The Team

David Braybrooke

Head Teacher

• BA Primary Education (QTS)
• NPQH

David qualified with a BA (Hons) Primary Education QTS degree at the University of Central England in 2005. Following a successful final placement, he was appointed as an Newly Qualified Teacher in KS2 at Tower View Primary School. During this time, he developed a passion and connection with supporting pupils who presented as school refusers and those with a range of additional needs.

David left mainstream Primary Education to pursue his passion in SEND at St Martins School Secondary Specialist School in 2008. Being part of this schools inspirational and sector-leading practice, David deepened his knowledge of how to meet the diverse needs of the community and contributed to two successive Outstanding Ofsted judgements.

To start a leadership journey David was appointed as Key Stage 3 Lead at Fountains High, further developing a love of SEND provision and leading a team of aspirational staff to deliver the highest outcomes for young people. He became Acting Assistant Head Teacher in 2015.

In 2017, David was appointed Deputy Head Teacher at St Andrew’s Academy, where he would spend the next 9 years, becoming Head Teacher in 2022.  In this role developed his leadership skills, working hard to serve the school community and developing a mantra of leading with kindness.

With 21 years of educational experience, David is dedicated to driving the continued improvement of Bladon House School and ensuring every young person has the opportunity to thrive and achieve positive outcomes.

Emma Goodall

Assistant Head Teacher / Inclusion & Safeguarding Leader

In September 2024 Emma was appointed Assistant Head Teacher.

She joined Bladon House School September 2007 as a newly qualified teacher. She qualified as a teacher from Derby University in 2007. Over the next 7 years Emma established her teaching career and helped to develop curriculum plans and marking policies. In 2014 Emma left Bladon House School and went to work in a school for young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Emma was the Head of Key Stage 2 at this school and supported with education and health care plans and also transitions for young people joining the school setting.

In September 2017 Emma returned to Bladon House School to run the primary unit. Emma was promoted to phase leader and supported two other primary phase teachers and TAs to develop a wider curriculum. Emma was then promoted in 2020 to whole school inclusion lead, in this role Emma developed individual intervention plans for young people who were not making as much progress or struggling to access the main classroom for learning. Emma also supported and chaired some EHCP meetings during this year. Emma accessed training for Designated Safeguarding Leads and then joined the DSL team later in the year.

In September 2022, Emma was promoted to Safeguarding and Inclusion Lead. This role includes chairing EHCP meetings, attending LACS, CINS and PEPS as well as leading DSL meetings at Bladon House School and ensuring all areas of safeguarding are monitored and maintained.

Oliver Perkins

Assistant Head Teacher / Open Skies Upper School Leader

Oliver joined Bladon House School in September 2018 as a class teacher after graduating from Derby University with a PGCE specialising in special educational needs. After three years as a class teacher he became a middle leader for the upper school phase in September 2022, which has allowed him to create links with the local community and facilitated the work experience programme. He became Assistant Headteacher in September 2023.

Matt Cousins

Registered Manager and Head of Care

• Level 5 Diploma Leadership and Management.

• Level 4 NVQ Health and Social care.

• Level 3 NVQ Care for Children and Young people.

Matt joined Bladon House School in 2002 as a Residential Support Worker and has a wealth of experience of supporting children with ASD and associated complex needs. Over his 14 years at Bladon House Matt has worked as a Team Leader and House Manager supporting and leading teams of care professionals in achieving positive outcomes for Children. Matt was successful in becoming the Schools Deputy Head of Care in 2015 before being appointment as the Children`s Homes Registered Manager and Head of Care designate in July 2016. He became fully registered in February 2017.

Heidi Crockford

Deputy Head of Care

• NVQ L3 Health & Social Care 
• NVQ L3 Care for Children & Young People

Heidi worked in the domiciliary care sector for 8 years prior to joining Bladon House School in 2017. She is highly experienced in supporting children with Autism and associated complex needs.

Heidi has supported a range of teams during her time as a Team Leader and House Manager. In 2023 Heidi was appointed Deputy Head of Care.

Helen Lovegrove

Deputy Head of Care

• BA (Hons) Health and Social Care with Policy and Leadership
• Level 5 BTEC Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare

Helen qualified at Nottingham Trent University in 2010. While studying for her degree Helen worked as both a volunteer and a Support Worker in the community. Helen started her career with the SENAD group in 2011 at Pegasus School as a Support Worker, then a year later became a Care Manager. Having realised that working with children with learning difficulties and challenging behaviours was the career path she wanted to follow, Helen fulfilled her aspirations to be a manager in the care sector and was successful in gaining the position of Deputy Head of Care at Bladon House School.

Emma Deloughery

Behaviour Strategic Lead

• BSc(Hons) Psychology
• Attachment Lead in Schools
• Functional Assessment
• NVQ L3 Caring for Children and Young People
• L1 Theraplay

Emma read Psychology at the University of Liverpool, graduated in May 2013 and then quickly joined Bladon House School in the June of that year.

Emma has been a NAPPI trainer since May 2016 and has since continued to coordinate all NAPPI training onsite. She worked closely with the Deputy Head of Care to introduce PODs, not only to SENAD but also to NAPPI who now use these within other organisations. She has also redeveloped positive behaviour support plans ensuring that they are as accessible as possible to young people.

Emma has a real passion for promoting positive behaviour support and embeds this within everything she does. She supports teams to develop programs and restraint reduction plans to improve the young people’s quality of life. She wants the young people to have access to opportunities to allow them to become as independent as possible.

Andy Doughty

School Systems & Online Safety Lead