Northern Down Syndrome Support Group

Jo has been in education for eighteen years and has worked in schools in Tai Tokerau/Northland and the UK. She is an experienced secondary school teacher and curriculum leader of English and Media Studies. Jo was Assistant Principal responsible for staff professional development, performance management and capabilities at a large, semi-rural, Year 9 - 13 school in the UK. She is the mother of an autistic child with Down syndrome, and a Trustee and Education Adviser for Northland Down Syndrome Support Group Charitable Trust.

Jo is a passionate advocate for inclusive education. In 2020, she completed a research-based Master of Education that explored evidence-based inclusive practices with a focus on supporting learners with Down syndrome. Jo believes that authentic inclusive education must encompass both culture and practice – that mindset, language, and the quality of relationships with and between students are as essential to effective inclusion as having knowledge of different types of neurodiversity.