Welcome from Sian Thomas, CEO

Welcome,

For almost 150 years the Charity, which is now called West Kirby Educational Trust (WKET), has been actively supporting young people and their families by meeting children's needs. This was originally achieved through support for children with medical needs; now it is achieved through supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). 

Our motto is 'Changing Children's Lives'. This motto is one we aim to live by. The WKET staff team is supportive, dedicated and highly well trained. Our varied team consists of: highly effective site and domestic operatives; skilled teaching assistants; creatively brilliant teachers; capable and enthusiastic school leaders; a hugely supportive central services team (IT, catering, marketing, finance, HR, data management, health and safety, estates and premises management; and a team of effective clinical and therapeutic specialists. Every member of our team is essential in creating and enabling practices which empower young people. 

As a charity, we are governed by a supportive team of trustees, who form the Board of Trustees. This team of supportive volunteers, in turn, supports and enables the volunteers who sit on our two School Boards. These Boards include parents, staff and local governors, in addition to each having a dedicated Safeguarding Trustee and a Health and Safety Representative. As CEO I sit on all boards and committees within the Charity and am so grateful to all those who give their time selflessly to support us. In addition to these teams, we have a president, Mr Anthony Shone, who meets the headteachers, visits the schools and acts in support of trustees and governors. Mr Shone is a keen advocate of the community and helps us to develop our work across our local communities. 

Our community outreach programmes are supported through Embrace by Mrs Sarah Wilkinson and Mrs Rachel Kelleher, the Head of Inclusion and Clinical Therapies and Marketing Manager respectively. These forward-thinking members of staff build and develop the work our Charity and its Schools undertake across the community, with the aim of engaging and supporting schools, professionals and families through developing SEND and inclusive practices. To find out more about some of the events we are hold, please see our Embrace page on this website. 

Thank you for your interest in our Charity. 

Sian Thomas

CEO