Join our MAT

Outreach

The Bridge Outreach is a well-established team supporting the inclusion of neurodivergent pupils (3-19) in mainstream settings.

We support school staff to develop their understanding of Autism, Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) or Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD), and to then meet these needs within mainstream settings.

Our team has many years of experience and passion for inclusion.

Our team

Ashleigh Johnson
Head of Outreach

Ashleigh Johnson [MA in Inclusive and Special Education, BA in Elementary Education] is a SEND teacher and Head of The Bridge Outreach.

Read more

Ashleigh Johnson [MA in Inclusive and Special Education, BA in Elementary Education] is a SEND teacher and Head of The Bridge Outreach.

She trained as a teacher in the USA and has worked in both mainstream and special school settings, including teaching pupils with autism and SLD/PMLD at The Bridge. Most recently, she was head of an autism resource base in Camden and led on the expansion of this provision.

Ashleigh is passionate about making school a happy and inclusive place for every autistic child and young person. She believes in listening to and incorporating the views of autistic people in decisions involving them, from a young age. Her other special interests include teaching reading to pupils with learning differences and empowering educators to be confident in SEND.

She is a member of the Autism Professional Learning Network at UCL, the Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools Focus Group and keeps up-to-date with current autism and education research.

Menita Sekhon
Autism Advisor

Menita Sekhon (BA History and Geography, BEd, QTS) is a SEND Teacher and part-time team member for The Bridge Outreach Service.

Read more

Menita Sekhon (BA History and Geography, BEd, QTS) is a SEND Teacher and part-time team member for The Bridge Outreach Service.

Menita has been teaching since 2003 when she qualified as a Secondary History and Geography teacher in Vancouver, Canada.  After teaching in a variety of settings (Secondary, Primary and SEN) she joined The Bridge School in 2005 as a class teacher working with children aged 5-11 with Autism, SLD and MLD. 

With support from The Bridge Outreach Service, she helped set up the first inclusion class in Islington which was based at Hungerford School.  This class enabled pupils to access the social and learning opportunities available at a mainstream school whilst still being linked to an SEN school.

Her particular interest is within inclusion class settings and supporting the transition of children from special needs settings into mainstream schools. 

Sarah Tyce
Lead Advisory Special Needs Professional

Sarah Tyce is a Lead Special Needs Professional and has worked at The Bridge School for 22 years. She has worked with a wide spectrum of pupils with Autism from ages 2-19.

Read more

Sarah Tyce is a Lead Special Needs Professional and has worked at The Bridge School for 22 years. She has worked with a wide spectrum of pupils with Autism from ages 2-19. Sarah has been a member of the Outreach team since the service was set up in 2003.

Sarah is a friendly member of the team who prides herself on her ability to work with all members of school staff and pupils across the borough.

Sarah has a particular interests in behaviour that challenges, and functional life skills for pupils on the spectrum.

How Our Service Works

We support Islington schools. Any pupil with an autism diagnosis or SLD/PMLD attending an Islington school may be referred to our service. However, we cannot work with schools outside of borough.

  • Outreach staff support and advise around whole-class and school-wide inclusive practice.
  • With parental consent, school leadership may refer individual pupils to our Outreach Service.
The Bridge Outreach Referral Form
  • Outreach staff may observe the individual pupil and meet with key school staff to advise and provide support.
  • Schools receive written recommendation and/or resources.

We may advise around, for example:

  • Communication, behaviour supports, social inclusion, understanding an autism diagnosis, transition, curriculum adaptations or sensory supports.

 

The Bridge Outreach is a service to schools and, as such, does not work directly with parents/carers.

  • Permission must be obtained before a pupil is seen.
  • When individual pupil reports are written (e.g. following an observation), school will share them with parents/carers.
  • We can meet parents/carers at school-based meetings.

Training and CPD

Each Islington school is entitled to free training sessions, based on school priorities and tailored to meet the needs of the school. We can deliver training during INSET days, as twilight sessions or during the school day.

Our training is for school staff and pupils. We also offer parent sessions and Coffee Mornings, when facilitated by the school. Please refer to our free training offer.

The Bridge Outreach

Training Offer 2026-27