Shay Orr, founder of Education business, SENspired and alumna of Canterbury Christ Church University (Postgraduate Certificate in SEN Coordination  2019 and PG Cert Specialist Teaching & Assessment for Dyslexia 2023), received Barking and Dagenham’s Business of the Year award. The accolade is in recognition of her pioneering work in early years education and the real-world impact of the specialist training she received studying at the University.

SENspired is a community-rooted education business based in Barking Riverside, East London. The venture began with local baby and toddler classes and has grown into a full preschool and educational hub, winning Business of the Year, Customer Service, and Innovation Through Digital Media at the 2025 Barking and Dagenham Chamber of Commerce Awards.

A SENCO’s Vision Shaped at CCCU

Shay credits her time at Canterbury Christ Church University, where she earned her National Award in Special Educational Needs Coordination (NASENCO), as fundamental to the development of SENspired’s model and mission.

“CCCU gave me the SEN knowledge I needed not just to understand learning differences, but to actively shape environments that prevent barriers to learning from developing in the first place,” she said. “That training empowered me to put inclusive education into action in a truly meaningful way.”

Through her NASENCO qualification, Shay developed expertise in early identification, targeted intervention, and SEN leadership, skills she now uses to lead a growing team, design bespoke learning frameworks, and coach others in inclusive practice.

From Community Coffee Group to Educational Excellence

The journey began modestly in 2021 when Shay, then a new mum and experienced educator, started hosting coffee mornings with local parents at The Wilds Eco Centre. Recognising a limitation in accessible, education-led early years options in the area, she launched baby and toddler sessions informed by her teaching background and SEN knowledge.

What started with three parents has now grown into SENspired, a six-person education team serving families across Barking Riverside through classes, products and a Preschool. Explorers Preschool was also opened to address a need seen in the area for a setting focused on school readiness, whole-child development, and preventative SEN strategies. The drive for excellence has been largely attributed to the need to create the best learning environments for Shay’s own children (now 1 and 4 years old).

Preventative SEN in Action

SENspired’s model is distinctive. While its name may suggest it caters exclusively to children with special educational needs, the approach is preventative, aiming to support all children early, inclusively, and adaptively, before formal learning challenges emerge.

This framework, deeply influenced by Shay’s NASENCO training at CCCU, ensures each child receives a personalised learning experience. SENspired uses observation, developmental screening, and tailored pedagogy to ensure that potential barriers are reduced early, while strengths are nurtured.

The results speak for themselves: SENspired has earned nothing but 5-star Google reviews, with parents regularly reporting remarkable developmental progress in their children. SENspired also maintains high ratings for venue hire, SEN products and baby and toddler classes, further embedding it into the local social fabric.

Teaching and Leadership Beyond the Classroom

With her NASENCO training, Shay is not only shaping early education delivery but also mentoring staff and supporting professional development in the local area. Her leadership reflects CCCU’s emphasis on research-informed practice, inclusive values, and community leadership.

“Our goal is to build a generation of learners who are confident, understood, and ready to thrive,” she said. “What I learned at CCCU has been the foundation for everything, from how we build our curriculum to how we engage with families and support our team.”

SENspired now serves as a case study in what happens when specialist SEN training intersects with grassroots community work. It’s a scalable, replicable model for inclusive early years education—and a powerful example of the real-world impact of Canterbury Christ Church University alumni.