DevonPathways staff

  Hi I am Grant – Jobwise I have been a Therapist, a Teacher, a Professional Photographer , and now I ‘m a mentor with Devon Pathways. 

I believe we are all unique individuals, and that we all have many more skills and talents than we generally recognise – its just about discovering and nurturing ourselves, and supporting each other, so that we can reach our full potential. 

Our hobbies and interests can often be a great starting point for clues to what motivates us towards a positive direction in the future.

In my spare time I enjoy yoga, photography, guitar and travel but not necessarily all at the same time!

  Hi everyone, my name is Tania Mayes and I am super excited to be part of the Devon Pathways team.  I have been a teacher for over 20 years, working with students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities during this time, having completed the SENDCo qualification.
During my spare time I enjoy reading and travelling especially with my two daughters and husband. Exploring and experiencing different cultures is a passion of mine and I have been working with a team in Kenya to develop their awareness of special needs which I so privilaged to be part of. I firmly believe that all young people deserve the chance to shine, regardless of their ability or situation and that through guidance, nurture and support they will continue to grow and be the person that they deserve to be!
I am looking forward to working with the team, the young people and their families, see you all soon… 

I have been in education for over 15 years. I am a trained primary teacher and have worked in both mainstream primary and specialist secondary environments. I have completed courses in ASD, Counselling, Mental Health and Safeguarding and enjoy using this knowledge when working 1:1 with young people. I believe in creating positive relationships based on trust in order to allow young people to achieve their potential. Outside of work, I love to be at the beach, camping or on 8 wheels (rollerskating). I also love to be creative and enjoy sewing, card making and knitting. 

I have worked in education support for ten years, both in mainstream and specialist environments. I really enjoy working with young people and building strong relationships to enable them to break down barriers and progress. I like to provide a high level of pastoral support and use creative projects or time in nature to build self esteem. I have a drama degree. I also have training and high levels of experience in safeguarding and mental health support. In my spare time I make pottery and I like to bring this in to my work. Another hobby of mine is going wild swimming and surfing, even in the winter! 

I have spent the last six years working with young people, both as a TEFL teacher and as a teaching assistant in a local primary school.  I am also a trustee for a fantastic charity which works with young people with physical disabilities, to empower and motivate them.  I am committed to ensuring that every young person, regardless of their circumstances, has access to the resources, opportunities and support they need to thrive.

In addition, I am passionate about travel and have been fortunate enough to visit some amazing places.  This has led me to set up an accessible travel consultancy, designed to assist individuals with disabilities plan exciting and independent adventures.  As part of this, I regularly contribute articles on accessible travel to various publications. 

The spare time I do have I love to spend with my family, whether that be away on adventures or closer to home, enjoying walks on the moors, cooking and gardening.

Info to follow

  My name is Eileen and I worked with secondary age children for 19 years. I began as an in-class teaching assistant working with SEN students. I believe in a holistic approach to young people, assisting them in making decisions and realising that we all have choices and consequences for those choices, whether positive or negative.

In 2016, Forest School training has given me the opportunity to work alongside students that may struggle within the classroom. Helping to build their self-esteem and improve their social skills, as well as educating them in their environment, learning about the flora and fauna around them and their part in helping it to survive. 

I have worked 14 years supporting young people in education, in both mainstream and SEN settings.  I am a qualified Land Based Studies teacher and have seen how working with animals and being outdoors has transformed the lives of the young people I have taught and mentored.  I have observed the young person's self confidence, self esteem, and self motivation restored through a flexible, personalised, needs led programme which supports to maximise engagement and achievement.  Above all it has to be fun!

In my free time I sing in a band and love to listen to music.  I also spend lots of time walking with my dog, and head to the beach, rivers and moors.  And I love cooking, especially outdoors on the campfire…

I'm Rebecca but known as Bex. 

I have worked with sen and secondary aged children for over 10 years. Before this I worked with primary. I have worked both inner city and most recently more rural since moving to Devon a few years ago. I love being active and a keen supporter in most sports.

I have always loved working with children and it's all I've wanted to do since leaving school myself. I believe in creating a great relationship with Children through understanding and trust.  

I'm Anna, I love being outdoors, dancing, being with animals, cooking (and eating!) and learning new skills. I'm trained in Drama and I'm currently working towards a counselling qualification. I've previously worked as a teaching assistant with primary school age children and provided pastoral support to young adults starting work in apprenticeships.  

I have been a Maths teacher for 34 years, 15 of those as Head of Maths. I have worked in both inner city and rural schools with students from age 9 to 18. As well as working in schools, I have privately tutored students for GCSE and A level Maths. I believe strongly that building good relationships is at the heart of good teaching and I have always worked hard at this aspect of my work. 

