I'm creating something I wish had existed years ago: a small, intentional online community space for parents and carers of children who are being failed, or have been failed, by the education system.

Not another sprawling Facebook group but somewhere we can actually connect without the noise. Somewhere we can find some space to heal our own exhaustion, stress and and whatever we're carrying. And also somewhere we can recover our trust in our own intuition and our confidence to advocate clearly for our children—for all of our children—for the future.

I'm a parent, grandparent, and former teacher who's navigated the education system from both sides. I lost my son Sam to suicide at 19—he was neurodivergent, brilliant, and the system failed him.

I know what it's like when schools insist your child needs to change to fit what's on offer, rather than meeting them where they are. I know what it's like when the resources simply aren't available to do what should be done. And I know the harm and isolation that follow.

I'm creating this firstly as a place to breathe and heal. But I'm also curious about what becomes possible around change in the educational system when we connect with intention, rather than each of us alone in our exhaustion.

What we build from there around contributing to the re-imagining of the system—we'll discover together.

Our community could include:

• Story circles where people truly listen to each other

• Monthly themes that speak to the reality of this journey

• Live gatherings for real connection

• Invited guests who want to hear what we have to say

• Prompts for shared reflection and conversation

🪴 This could be part of the village you need for yourself.

What this is not.

I am not an expert and I am not an authority. Far from it.
So this is not a place where you will find definitive answers.
This is not somewhere where you will be asked to put aside your own experience or your own perception.

I'm explicitly working against the cultural impulse to look outside ourselves for answers, to defer to external authority, to trust systems and experts.

What this is.

I want this to be a space where we can be heard. To remember what we already know about our own children. To stop carrying this alone. To recover from trauma through connection and care

I'm creating this as a small, intentional gathering space—a place to heal and gather our collective wisdom. Not because that's all we need, but because it's the essential thing that we need. Done together, consistently, this kind of space changes the ground we're standing on. And from different ground, we can grow the clarity, stamina, and voice that actually creates change in the world.