Our SEMH Primary Outreach team is dedicated to providing specialized support and guidance to help primary pupils thrive during their foundational years. We focus on early intervention and nurturing strategies to ensure every child can succeed within their classroom environment.
To learn more about our team members, their professional backgrounds, and the specific primary-age expertise they bring to our Outreach work, please click on any name in the headers below to reveal their full biography and photograph.
Rachel Clews
I have been in Education and taught in Northamptonshire for over 30 years. I trained at Bedford College of Higher Education from 1986 – 1990 achieving a B'Ed honours degree specialising in The Arts. I have a National SENCo qualification and I have been a Team Teach tutor for over 10 years. I began my career in a mainstream school as class teacher with responsibility for PE and educational visits. During this time, I developed a passion for supporting children with special educational needs and in particular social, emotional and behavioural challenges.
In 2004 I moved to Kings Meadow SEMH primary special school in Northampton. I worked as class teacher and later as Deputy Headteacher with responsibility for teaching and learning. In 2016 I returned to mainstream education as Assistant Principal, SENCo and Inclusion lead at Blackthorn Primary. In 2018 I joined The Spires Academy, an alternative provision in Northampton as Assistant Headteacher responsible for curriculum and personal development. I also became Interim Headteacher for two terms.
My passion and drive has always been to provide the best and every opportunity for all children to access learning regardless of the barriers and challenges. My role as SEMH Outreach lead at Maplefields incorporates all my experiences to help support North Northants primary schools to understand the complexities and challenges that some children present and find the best way to support and educate.
Emmaline Shaw
In my (nearly!) 30-year teaching career, I have worked in a wide variety of primary settings. I found my teaching niche at a specialist SEMH school in Northampton, where I stayed for 16 years. I loved the variety the job gave me, both in terms of teaching and also therapeutic input for the children. I used my creative and adaptive approach to enable them to engage with, and love learning.
My main area of knowledge is Early Childhood Trauma, ASD and SLCN.
Things I like…
- Walking my dog
- Reading
- Chocolate
- Coffee
- Yoga
Karen Sharp
From starting her working life within Respite care at Fairlawns School-now Rowan Gate, to being an Inclusion Manager, Karen has had experience and training with diverse SEND and SEMH needs. She has been working in the county for over 30 years and has worked in diverse roles from whole school Inclusion Manager to Maplefields Special School Secondary English and PSHCE lead. There is not a subject that she hasn’t been curriculum co-ordinator for!
Previously as well as being a consultant for Maplefields, she is arranged and presented the NNC SENDCO Forums and arranged and led the NNC “Meet the Professionals “events for parents of children with SEND. Karen is also a mother and understands the challenges parents can have with diagnosis and supporting their children.
Karen enjoyed mentoring University students and driving whole school initiatives. She has acquired the NPQH and the TDA SENDCo qualification. Karen enjoys keeping her practice up to date and is a member of NASEN. She researches and reads articles providing information on neuroscience and SEND developments. Karen has led school teams: Teachers,TAs and ELSAs and provided induction and carried out performance appraisal.
Karen has experience of life as a teacher, SENDCo, member of SLT and as a DSL. She has been the lead for children in care and those with EAL. She is aware of and understands the difficulties that teachers have, with dealing with children with SEND in the mainstream classroom, and welcomes the opportunity to share her professional experience with schools.
It is important to Karen to support schools with identifying and supporting children with SEND and SEMH needs. She understands that with consistency of approach, the right support and understanding, children will thrive and overcome challenges. She enjoys meeting staff and building professional relationships and being a source of information and support. She carries out training with teachers and TAs to help build confidence, knowledge and ways to support the children in our schools with SEMH needs.
