Jarlath O'Brien has been a teacher for nearly two decades, working in comprehensive, independent, selective and special education – including in schools for children with social, emotional and behavioural issues and severe and profound and multiple learning difficulties. For the last eight years Jarlath has been a head teacher and executive head teacher.

Jarlath is also a behaviour columnist for TES, has written for The Guardian and for several other education publications and trains teachers on behaviour, school leadership and special educational needs.

Click here to listen in on Jarlath's podcast with Pivotal Education - How to be a great leader in a special school'.

Click here to read Jarlath's article in the Guardian in which he discusses how children with special needs are grossly over-represented in exclusion figures.

Click here to listen to Jarlath on Surrey Hills Community Radio's The SEND Show'.

Fran Morgan founded Square Peg in 2019, following her own daughter’s struggles in the education system, having seen clear evidence that there were (and still are) a growing number of square pegs. After 14 years working in this field to support other parents and effect change, she has now retired to pick up the reins of her copywriting business.  

Ellie Costello joined Square Peg as Director in 2020, having experienced life as the parent of children with underlying needs which impacted their ability to access and ‘fit’ the education system. She now runs the organisation, as well as working as an Expert By Experience with local authority and health teams in her home county of Warwickshire.

Ginny Bootman is an experienced teacher and SENDCO with responsibility for four primary schools, as well as a regular speaker at national SEND conferences. She is passionate about the impact of relationships within education, particularly for those working with children with additional needs, and is determined to improve understanding of the pivotal role that these relationships play within the school environment.

Natalie Packer is an education consultant specialising in SEND and school improvement. Having previously worked for the National Strategies SEN team and as a local authority adviser, Natalie has a significant amount of experience within this area of the education sector. She runs a range of professional development courses, carries out SEND reviews and supports a range of multi-academy trusts across the country with their strategic development of SEND provision.

Jackie Ward was a primary school teacher for over 25 years ' and a deputy head and special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) at a primary pupil referral unit (PRU) for eight years ' prior to taking early retirement and setting up her own business in 2016. She is now an independent behaviour and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) consultant working in mainstream primary and secondary schools.