Testimonials
Roger brings an extraordinary blend of vision, experience, and humanity to nurtureuk.
As a Headteacher, he has shown what is possible when inclusion and relationships are placed at the heart of a school community, transforming Ripple Primary into a model of what it means to be an ‘Emotionally Available School.’
As a trustee, Roger offers the same clarity and conviction: he reminds us that every child deserves to feel safe, understood, and valued. He combines deep knowledge of SEMH and inclusive practice with the ability to tell the story in a way that inspires us all – he has been a great addition to the boardroom.
What stands out most is Roger’s authenticity. He doesn’t do this work for recognition, but because he believes it is a moral imperative. His leadership continues to challenge and encourage us all to think bigger about what inclusive education can achieve.
Arti Sharma
CEO
nurtureuk
Roger’s “Emotionally Available Schools” webinar that he recorded for our Opogo Learning Platform was both inspiring and practical. He brought real clarity to how emotionally available leadership can shape schools into nurturing environments where children and staff feel a genuine sense of belonging. His delivery combined passion with practical strategies, making the ideas feel achievable for any school setting.
The session has been a standout addition to our Learn platform, offering a fresh and unique perspective on leadership in education. It has already received fantastic feedback from participants, many of whom found Roger’s insights both valuable and immediately applicable in their own schools.
Roger’s webinar can be found here:
Emotionally Available Schools
Declan Campbell
Marketing Lead
Opogo Education, UK
I first met Roger in LinkedIn when I was drawn to his posts about his school in London being an “Emotionally Available School” and followed this up with an online chat that was a meeting of minds and shared philosophies about how we treat each other!
Coming from a strong background in education as a teacher, school counsellor, and educational consultant, I was encouraged to hear his story of culture change within a difficult and unhappy place to one where there is an expectation of “Professional Maturity” and “Professional Generosity” that has transformed the school.
I encouraged Roger to write a blog about these concepts for “Restorative Practices International”, a membership body for restorative practitioners. Roger’s work aligns closely with our new understandings of relational neurobiology, of notions of regulation and co-regulation and points to how important it is, while maintaining high expectations around behaviour, of the fundamental need for kindness in our interactions with each other and the children we educate.
Roger’s blog can be found here:
Professional Maturity and Professional Generosity: simple messages guiding culture change in a disadvantaged school
Margaret Thorsborne
Restorative Practitioner and trainer, facilitator and author, TEDx Speaker, Director of Margaret Thorsborne and Associates Australia and Thorsborne and Associates UK
Queensland, Australia
I was honoured to have Roger Mitchell join me on the “Able to Care” podcast. Roger is not just a headteacher – he is a leader who lives and breathes inclusion, belonging, and unconditional positive regard.
His honesty about the challenges schools face, and his commitment to creating a truly emotionally available environment for children, families, and staff, was both refreshing and inspiring.
Those listening to Roger, cannot help but reflect on their own practice and the systemic barriers we all need to challenge.
A genuine voice for change in education.
Roger’s podcast can be found here:
Connection Before Correction: This Headteacher Is Changing How We Treat ‘Difficult’ Children
Andy Baker
Host of the Able to Care podcast
Managing Director and Head Trainer of Able Training
Author of bestseller “Targeting the positive with behaviours that challenge”
UK
I had the privilege of attending one of Roger’s workshops as he kindly agreed to attend a steering group with our Trauma Informed Practice team at Barnardo’s – commissioned by the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership – with education leads for the regional trauma informed education pilot. It was one of the most impactful professional learning sessions I have experienced.
His ability to weave together trauma informed principles through a culturally sensitive lens was both powerful and deeply relevant to the realities schools face today. By drawing on social work theory and models of assessment, he provides educators with clear frameworks to understand children’s needs more holistically, while also demonstrating practical strategies and environmental changes that can be embedded immediately in the classroom.
What stood out most was his commitment to driving real change – not only in classroom practice but also at the level of policy and systems. His inclusive leadership ensures that trauma informed practice is not a one-off initiative, but a sustainable approach that transforms how schools operate. The examples he shared of how small adjustments can create safer, more supportive learning environments were inspiring and highly applicable.
This workshop has left a lasting impression on myself and many other education leads. Roger’s vision and leadership are exactly what is needed to ensure every child, regardless of their experiences, has the opportunity to thrive.
Karylle Phillips
Trauma Informed Practitioner
Barnardos, UK
Having had the privilege of both speaking with Roger one-to-one and observing him in action with senior leaders and Board members, I can say with confidence that his passion for creating “Emotionally Available Schools” is inspiring and transformative.
In our personal conversation, Roger emphasised the importance of every adult in a school being available to listen, connect, and support young people. That simple but powerful conviction resonated deeply with me.