Paul Lucas
I have been working in schools for over twenty years. After working in education, I gained a Certificate in Educational Support (Behaviour) at University College Northampton 2002. I was a Team Teach tutor for over ten years. My first role in education was at Fairfields School, where I worked as an intervenor with a deafblind child. I then spent twelve years working for Northants County Council BACIN (Behavior and Curriculum Inclusion) as a Senior Behaviour Practitioner. My duties included managing a team of Behavior Support Assistants as well as supporting children in primary and secondary schools to prevent permanent exclusions. I also played a key role in training i.e. Team Teach, TA training and Lunchtime Supervisor training. During my time at BACIN I gained an NVQ level 4 in Health and Social Care (Children and Young People) and a Certificate in the Theory and Practice of Nurture Group Work including a 4,000-word assignment developing the work of the child study. Following restructuring I secured a position at the newly formed Targeted Prevention Service as a Senior Practitioner where I managed a team of Practitioners and supported young people and their families. After three years I decided I needed a change of direction and spent six months supporting adults with learning disabilities at Vogue Future Living. I quickly realized that my heart was in schools and supporting children and their families and managed to obtain a job at Duston Eldean Primary School as a Behavior Mentor. I provided 1-1 and small group work for children who were experiencing difficulties in school. I was also part of their Every Child Matters Team. Alongside this role I also carried out Team Teach training for Jogo Behaviour Support. In 2020 I was offered the role of Family Support Worker at The Spires Academy, an alternative provision in Northampton. Following some time off for ill-health I am thoroughly enjoying my role at Maplefields Outreach.
I am passionate about equal opportunities and strongly believe that all children have a right to a good education and the support required to reach their full potential. I believe it’s everybody in educations responsibility to try to understand the challenges that some young people face and find ways to make their time in school more enjoyable and successful.
Sarah McCullough
I’m Sarah and I have over 20 years of experience within the Primary Education Sector, having worked in a variety of roles. This breadth of experience has given me valuable insight into the diverse needs within Social, Emotional, Mental Health (SEMH) and SEND support.
I have worked closely with children, their parents and supporting practitioners to ‘unpick’ the behaviours of children and develop tailored action plans that help children thrive both in the classroom and within their wider community.
As a class teacher, I was actively involved in a variety of initiatives to support my pupils, including relational and responsive teaching. Across my career, I have collaborated closely with SENDCos and wider teams to design effective action plans that were/are truly conducive to individual children’s progress. I understand that small steps are vital, and that a flexible, dynamic approach is often key, as no single strategy works for every child. With this in mind, I make it a priority to keep my knowledge and practice up to date through relevant workshops, courses, and professional discussions.
SEND and SEMH are areas of education that I feel deeply passionate about. I am proud of my empathetic approach and of my commitment to ensuring that children have positive, supportive educational experiences. My background has strengthened my ability to identify areas where children may need additional support, and I have built a growing bank of tools and strategies that I share with families and professionals to help create meaningful and lasting positive outcomes.
Additional Training
- Annual Safeguarding
- Annual PREVENT
- Practicing Story Massage November 2022
- Using an emotion coaching approach November 2023
- Positive Psychology and SEMH November 2023
- FASD November 2024
- Supporting Neurodivergent Students at Risk of EBSA March 2025
- An introduction to Lifestory Work & Lifestory listening April 2025
- ADHD and Sleep April 2025
- Trauma and Trauma Informed Practice (Tier 1 & 2) February 2025
- ADHD strategies: Balancing the Sensory System June 2025
- Creating a culture of belonging June 2025
ADHD Strategies: Emotional Mastery in ADHD June 2025
Understanding trauma of care experienced children June 2025
Understanding pupil Mental health and Wellbeing September 2025
Maylie Dickerson
Over the last 32 years, I have taught all of the primary age groups and for the last 15 years have been a SENDCo, DSL and Designated teacher for Children in Care. I have also had various leadership roles, including Deputy Head, and co-founded a Children’s Centre and Pre-school.
I have worked as a consultant SENDCo and Specialist Leader in Education for Safeguarding across several schools and for the last 10 years, I have had my own supervision consultancy for staff who work in Safeguarding and Pastoral support roles, those working with children with SEND, children in care and EYFS staff.
I am currently a SENDCo and DDSL at two local primary schools, alongside working for Maplefields’ Outreach.
All three of my roles have led to me supporting children who have had or who are having adverse childhood experiences, trauma or SEND (and sometimes more than one of those) which can make for big feelings and often the behaviour to match.
I get a great sense of achievement from helping staff to uncover the real needs behind a child’s behaviour and working with them to provide the right support.
