17th February 2026

From Graduate Teaching Assistant to Head of SEND: Anastasia’s Journey at Ark

Anastasia Georgiou

When Anastasia Georgiou joined Ark John Keats six years ago as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the SEND team, she was at the very start of her career in education. Today, she leads that same team as Head of SEND at a school of over 1,000 pupils. Her journey is a powerful example of what progression can look like within Ark; where professional development and structured pathways provide opportunities to lead.

Embedded Professional Development

Starting as a Graduate Teaching Assistant gave Anastasia a strong understanding of how SEND provision works in practice. She progressed to Higher Level Teaching Assistant, leading on exams access arrangements and coordinating support across the department.  

Professional development has been a consistent thread throughout her journey. Over the past six years, she has completed a range of SEND-specific qualifications, including Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) training and accreditation in psychometric testing for exams access arrangements. She has completed additional training through the Skills Network, covering areas such as autism, specific learning needs and emotional support. 

Crucially, these opportunities were embedded within her role. She was given protected time to complete training and assessments, supported by regular feedback from senior leaders. 

“I’ve always felt very well supported,” she says. “Especially early in my career – I was quite young – having that regular guidance and space to reflect made a big difference.” 

Anastasia’s development was supported by being part of a cohesive inclusion team. “There’s a shared culture of responsibility rather than working in isolation,” she explains. Regular opportunities to problem-solve collaboratively and reflect on complex cases deepened her understanding not only of SEND systems, but of how the whole school functions. That combination of collective accountability and structured support gave her the experience to step into greater leadership – first as Inclusion Manager, and ultimately as the school’s Head of SEND. 

The Power of a Network

While in-school support has been critical to her growth, being part of the Ark network has helped throughout her career. 

Through peer reviews, shared resources and collaboration with SEND leaders across other Ark schools, Anastasia benefits from collective expertise. She has both visited other schools and hosted colleagues at John Keats as part of Ark’s peer review process, sharing best practice and learning from others in similar roles. “Having that safe space to communicate with someone else who’s doing your role makes a big difference,” she explains. This includes Ark’s central team, where Ark’s Director of Inclusion regularly visits the school to offer support and guidance. 

Collaboration continues beyond formal reviews. Anastasia remains in regular contact with SEND leaders across the network. “I’ve had SENCOs message me asking for documents we’ve developed,” she says. “And I’ve had Teams calls with HLTAs in other schools to talk through how we’ve implemented certain interventions.” 

A shared SEND library on Ark’s intranet containing models, training materials and practical resources further supports this collaboration. “It’s a really good starting point,” she explains. “Especially if you’re new to the role, it saves time and helps you feel supported.” 

Together, these structures ensure that no leader works in isolation and that best practice continues to evolve across the network. 

Living the Mission

At the heart of Anastasia’s work is Ark’s mission: to ensure every child has access to an excellent education. 

“High expectations doesn’t mean treating every child the same,” she reflects. “It’s about understanding what each individual child needs to be successful.” 

Under her leadership, the team has strengthened identification processes, clarified intervention pathways and improved communication with parents and teachers. “We can confidently say we have a clear system for identifying needs and putting support in place quickly,” she says. 

As part of the school’s inclusion team – working alongside behaviour, attendance and safeguarding leads – she ensures that support for pupils is joined up and consistent. 

“SEND can’t sit in isolation,” she explains. “It has to be integrated into the wider life of the school. Our pupils know where to go. They know there are safe spaces in the school and adults who will listen.” 

Anastasia’s journey from graduate TA to senior leadership shows that a career in SEND is not static. With the right support, clear pathways and a culture of shared responsibility, there are opportunities to progress. For professionals committed to ensuring every child gets an excellent education, Anastasia’s story demonstrates what is possible.