Alex Hunter - Operations Manager Expand Alex Alex manages the Training Programme at Acorn and coordinates the quality assurance of the courses and qualifications. In addition to these responsibilities, Alex also delivers some of the forest school courses and the business administration courses, and undertakes the internal verification of all the forest school qualification assessments.
Becky Watanabe - Trainer and Consultant Expand Becky Becky is Acorn’s Early Years Trainer and Consultant. With over 20 years’ experience in the Early Years Sector, in which she has gained experience in various roles, including Nursery Management, Chairperson of the Milton Keynes Childminding Association, and running her own childcare business that achieved two consecutive ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted grades, before closing her business to become a full-time trainer and consultant. Becky is now Acorn’s main Early Years consultant, offering her expertise to support other settings at an affordable rate. Becky also writes bespoke Early Years training courses, and delivers most of Acorn’s Early Years Training Programme. Becky has a particular passion and expertise in Enabling Environments, Heuristic Play, Loose Parts, and Risky Play.
Donna Glendenning - Senior Forest School Leader and Trainer Expand Donna With over 17 years’ of experience in the Early Years, and almost a decade of delivering different forest school programmes, Gemma is now one of Acorn’s Senior Forest School Leaders and Trainers. Alongside Donna, Gemma delivers Acorn’s accredited forest school qualifications, most of Acorn’s short courses and workshops relating to forest school and outdoor learning, and is one of Acorn’s Forest School Consultants. In addition to her training and consultancy work, Gemma continues to deliver many forest school sessions and programmes for Acorn to ensure keeps up to date with current practice.
Gemma Goodchild - Senior Forest School Leader and Trainer Expand Gemma With over 12 years’ of experience in the Early Years, and almost a decade of delivering different forest school programmes, Gemma is now one of Acorn’s Senior Forest School Leaders and Trainers. Alongside Gemma, Donna delivers Acorn’s accredited forest school qualifications, most of Acorn’s short courses and workshops relating to forest school and outdoor learning, and is one of Acorn’s Forest School Consultants. In addition to her training and consultancy work, Gemma continues to deliver many forest school sessions and programmes for Acorn to ensure keeps up to date with current practice.
Sue Swann - Independent SEND Trainer and Consultant Expand Sue Having come from a teaching background, Sue is highly experienced and qualified SEND Trainer and Consultant who Acorn Training works with to undertake our comprehensive SEND training programme. With over 20 years’ experience of working with children with additional needs, and 12 years of working for the Milton Keynes Council as a Specialist Teacher for the Early Years Team, Sue has worked with children with Downs Syndrome, ASD, ADHD, PDA, Challenging Behaviour, speech and language delay, neuro-typical development delay, and many other syndromes and conditions. Using up to date legislation, guidance, and best practice, Sue delivers training courses for SEN Lead Practitioners and many other specialist SEND courses as part of Acorn’s SEND Training Programme. In addition, Sue undertakes a very successful consultancy service that supports settings and parents with many things relating to SEND, from applying for Inclusion Grants to completing an Education Health Care Needs Assessment.
Tammie Redman - Independent Safeguarding Trainer & Consultant Expand Tammie Tammie is a highly experienced and qualified Safeguarding Trainer and Consultant who Acorn Training works with to undertake our comprehensive safeguarding training programme. Tammie has many years’ experience of developing, coordinating and delivering safeguarding children training to a multi-agency range of professionals and volunteers from pre-schools, nursery schools, primary/secondary schools, youth groups, police, health organisations (such as GPs), and many more. Having developed and delivered training for Milton Keynes Safeguarding Children Board for over five years, she is confident in developing training that meets not only the legal requirements but also what works in practice. Tammie was responsible for a training programme that was delivered to over 3000 professionals each year. In addition to delivering Acorn’s Safeguarding Training Programme, Tammie supports settings with delivering bespoke courses to their staff team, in addition to a range of other safeguarding consultancy services.
Victoria Cocken - Associate Forest School Trainer Expand Vicky Vicky is the Director and Manager of Great and Small Forest Education and Kindergarten, an organisation with an 'Outstanding' Ofsted rating for her forest school which is located on the woodland of Cottams Farm in Clayton le Moors, Lancashire. As a full-time forest school leader, Vicky is passionate about bringing the forest school ethos to children and learners of all ages. Vicky is an Associate Trainer for Acorn, delivering Acorn's accredited forest school qualifications to the people in her local area. The strong working partnership between Acorn and Great and Small Forest Education with regards to forest school training is a brilliant example of how organisations can work together to share best practice and deliver high quality training for the good of the local communities.