Episode 22: Vicki Williams
ABOUT VICKI
Vicki leads the educational services branch of Big Bear Bespoke Education as a teacher with seventeen years of experience, currently teaching at Arun Court, a specialist provision for students with a diagnosis of social emotional and mental health difficulties and as a foster carer. Vicki has post-graduate qualifications in managing social emotional and mental health in education and the advanced study of social emotional and mental health leaving her well qualified to provide inset training and consultancy work for schools. Her particular areas of interest include attachment disorders, anxiety, and teacher education. Vicki also writes for the TES on the subject of mental health in education.
EXCERPT FROM PODCAST
“It’s an amazing school…I’m able to combine everything I want to do. I can combine teaching with the mental health side…It’s mental health before academic learning. If students are going to learn, they need to feel happy and safe. If they don’t feel happy and safe, there is no point forcing academic learning on them because it’s not going to help…it’s about building the foundations. And when you built the foundation successfully, actually the academic progress happens really quickly.”
- Vicki Williams