A teacher from Ely has been recognised for her positive impact on children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), being nominated for a prestigious industry award. 

Michelle Davey teaches at Highfield Ely Academy which is a special school that supports children and adults with a range of additional needs.  

All students have an educational health care plan (EHCP) and range from two to 25 years of age. 

Along with her friend Christelle, Michelle produces and hosts a popular podcast called ‘Let’s Talk Autism’. The podcast was created by the two best friends during lockdown with the aim of raising awareness about autism and other complex needs. 

Michelle described the podcast as “a friendly chat between parents of autistic and neurodiverse children and neurodiverse and additional-needs adults, sharing our journeys and experiences.” 

“The profile of the podcast has really grown in the last three years, and we’ve been lucky enough to have some wonderful and well-known guests, such as Christine McGuinness, who shared her own experiences with our listener community” she said. 

Michelle’s podcast was nominated for an awards at the National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen) awards ceremony. 

Nasen is a charitable membership organisation that exists to support and champion young people with SEND.  

The Nasen awards ceremony was held at the Grand Hotel Birmingham on October 6 and was officially sponsored by ‘tes’.  

Michelle’s podcast was nominated for ‘The David Ryan Award for Positive Media Impact’ award and landed the ‘runner up’ position on the evening. 

Michelle said: “The nomination itself is a proud achievement and we’re honoured to have been recognised in such inspiring company. It was a great night!” 

Passionate about raising awareness and understanding of Autism, both in her teaching job at Highfield Ely Academy and her role as podcast host, Michelle is no doubt a huge asset to the SEND community, both locally and nationally.