Beyond school I enjoy making the most of the outdoors and I play a variety of sports, including football, rugby, badminton and cricket. I have also been involved in Duke of Edinburgh Award and Ten Tors expeditions. My most recent obsession is gig rowing and most weekends I am on a river or the sea somewhere in the south west. I love listening to music and enjoy going to see bands and solo artists performing live.

I am a qualified science teacher and have worked in both mainstream and special needs settings. More recently, I have mentored young people within a school and youth group. I enjoy working alongside young people, helping to support them as they navigate issues they might be facing and encouraging their educational progress. There is never a dull moment working with young people, I find they have much to offer and often just need someone to invest time in hearing what they have to say.

I love animals, especially dogs and cats, I find it hard to walk past them without saying hello. I also enjoy learning about naturopathy, singing, art and I’ll give most craft projects a go, whether I complete them is another story! 

I have worked in special education for 25 years

Throughout my career, I have taken great pride in seeing children develop and thrive. 

The challenge to help them overcome hurdles or perfect their skills, is something that drives me to find different ways of communicating and supporting them.

My previous roles have enabled me to work with elite athletes, gifted and talented students, children with profound and multiple learning difficulties, children and adults with autism and children and young adults with severe learning difficulties.

In my spare time, I enjoy playing football, cycling and traveling throughout Greece.

 I have mainly worked in the healthcare industry, most recently as a 999 call handler before joining a secondary college as an attendance officer. I love working with young people and helping them thrive. In my spare time I love listening to and watching live music. I am very excited to be starting with Devon Pathways. 

 I left school at 16 to join the Army and spent 9 years there before leaving to join firstly the prison service and then the police, where I spent the next 21 years.

I love the outdoors and enjoy spending my spare time camping out and learning bushcraft skills and in 2023 1 qualified as a bushcraft instructor.

I hope to bring these skills and a passion for nature to the fore in helping young people find their place in the world and flourish.

 I have worked as a SEN Teaching Assistant in secondary education. I supported young people in their academic subjects and helped them gain confidence and self-esteem in social environments. I led a Literacy Nurture Group, an Art Club and assisted on Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. I strongly believe every young person has the ability to shine. As mentor I look forward to guiding young people onto the pathway that they are passionate about. Outside of Mentoring I am an Artist and love to teach new art skills to young people. The mediums I enjoy the most are ceramics and drawing. I also love the outdoors and being with animals, particularly horses. 

 I have worked in education since qualifying as a primary teacher in 2005 and working in a mainstream primary setting before beginning my teaching journey in an area special school in 2007, supporting pupils across all age ranges who have a wide range of special educational needs and disabilities and working both in the classroom and within leadership roles. I have always valued the importance of developing positive relationships and working therapeutically, inclusively and creatively to provide personalised support and guidance to enable and empower young people to engage and participate positively, maximise their potential, achieve their goals, fulfil their dreams and develop strong interpersonal skills and social networks. Alongside this, I have a love of the great outdoors, walking, geocaching, camping, travel and cooking.

 I am a professional percussionist and have spent over 25 years touring with many different bands and artists around the world. Music is a fantastic way to connect with each other and help young people express themselves and realise their creative potential.

I have a wealth of experience assisting young people who have fallen outside of the mainstream education system, for many reasons but particularly within the traveller community. As well as academic fields like reading and writing, I've helped many young people with overcoming trauma, social isolation and substance abuse.

As a father and granddad I am passionate about treating all young people with the same patience, empathy, dignity and respect as I do my own family.

In my spare time I love playing, listening and dancing to all sorts of music, walking and living in nature and having fun with my kids.

I have a deep passion for the sea and volunteer as a lifeboatman with the RNLI.

Hi I'm Kerry. Originally from Reading, I have many years experience working with young people, I was a youth support worker for YMCA Reading, and then set up a community café, where we worked n house and with the job centre and college to assist mostly young people with work experience, and training as a stepping stone into paid employment. I then went on to become a Foster carer, which I was doing right up until we moved down to this beautiful part of the country. I have a heart of passion for children and young people, I believe that with time, nurture and care, we can unlock the potential of each child and help them to understand they hold value and purpose. 

In my spare time, I love paddleboarding, swimming and Kayaking, I also love music and dancing.

 Hello, my name is Jani, a passionate environmental educator and conservationist. Having spent more than a decade working around the world for various environmental organisations trying to learn about and save our beautiful coral reefs and marine wildlife, I returned back to the UK 4 years ago to pursue my other passion in education.

Working as a science teacher and tutor I developed the college's first eco committee and allotment club and enjoyed taking my classes outside as much as possible for their learning. I am focusing now on mentoring and supporting young people to achieve their aspirations outside of the classroom, discovering together their interests and nurturing their self belief and abilities. I believe our young people, with a bit of kindness, patience and trust, can go on to lead inspiring and fulfilling lives that they are proud of and I look forward to helping them in any way I can through our work at DevonPathways.