Throughout the day, our Communication business partner and HR business partner had meaningful conversations with prospective teachers, teaching assistants and education professionals, discussing what it’s like to work within a specialist SEND setting and the impact these roles can have on young people’s lives. It was encouraging to see such strong interest from individuals passionate about supporting children and families.

An area of focus we are supporting next year is a reverse mentoring opportunity, delivered in partnership with the University of Northampton. This innovative approach gives those entering the education sector a unique opportunity to hear directly from our learners about their lived experiences of SEND education.

Rather than learning solely from theory, prospective educators are invited to listen, ask questions and reflect on what inclusive education really looks like from a learner’s perspective. This helps future teachers and teaching assistants better understand how to support neurodiverse learners, build empathy, and develop approaches that truly meet individual needs.

Reverse mentoring only empowers our learners to share their voices and experiences, but also helps shape a more informed, compassionate and inclusive educational workforce.

A huge thank -you goes to the learners from Wren Spinney School, who joined us at the event and helped attract visitors to our stand, with the help of our ever-popular popcorn machine! Their enthusiasm, confidence and willingness to engage with university students played a big part in the success of the day and showcased the incredible strengths our learners bring to every opportunity.

Working Together for the Future

At Creating Tomorrow Trust, we are passionate about working collaboratively with organisations like the University of Northampton to support the next generation of educators. By building strong relationships with higher education providers, we can help ensure that future teachers and support staff enter the profession with a deeper understanding of SEND and inclusive practice.

We’re excited to continue this partnership in the new year as we expand our reverse mentoring programme, creating even more opportunities for learners and those entering the sector to learn from one another.

Supporting the Wider Community

Our work goes beyond our own schools and college. We are deeply committed to supporting the wider community, educators, and professionals by sharing knowledge, creating inclusive opportunities, and encouraging collaboration. We believe that by coming together — schools, universities, employers and communities — we can help build a society where everyone feels valued, understood and supported.

If you’re interested in working with Creating Tomorrow Trust, whether through careers events, reverse mentoring, placements or creative partnerships, we would love to hear from you. We are open, innovative, and always keen to try new approaches that benefit learners and the wider education community.

If you are interested in finding out about opportunities avalaible across Creating Tomorrow, please visit  Creating Tomorrow - Why Work for Us?

Together, we can help shape a more inclusive future for education  and for society as a whole.