RSK funds neurodiversity training to support education professionals

RSK has partnered with neurodiversity training specialist evisolve to provide 40 fully funded places for teachers and educational professionals working in mainstream education to receive training that will develop their skills and understanding of neurodiversity.

The impact of support for neurodivergent children

Having personally experienced the challenges that come with being the parent of neurodivergent children going through mainstream education, RSK Group HR Director Zoe Brunswick was determined to do anything she could to improve the experience for children in education.

Personal experiences shape training

The training sessions, which will take place online, are designed with the realities that parents of neurodivergent children face in mind. Members of the family network that sits within the RSK Neurodiversity Network, an employee-led and -owned network designed to create a safe space for neurodiverse colleagues and foster awareness across the RSK Group, helped influence the training modules. Two pilot sessions were held earlier in the year, which provided the team with vital feedback.

Over the course of seven weeks, participants will cover a range of topics during 45-minute sessions, including communication and presenting information in the classroom, tackling and completing tasks and homework, thinking about break and lunch times and the wellbeing and mental health of neurodivergent children.

Eliminating barriers and deepening understanding

Tom Vodden from evidence-based psychologically informed consultancy and training company evisolve will be leading the training. A former teacher, Tom’s years of experience in the sector and as a trainer have given him a deep understanding of the challenges educators face.

He said: “Most teachers indicate that they lack confidence in their knowledge of how to support neurodivergent learners. With so many competing priorities, not a lot of time is given to the subject in initial teacher training; pair that with budget constraints faced by schools, it’s why support from businesses like RSK is invaluable.”

“For students in secondary school the challenges shift. They are navigating multiple teachers, larger peer groups and more complex social dynamics. This means we will look at transition support, resilience and strategies for managing diverse classroom settings.

“Ultimately, we want to give educators the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills. I hope that as a result it will give parents the confidence to feel ‘there are people who understand my child’.”

Creating a model that other businesses can adopt and roll out

The concept and content within the training form a model that Zoe hopes other businesses across the country will adopt and roll out.

She said: “Rather than everyone trying to do their own thing, this is about giving businesses the opportunity to be part of something that’s already tried, tested and effective.

“If a parent has to stop working because their child can’t go to school, that has a knock-on impact in lots of areas of their life and on other people. From financial instability to mental and physical wellbeing and the workforce potentially losing a loyal employee, it’s important that we support educators so they can support young people and in turn their families.

“The intention is for us to take what we’ve created, make it bigger and create a legacy about which we can reflect and say, ‘This is why we did it’.”

Places for the first cohorts were confirmed at the end of last year, with training starting at the end of January. RSK hopes to run more cohorts in the future, while it works to encourage other businesses outside of the group to support more educators up and down the country.

If your business is interested in funding neurodiversity training for teachers and educational professionals, please get in touch.