When I later saw him share his vision with senior figures in our group of schools, his clarity and conviction left a lasting impression. He has a unique ability to help leaders understand not only why emotionally available schools matter, but also the profound impact this approach can have on an entire school community.
Roger brings a blend of compassion, expertise, and unwavering commitment that challenges and inspires in equal measure. His work has the power to shift mindsets at the highest levels of school leadership, ensuring that emotional availability becomes embedded across a whole organisation, to the benefit of staff, students, and families alike.
David Aitchison
Executive Headmaster
Wycombe Abbey School
Changhzou, China
Roger Mitchell recently spoke with leaders from our system, sharing insights from his lived experience as a school leader. His message centred on the power of emotionally available adults and the transformative impact of kindness in leadership.
Roger told us, “I have always believed that KINDNESS is the most powerful tool in my school leader toolbox.” He spoke not in theory, but from the heart of practice, describing how his school became a place of nurture through consistency, care, and emotionally present adults.
He reminded us that emotionally safe schools begin with emotionally safe grownups. That children learn to regulate not through control, but through calm, compassionate modelling. His reflections resonated deeply, offering hope and a clear path forward: leadership that is generous, grounded, and kind.
Even though it was the end of a busy school day, every person remained fully engaged throughout the talk. More than that, people are still referring to it.
Roger’s words didn’t just land; they lingered. They offered a mirror, a challenge, and a call to lead with heart.
Fiona Hancock
Manager Inclusive Learning
Tasmania, Australia
Working with Roger Mitchell during my first headship in a trauma-informed school was a truly transformative experience. His support and guidance were instrumental in helping me shape my school’s approach to becoming emotionally available. Roger’s vision for creating a nurturing environment that prioritises emotional well-being has had a lasting impact on my school’s culture and practices.
As an inclusive practitioner, Roger’s expertise and passion are inspiring, and his ability to connect with others is a rare gift. Our conversations often lingered long after our meetings, prompting me to reflect on our own emotional availability.
I highly recommend him as a trusted advisor and collaborator. His work continues to inspire me.
Nicola Lace
Headteacher
Learning Partnership West CIC
Bristol, UK
Roger has been kind and generous with his time in supporting my journey to understand the emotionally available school ethos which he has built and shaped at Ripple Primary School in LB Barking and Dagenham, East London.
Roger and I met virtually for a cuppa and a chat, and his experience, understanding and passion for what he does was infectious.
In the following months, Roger has guided and supported my own personal journey to developing emotionally available adults in my SEMH setting.
His dedication to ensuring young people come to school and feel safe, secure and supported through the emotionally available ethos in his school is what makes it so successful. Roger understands that children need to feel safe in order to learn, and through working with the adults in his school, Roger has made sure that children are not alone when their key person is not available – because every adult is emotionally available.
This magic makes Ripple Primary a magical place. It’s somewhere children want to be and somewhere teachers want to teach.
As a person, Roger is kind, generous and embodies everything he advocates.
If you are wondering how to make your school a place that feels safe for your young people, look to Roger. Because we should all ‘be more Roger!’
Mellisa Dean
SEMH Nurture Teacher
High Well School
Pontefract
West Yorkshire, UK
I first met Roger on Linked and knew instantly that his teaching and leadership ethos matched mine, focusing on building core relationships with all students based on kindness, trust and deep respect.
He outlined how ‘behaviour’ is a fundamental part of his curriculum with a key focus on ‘belonging.’ Roger’s concept of being ‘Emotionally Available’ at all times, should be rolled out in all UK schools, ensuring staff are fully trained in dealing with complex behavioural and social needs in all settings.
As an AP secondary specialist, I face these challenges every day and work with the most vulnerable young people in society within Coventry. Deep kindness, integrity and respect will always ensure young students form a positive, trusting relationship with their teachers. If you don’t know your students genuinely, how can you help them overcome daily challenges before teaching even starts?
Roger is very generous giving his time and expertise and I look forward to our regular virtual chats. He is quite simply an alchemist, transforming the base metal of teaching standards to a golden platform of total inclusion, ensuring his students are always happy, aspirational and feel they have a strong voice which is always heard and respected.
Sharon Gray
Head of English & Oracy
Coventry AP Academy
Coventry, UK
I have had the privilege of working with Roger Mitchell in various capacities for over ten years, and in that time, I have consistently seen the depth of his commitment to inclusion in its truest sense. Roger is not only a headteacher but a leader who embodies the principles he speaks about ensuring that every child, every family, and every member of staff feels valued and that they belong.
Roger has created a school culture at Ripple Primary that is genuinely inclusive, where difference is embraced, where children are understood in the context of their lived experiences, and where staff feel empowered to bring their whole selves to their work. His leadership is rooted in compassion and clarity; he challenges assumptions, reframes difficulties, and always returns the focus to dignity and respect.
