My journey with Talbot House began in 2013, when I applied for a Trust Manager role with the Charity. I previously worked as a Finance Director, for many years both in the private and charitable sector, which was when my passion for working in the third sector started. Over the years I have held many trustee positions on charitable boards across the Northeast. It has been very rewarding to be involved with Talbot House, in what has probably been the most transitional period in the Charity’s history.

Our school provides education for up to 70 children who have various complex needs which include ASD, ADHD, SEMH, early childhood trauma, Global Development Delay and neurodivergent difficulties. We are a ‘Thrive’ school and contract the services of an Occupational Therapist and Speech and Language Therapist. We pride ourselves that when our children leave Talbot House, they leave with some qualifications, relevant to their abilities, including GCSE’s, AQA’s, and Functional Skills and often go on to college placements with the help of our career’s advisors. It is important to us that we ensure every child achieves the best possible outcome for themselves, while they are with us.

We can have children on roll from up to 6 local authorities around the Northeast. Our age range is 4-16 years old. Referrals can come from several places, directly from local authorities, from parents and from previous schools, and can be received for all ages of children. We take referrals all year round, not just for September.

As a Charity, we do not have any shareholders, so all surpluses are reinvested into Talbot House. This has allowed us to make some substantial changes over the last 10 years. There have been lots of developments to the building and grounds, which include new playgrounds, sports hall, an outdoor gym, sensory room, new science lab, new roof and heating systems. It has also allowed us to upgrade our IT systems and buy lots of resources such as new computers, iPads, and sensory equipment which is so important for our children. Recently we have developed a nature garden which includes an allotment, giant reading chair, mud kitchen, sensory paths and an outside kitchen. Luckily, we have a maintenance team, who are on site daily, and as well as helping with some of our developments, they look after the building and grounds, keeping the grounds looking pristine.

Our staff are extremely dedicated and passionate about the children, along with our board of Trustees/Governors, who voluntarily offer their time to help guide, and challenge us to ensure we continue to ‘change children’s lives’