Testimonials

"Naila is an amazing lady, and super friendly with kids. Just by talking to her, you have the confidence she will do what she says. I was glad I got introduced to her and I spoke to her about my son. I have seen a vast difference in my son's behaviour since after I started taking help from Naila. In just 4 sessions from him being the naughtiest and mischief child, who would never listen, always hit, scream and make me shout and scold him throughout the day to now where I am able to have a decent conversations with him and be able to explain things to him. This is the  change Naila has helped me bring in him. I would highly recommend her if you are dealing with child behaviour issues and stressing about it. I was spending my nights crying for the way my son would behave but now I sleep in peace.  Thank you so much Naila, I really appreciate your help with Hussain."   

Fatema

 “I have worked with Naila over a number of years and her dedication to those students who have found formal education difficult is exemplary. She forms excellent relationships with the young people referred to her and has a clear sense of how to work with them and what the outcomes should be. I would have no hesitation in recommending her to any school or other organisation dealing with our most vulnerable youngsters."

Dr Tom Mann, BA (Hons), PGCE, Adv Nat Dip SpLD, MA, NPQH, DEd

Head of Inclusion at Kingsbury High School

"Over the past few years the intake of EAL students has increased in the school and the range of students that have been integrated has included those with social, emotional and behavioural needs. Some of these students have experienced trauma while others have been home schooled, educated in a very different system or never been to school at all. This led to the EAL department working closely with Naila to meet the needs of a number of these students. 

Naila helped immensely with meetings with parents and interpreting as well as phone calls home for students who were finding it difficult to adapt to school life in the UK. She has been key to investigating and challenging incidents of bullying of EAL students and raising awareness with staff of the issues faced by EAL students when they are struggling to understand, as well as helping to reinforce the need to follow school expectations on the few occasions when students have failed to do so. She has also provided emotional and learning support for students who have been discriminated against one way or another and made sure that these students' needs are understood and met by the school community. Naila regularly provided EAL students with strategies to improve their focus and progress and over the years made sure that the EAL students she worked with felt listened to and that their voice is valued in the school."

Gareth Barnes 

Head of EAL

"I have been fortunate to work alongside Naila professionally, in different capacities, over a period of time. Her passion to promote the well-being of young people was evident from the start of her career. Naila’s attention to pastoral matters led her to seek innovative ways to support pupils and provide the essential respite and guidance needed for young people to make different and better choices.  

Naila has an unwavering belief that young people are to be guided through challenges rather than sanctioned or vilified, believing that all pupils can achieve success. The key has been the way she is able to support them to higher levels of self-realisation where targets are set and consequences recognised and eventually owned. 

The care extends to parents and families who are often living with the challenges and unaware of what to do or who to turn to, relying on the often depleted resources of the existing education system. 

Naila has been an advisor on educational matters of child development and on a personal level. Her commitment to early intervention and use of proactive strategies have consistently shown to be highly successful in a variety of settings. 

Naila is an educator, behavioural specialist and parent to learn much from."

Martina Oparaocha, Head of Senior School  St Paul’s School, Brazil

 “I have worked with Naila for over a decade in a very challenging school in London.  Naila is a dedicated professional with a wealth of experience who has a real passion for making a difference to the lives of the students she works with.  What has always impressed me about Naila, is her innate ability to get to the root of a problem, taking time to unravel the intricacies of the situation, by looking at all aspects of a student’s life and working closely with all stakeholders to guide the student towards social and/or personal academic success. Working with students, Naila is able to devise personalised support plans which offer achievable goals, while providing strong, clear boundaries that are non-negotiable.  She forms excellent relationships with the families and ensures the triangle of staff-student-parent work as a team to promote success.  Over the years I have referred numerous students who were at a serious risk of permanent exclusion to Naila and her team and on each occasion, Naila has been able to work with these students and they have successfully reached the end of Year 11. She is equally adept at supporting staff who find it difficult to manage the behaviour of more challenging students in a large comprehensive Secondary school.  She has led whole school CPD on behaviour techniques, she works closely with the NQTs to equip them with the necessary skills to ensure they succeed in school and equally works with more experienced teachers.  She is excellent at coaching all staff to develop a wider range of strategies to deal with behaviour in the classroom and around the school." 