Over the years, I have witnessed how Roger’s vision has shaped practice across the school community, whether through developing trauma-informed approaches, supporting staff to feel confident and safe in their roles, or creating spaces where children who might once have been marginalised now thrive. His work goes beyond strategies or programmes; it is about building a culture where belonging is the foundation for learning and growth.
Roger is the kind of leader who inspires those around him to think differently, to act with courage, and to hold fast to the belief that education should never exclude but should always uplift. I am proud to have worked alongside him and to continue learning from his example.
Janev Mehmet-Christofides
Director – Educational Leadership
Educational & Academic Consultant, SEND Quality Assurance Specialist, Project Lead for Leadership and Inclusion
UK
Roger has been a committed supporter of The Traveller Movement, bringing his passion for inclusion to our regular networks and special events in the UK parliament.
Our children are some of the most excluded from schools in the country but Roger shows how within his own school ALL children are included and welcomed.
He is a true ally for our communities and our organisation and it is such an honour to work with him.
Pauline Melvin-Anderson OBE
Chair of Trustees, The Traveller Movement
London, UK
Roger Mitchell was the first Headteacher I worked with in my role as Senior Inclusion Manager, and later as Head of Inclusion, in Barking & Dagenham. From the outset I glimpsed his ethos: to understand the needs of the whole child and their family, and to build a culture of inclusion across his staff.
We worked together closely for the 7 years I was in my commissioning capacity, as Ripple Primary School provides targeted placements for children with Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties within one of its three Additionally Resourced Provisions.
As chair of Barking & Dagenham’s SEMH workstream, Roger united commissioners and practitioners from education, health, social care and third sector organisations to deliver an SEMH Handbook (with BDSIP) and a revised banding framework.
He was the ideal chair: he forges relationships with key partners and is effusive in his passion for inclusion. Crucially, he recognises that inclusion is a partnership endeavour, not the work of schools alone.
His leadership embodies a whole-child, whole-family ethos, and his Emotionally Available School work, recognised by International Forum for Inclusion Practitioners (IFIP), continues to shape inclusive practice across the borough and beyond.
More importantly, Roger led on the Barking & Dagenham Inclusion Pledge, detailing nine principles of inclusive practice for all services across the Childrens Services partnership. These deliverables are a lasting legacy within the borough.
Sharon White
Director
Educating Horizons
London, UK
Roger Mitchell’s workshop at the ARC South East Conference was truly exceptional. His presentation on transforming a fractured school into an “Emotionally Available School” was both insightful and immediately actionable.
Roger’s deep experience predates the mainstream trauma-informed movement, giving him unique wisdom on building a successful school culture. He demonstrated precisely how prioritising the specific needs of pupils and fostering strong, effective relationships among staff and pupils are the keys to profound school turnaround.
Roger’s talk is a must-see for any school leader who is serious about culture change and achieving success for every child.
John Bishop
CEO
Evolve Education
UK
I have had the privilege of working with Roger in several capacities both as a trainer for my schools in Nigeria with Golden Links and through the Global Schools Connect Programme. I also experienced his training first-hand at the International School Leaders Conference in London. His sessions were not only inspiring but also deeply practical, challenging us to aim for higher ideals in education.
On the Global Schools Connect Programme, an international partnership with schools in Nigeria, we saw first-hand in his own school the sense of care and belonging that Roger had spoken about so passionately, values which were clearly demonstrated.
I have also attended other trainings he delivered with Barking and Dagenham Council on inclusion and the principles of an Emotionally Available School.
I do not only consider Roger an authority in this area but also living proof that these principles truly work.
His outstanding leadership in a very deprived borough where students nonetheless excel is a powerful testament to the impact of his vision. It is clear to me that this model of schooling is what is needed globally.
Angelina Ikeako
International School Improvement Expert
Director – Golden Links Education Consultants
London, UK
As Director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), established by the Mayor of London to lead a city-wide approach to violence prevention and early intervention, I have had the privilege of working with Roger Mitchell on several strategic initiatives.
Throughout our collaboration, Roger has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to inclusion and to securing the best outcomes for all children.
Roger has played a valuable role in contributing to London’s Inclusion Charter, notably leading a workshop at its launch to highlight exemplary inclusive practices in primary education.
Roger has contributed to a number of VRU events, sharing expertise across London at a strategic level, and the VRU has benefitted from his valued insights in shaping the Charter’s Strategic Guides for Education Leaders.
Roger is a passionate and dedicated educator whose leadership and drive are truly commendable.
His work continues to influence policy and practice, ensuring that emotional safety and inclusion remain central to improving outcomes for children across London.
Lib Peck
Director
London’s Violence Reduction Unit
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