The Intro bit:
I'm swimming 2.4 miles, riding 112 miles and running 26.2 miles (in one go) to raise £2,400 to fund educational psychologist (EP) assessments for two young people to recognise their special educational needs. EP assessments are key to unlocking the additional government funding which so many young people and schools desperately need, but which increasingly schools and families cannot afford. This same EP assessment changed my life and I have seen it do the same for many others.

The bit about why:
School was not a happy place for me (or my teachers!) but at 10 years old I was diagnosed with dyslexia. This diagnosis singlehandedly had the biggest impact on my life, taking me from being labelled as a ‘trouble making no hoper’ to a graduate of Oxford University (with distinction), -an all round educational theory and policy nerd, and aspiring PhD candidate.

My experience of schooling has led me to pursue a career in education, carried by a strong desire to rectify social and educational wrongs for young people who have not been as lucky as me. After 10 years of teaching and researching in schools, I can testify that there are countless young people who become alienated and excluded, simply because they have needs that are not recognised through an EP assessment. Because of this they are unable to legally access the support they need to succeed and flourish at school.

The bit about what:
The issues are getting worse: schools are seeing vast increases in costs to access EP assessments (Schools Week 2022). These assessments are the main evidence used for young people with special educational needs to gain an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) from the Local Authority and access the additional funding and support they need for greater educational equity and justice. The knock-on effects of an EHCP are huge: they support both families and schools to become more caring and inclusive.

The bit about who:
The cost of an EP assessment is around £1,200. As a result of this many young people from low-income families are excluded from accessing support. A large number of school exclusions are as a result of an undiagnosed educational need. There is a disproportionally-high rate of Black Caribbean and Mixed: White/Black Caribbean young people being excluded from school and out of these excluded from school 61% will go to prison. Your donation will go to prioritise the assessment for the young people in these groups.

The bit about how:
All funds will go to The New School (TNS), to support 2 EP assessments for young people from families who could otherwise not afford one. Having worked at TNS myself, I know how much these assessments are needed. Its pioneering approach to education will enable these 2 assessments to form case studies and create a blueprint for future fundraising plans to benefit many more young people, their families and communities to come.

The bit about how much it's going to hurt!
I've been trying (and failing) to complete an Ironman for 8 years - over this time I've realised that I'm clearly not a natural endurance athlete - since 2014 I've signed up four times but with injury, illness and COVID restrictions I've been forced to withdraw or cancel each time.

Not all Ironman Triathlons are created equal - if an Ironman wasn't already hard enough, Wales is known to be one of the toughest in the world.

At the start of the year I was the heaviest and most unhealthy I have ever been. The motivation to support young people gain the same life-changing experience that I had, far outweighs my fear of failure, and that's before the 16 hours of non-stop pain I’m going to be in dragging my belly around 140.6 miles of undulating windy Welsh countryside!

It's going to hurt, really really hurt, I will probably bleed, I will definitely cry, please donate generously and help make it worth it!

Thank you so much,

Nick x