Testimonies

Artist Workshops:

Karen worked with our Year 11 students on a day workshop based on Tetrapak printing and collagraphs. Her presentation was inspirational to the students and her portfolio of work that they saw demonstrated a strong skill and confidence in her style of working.

The workshop was excellently resourced with all the materials provided by Karen - the students really enjoyed getting stuck in with the whole experience. The work the students produced was of a high standard and Karen really pushed them out of their comfort zone and into the experimentation role of exploring and experiencing collagraph techniques alongside the new recycled use of Tetrapak cartons.

An absolutely great, worthwhile workshop that benefitted every individual student. I would highly recommend the workshop to anyone.

Miss K Lea

Head of Art

Newcastle-under-Lyme School

The Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust- of which I am a trustee- has benefited considerably from Karen’s involvement- both in terms of her prints supporting historic building restoration projects though the creation of arresting images and also through her engagement with the public via training classes and by means of exhibitions held in our own historic building during art festivals.

She is a natural communicator putting people to whom she speaks at ease - all ages too.

She is also a natural teacher taking novices through the printing process stage by stage patiently, with explanations and demonstrations and practical help.

All this in her own time and at no cost to my Trust - in fact quite the reverse with her donating much of the sale proceeds from exhibitions to the Trust.

Barry Richard Joyce MBE FSA

Karen delivered printmaking workshops to our Year 10 pupils and off the back of the success of that, I asked her to do a two-day workshop with our Sixth Formers – both were fantastic in terms of Karen’s careful planning and delivery; her extensive teaching experience meant that she engaged quickly with our students and they were genuinely absorbed in what they were doing throughout.

Karen brought her expertise in printmaking and inspired our students with new approaches and practical techniques in collagraph and Tetrapak printing, which they could adapt well to, in short time-frames. The students achieved excellent outcomes, which have become a valuable addition to their coursework projects.

Kate O’Hare BA (Hons)

Head of Art and Photography, Sixth Form Tutor

Trent College and The Elms

Professional (SEND Leadership):

I had the pleasure of working with Karen Wicks during her time as Director at the Hinckley and Bosworth Education Partnership, where she led the development of therapeutic programmes for students who had been, or were at risk of being, permanently excluded from school. These students were some of the most vulnerable students in Leicestershire and her work was instrumental in re-engaging these young people through creative and supportive approaches.

Karen demonstrated a strong understanding of Special Educational Needs (SEND), working directly with families of students with EHCPs and supporting those without EHCP’s in gathering evidence to support applications. To support these students Karen liaising with external agencies and the work she did, alone, was essential in ensuring the right support was in place. Her ability to connect with complex and vulnerable students and tailor interventions to meet their needs was excellent.

Marcus Snook

Oakfield HBEP Lead: Behaviour & Culture

I have worked with Karen over six years within different educational contexts and across the age range 5-16 years old, operating in different counties and demographic areas.

All of the students that Karen has worked with are deemed 'at risk' and vulnerable, and are classed as such from a wide range of behavioural, educational and safeguarding concerns. Karen has previously taken upon the SENCO role within different schools and implemented her knowledge and guidance towards students, parents, schools, agencies and the wider educational team.

Karen has an expert array of knowledge and processes within Special Educational Needs and learning support requirements for children of any school age. She has applied her enthusiasm and dedication across multiple sites to ensure that each child has the best chance to succeed and develop under her guidance and support. I have no doubt that this will continue wherever she chooses to apply her skillset in the future.

Adam Wheldon

HBEP Inclusion Manager

As Little Bridge PRU Head of School, Karen was deeply involved in several initiatives aimed at engaging young people from diverse backgrounds in creative arts. This included designing and leading interventions that focused on developing skills in visual arts and role play. These sessions were tailored to encourage self-expression and to build confidence, providing a safe and supportive environment for young people to explore their creativity and connect with their peers. The positive outcomes from these projects highlight Karen’s commitment to fostering youth development through the arts

Sobiah Ahmed

Little Bridge PRU HLTA

In her role as the senior lead for Inclusion Services across 10 Leicestershire secondary schools, Karen led the development of provision and support for some of the most vulnerable, disadvantaged students in these schools. This included working with schools, families, Leicestershire authority and wider agencies. Karen transformed the service and the philosophy of the organisation, ensuring students were supported to achieve in different ways depending on their needs and abilities. The vast majority of students were exposed to multiple factors which affected their potential to be successful in a mainstream school environment. These included exposure to trauma, having additional needs and being involved in anti-social behaviour/ criminality in the community.  

Karen was able to use her vast SEND experience to inform the decision making of other agencies involved with students, helping to achieve a better understanding of needs which led to improved provision, improved attendance and ultimately, improved outcomes for students. These outcomes included qualifications such as GCSE English and Maths but also the skills and behaviours that enabled these students to successfully reintegrate back into mainstream Post 16 education.

Chair- Hinckley and Bosworth Education Partnership