Clare Saffin

Clare originally trained as a secondary school music teacher, going on to have a career in mainstream education, in both primary and secondary, that spanned over 22 years. Clare moved to Nottingham in 2005 and became the Head of Music in a small, non-selective independent school that had a large proportion of neurodivergent children.

 

In 2016 Clare left classroom teaching to become a peripatetic instrumental teacher, specialising in working with children and young people with SEND. Clare went on to become Lilya’s piano teacher and found a fellow passionate autism advocate in her mum, Helen Jones. Together they set up a group to support local parents and carers, helping bring families who are facing similar challenges together, sharing their experiences as parents to autistic children.

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Clare also volunteers with the Rainbow Parent Carer Forum, sitting on their steering group and attending meetings with various bodies, including the local authority. One of Clare’s roles is to support parents/carers in school meetings, to empower them to have the confidence to advocate for their children and ensure their voice is heard.