be managing the team in South West Somerset helping young people on the Attendance Mentoring Programme to improve their attendance to greatly improve their chances of having an enriched education, healthier relationships, and a fulfilling future.

After several years working within customer service, I made the decision to take my career in a different direction. This led me to Teesside University where I studied Law. After gaining my Law degree, I took the decision to stay on for a further year to gain my PCGE with literacy specialism, after which I embarked on a journey within the education sector.

In 2015, drawing on previous qualifications and knowledge, I began teaching early years to post 16 students. After several months I had the opportunity to start teaching functional skills and GCSE English Language to students who had all found mainstream schooling a challenge.

After moving into a management role two years ago, I was responsible for overseeing the English functional skills and GCSE provision within academies across England. I was also responsible for building an engaging and diverse English curriculum, so learners had the best chance to succeed and fulfil their potential.

Teaching a variety of students; many with more complex needs, allowed me to delve deeper into areas of interest such as mental health, safeguarding and SEN needs. This resulted in taking on the Designated Safeguarding Lead with my previous employer and gaining further qualifications within these areas.

Hello, I am Andrew, the Area Manager for Rochdale working on this new and exciting programme to support a number of local schools and students.

I have been married for over 25 years and have two teenage daughters and live in the Rochdale area. Family time and meals out with friends are an important factor in my life, enjoying a wide range of cuisines. I enjoy my sports and love travelling, meeting new people, whilst sampling new cultures. Parts of my travel have included walking and camping, and I have successfully completed various challenges in several mountain ranges both home and abroad.

Having worked with young people for many years in various settings from Secondary schools, Alternative provisions, and volunteer youth settings I have gained a labyrinth of knowledge, skills, and experience.

Coupled with my own personal experiences I feel that I can and have made huge difference to the young people and their families. I am passionate about what I do, and extremely excited about this programme and the impact both my team and I will have on the young people we work with and support.

Kurt has an extensive background working with children and young people in a variety of settings, both formal and informal, working to support them in schools and through various charities. Experienced in handling complex safeguarding issues and specialising in connection-seeking behaviours, he has a real passion for empowering, facilitating and advocating for children and young people. Kurt is most looking forward to making a difference in the Attendance Mentoring Programme by helping young people to access the help and support they need in order to thrive in education and beyond. 

In his spare time, Kurt loves to play music, attend gigs and festivals and play table-top role-playing games. 

Melanie brings 30 years of education experience, including 21 years in senior leadership across diverse school settings. Specialising in transformative school improvement and trauma-informed practice, she previously served as Headteacher at a SEMH School. She thrives on consistently driving positive change in challenging circumstances. With proven expertise in developing innovative wellbeing provisions, safeguarding systems, and inclusive curricula, Melanie now focuses on sharing her knowledge to enhance educational outcomes through trauma-informed approaches.

I’m Jamie Caley, an educator and leader with over 15 years in education and improving outcomes for young people. I’m passionate about supporting students and schools, and I’m excited to bring my skills to Etio’s Attendance Mentorship Programme to help improve attendance for a wide range of pupils.

I am thrilled to be an Area Manager for the Attendance Mentoring programme here at Etio, a role that truly resonates with my passion for empowering young people to achieve their full potential. My dedication to this project is deeply rooted in personal experiences that have shaped my commitment to education and the future success of young people. Over the years, I have gained diverse experience supporting young people and families across various roles and settings, including residential support, educational environments, and key positions within Children’s Services Education Departments at the local authority. Etio’s unwavering dedication to transforming education and fostering opportunities for all perfectly aligns with my core values, and I am proud to contribute to such meaningful work.

I have supported and worked alongside children and young people for over 20 years. I have represented local authorities, domestic abuse services, voluntary sector organisations, educational provisions, exploitation services and counter-trafficking services. I have a strong desire to support and enhance the lives of vulnerable children and young people, ensuring their individual needs are met and their voice is heard.

The opportunity to work with Etio to implement and progress the AMP programme is something I am very excited about and feel confident that it will make a difference to the children and young people that we will be supporting.