Chris House

Head of Secondary, Vijay International School

"I have known Naila for over 20 years in a number of different roles. In every one, she has excelled, being the consummate professional. As an R.E teacher she makes her subject immediately relevant and engaging even to the most disaffected young people including those from our provision for deaf students and for autistic students. We have one young deaf person with an ASD diagnosis who has refused to engage with, or even remain, in many classes. Under Naila’s gentle, sensitive and persuasive teaching and guidance, R.E. is now their favourite subject and they readily take part and involve themselves. Naila’s teaching excites the students about her subject and hence they buy into the learning. Colleagues who support in her lessons always feel appreciated, involved and uplifted after her lessons.  As Head of Year, Naila inspired and led her team of form tutors and students; turning around a year group - who had been considered extremely challenging – into a proud, confident and successful cohort. The students and colleagues alike, have always felt respected and valued by Naila. With her particular gift for managing students with emotional and behavioural needs, Naila was, a few years ago, asked to head up a behaviour unit. Young people whom no one else could manage would quickly become compliant and ready to learn under the influence of Naila and her team. Naila has a way of making learning and good behaviour a positive choice for her students. She was in great demand within the school and many young people who would otherwise have faced permanent exclusion were able to complete their education mainly because of nail and her team.  I have no doubt that Naila is the best person to be guiding other professionals and parents with children and young people who are struggling to make the right choices. Her strategies are not just theoretical. She practises all that she “preaches.” Whenever I have had need of advice guidance and hands on support with any behavioural social or emotional issues with a child or young person Naila is my (and many other colleagues’ ) “go to” person."  

Louise Whitaker  

Qualified teacher of the Deaf  Head of the Provision for Deaf Students  Hendon School

"I began teaching in September 2001 and Naila was my Head of Year for the first form group that I had. I am now a Head of Year and have been for 8 years, and I feel my passion for the pastoral route has stemmed from my form tutor experience with Naila.  Naila’s strength is definitely in behaviour management and over the years I have learnt a lot regarding the role of a form tutor, resolving conflict, investigation procedures and have also been trained by Naila on how to run restorative meetings. Naila is passionate about training her staff so that there is consistency but also so that both students and staff feel fully supported. This is something that I have taken with me into my role as Head of Year.  In Naila’s most recent behaviour role as ‘Behaviour Manager’ I would often seek advice from her. This would range from discussing incidents and actions moving forward regarding sanctions and interventions to support that pupil, as well as interventions we could implement to support teachers.  I would consider myself a strong and passionate Head of Year and feel that this is down to the experiences I have had working under and alongside Naila over the last 21 years."

Donna Sheehan

Head of Year

"I was delighted to discover recently that Naila, in a changed role at Hendon school , was to be form tutor to three of the Autistic students from the Resource Provision, of which I am manager.  I knew that they would be listened to , ‘heard’ and understood and completely included in the form.  Indeed they are and have been: one student who finds social situations particularly different  has been selected to be Naila’s  IT support and consultant , about which he is very proud; one student with quite challenging behaviour , who seldom ventures out of the provision is beginning to do so and the third feels that her sense of humour is understood and recognised and her self esteem has risen visibly.  Naila seems to possess a very keen level of insight into people’s feelings and what they are thinking, which gives her an exceptional degree  of empathy,  which in turn,  allows her to communicate very successfully with students and staff.     I have known Naila as a colleague since 2008 and have always been impressed by – among other things - her enthusiasm, respect for everyone as individuals, her sense of fun, willingness to’ have a go’ and desire to ‘get it right’. This included, early on in our acquaintance, overcoming her fear of small animals in order to be able to tolerate students engaging in pet therapy.     She is totally accepting of people’s differences and individual needs and works with this to gain students’ confidence , help them to feel safe and to support them to understand their feelings and to risk behaving in a different way.   I have asked Naila, on several occasions , for advice in relation to difficult behaviour.  I have also requested that she  come and talk with one of my students , which she has done willingly and competently.   This included one year helping one of our students who was not able to accept  the presence of a Christmas tree in our department, to develop greater tolerance towards other religions and to  recognise and understand that we can all mark and celebrate  different religious festivals. Naila’s strategies for supporting students and staff to manage challenging behaviour are specific to the needs of the individual ,  well thought through and delivered with insight and  compassion."

Caroline Downs

Head of HARP (Autistic Unit)

"As a Head of Year, I have worked with Naila for over 8 years where she has given support with my vulnerable students who for whatever reason were not coping in mainstream and on occasions were at risk of permanent exclusion.  

From her wealth of knowledge and experience, Naila would soon have a plan and strategies in place to support these students, setting clear boundaries with high expectations and achievable targets; with a high success rate where students felt valued, were given direction and then went on to complete their GCSEs!  

Naila is an amazing lady! She is passionate about whatever she does and gives 100% of herself!!  She cares and wants the best for all who work with her, adults and students alike.  Because of her steadfast passion, Naila does make a difference!"

Gail Jordan, Head of Year, school in North London