Specialist Tuition Service and Consultancy
We support students through carefully tailored education that combines academic rigour with a creative child-centred approach.
About Open Doors Education
Led by an experienced educator and inclusion expert, our work is informed by neuro-affirming, dyslexia-friendly and trauma-informed practice designed to build confidence, develop skills and unlock academic success.
We nurture our students because we believe that to learn effectively you need to feel safe, supported and understood.
The right support can change everything.
Our personalised approach nurtures confidence, develops skills and accelerates progress. Through responsive, playful and expert teaching, we nurture confidence, strengthen skills and accelerate progress - opening doors to self-belief and lifelong skills.
Founder Natalie Hay protesting for SEN parents and children
Our approach
Engage, Encourage, Empower, Unlock
We believe in Meliorism - the philosophical belief that the world can be made better through deliberate human effort, action, and improvement. Our work goes beyond tutoring.
We provide expert, bespoke tuition for learners who benefit from a deeper level of understanding, particularly those with dyslexia, but we support the full neurodiversity of learning profiles. We support students through carefully tailored education that combines academic rigour with a creative child-centred approach.
We develop motivation, independence and self-belief, giving young people the tools they need not only to succeed in exams but to succeed in life. Trusted by families seeking expertise, understanding and exceptional outcomes, we provide education that is thoughtful, responsive and transformational.
Meet our founder
Natalie Hay
Open Doors Education is led by an award-winning children’s rights campaigner Natalie Hay who successfully influenced government policy to improve inclusion for children with SEND. This means our work is grounded not just in theory, but in real systemic change and practical understanding of how to navigate education systems and education law.
We understand complex education journeys because we have lived them. Our founder supported her own child through six years out of school due to chronic illness, including EOTAS home-based provision and GCSEs completed from home. This insight shapes a deeply compassionate and realistic approach to supporting families.
Natalie Hay is also the leader of Parent Carers UK a free online community for parents advocating for their child’s rights. This means that the company remains closely connected to the real challenges families face.
Creativity, ethics, nurture and accountability live at the heart of everything that we do.
Natalie featured on Sky News talking about the disability inclusion campaign
“Natalie led the campaign to ensure that disabled children who are educated away from school are also entitled to a free school meal and did a phenomenal job! Her enthusiasm, dedication and leadership unquestionably contributed significantly to the success of the campaign - it wouldn’t have happened without all her efforts”.
Alex Rook | Solicitor at Rook Irwin Sweeney, specialist education, public law and human rights law firm. London.
Natalie’s Experience
Postgraduate Certificate in Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) UCL
Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Roehampton University
Level 5 BDA Accredited Dyslexia Teacher
20+ years of experience as a qualified teacher
Highly Commended 2024 NASEN Changemaker of the Year
Leader of Parent Carers UK
Runner Up SMK 2025 Campaigner of the Year
What makes us unique?
Our training combines strong pedagogy, practical strategies and playful learning approaches that teachers and learning support assistants can implement immediately.
Integrity and lived experience
The founder of Open Doors Education is:
An award-winning campaigner who changed government policy to make it more inclusive for children with SEND
A SEND specialist British Dyslexia Association accredited teacher, trained by the world’s number one ranked University for education: University College London
A parent-carer with lived experience of navigating the school system and understanding the barriers some children face.
Specialist expertise
rooted in science
Our approach is rooted in a deep understanding of:
Cognitive science and how children actually learn
Up-to-date evidence-based pedagogy
Neuroaffirming practice
Trauma-informed education
Personalised learning
Neuroaffirming and
trauma-informed practice
Our work is grounded in:
Neuroaffirming approaches that respect how each brain works
Trauma-informed practice that prioritises emotional safety
Confidence rebuilding alongside academic progress
Relationship-based teaching that restores trust in learning, trust in our own ideas and self-reflective learning
We do not try to “fix” children
We help them understand how they learn best and develop strategies that work for them.
Where neurodivergent minds are understood, strengths are celebrated and potential is unlocked. Our specialist, premium tutoring supports students with dyslexia and diverse learning profiles through bespoke, neuro-affirming and trauma-informed education.
We create safe, engaging learning environments where students feel encouraged, understood and empowered to succeed.
Through responsive, playful and highly personalised teaching, we nurture confidence, strengthen skills and accelerate progress - opening doors to self-belief and lifelong skills.
We have a network of carefully selected premium tutors and dyslexia assessors. All tutors and assessors are fully qualified and experienced educational professionals who believe that nurturing, inspiring and guiding create positive and long-lasting success.
Specialist dyslexia expertise
20 years teaching experience
Personalised matching process
SEND understanding
Focus on confidence as well as attainment
Clear communication with families
Reviews
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Natalie led the campaign to ensure that disabled children who are educated away from school are also entitled to a free school meal and did a phenomenal job! Her enthusiasm, dedication and leadership unquestionably contributed significantly to the success of the campaign - it wouldn’t have happened without all her efforts.
Alex Rook | Solicitor at Rook Irwin Sweeney, specialist education, public law and human rights law firm. London.
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![Three colorful circles in pink, green, and blue on a white background.]()
The system, courts and SEN law are always a very difficult fight…Parents are already so overwhelmed, anxious and worn down when fighting for their children. We need advocates like Natalie. Her knowledge in court and ability and confidence to challenge… Her passion for FSM entitlement inclusion is so apparent by how passionately she speaks about the subject.
Angela | Parent
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Natalie guided families through the process of accessing free school meals with patience and clarity, ensuring they had the resources and confidence to navigate the system effectively.
SOS!SEN | Charity dedicated to supporting parents and carers of children and young people with SEND -
![Three colored circles: pink, green, and blue, aligned in a horizontal row.]()
I strongly recommend the lessons as they made my son love English class. I think, since the lessons, he has become more interested in writing and using his creativity.
Esin | Parent
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We highly recommend Natalie and are blessed to have found her for our daughter…Spelling is improving fast. Our daughter looks forward to her tutoring sessions.
Charlotte Personnic | Parent
“We rebuild confidence in students who have previously experienced repeated failure”
Other ways to work with us
The Parent Carer
This is for every parent carer stretching themselves beyond capacity to meet the needs of those they love. For those living with the constant weight of responsibility, where the days are full, the demands are relentless, and the effort often goes unrecognised.
Natalie Hay has walked your walk and fought battles no one should have to. Now, she has written this book in the hope of making life easier for others in her situation, whether your particular fight for your child is about ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or chronic illness. Inclusion and provision for all is at the heart of all she stands for.
Along with providing practical links, advice and resources, this book serves as a reminder that you are not alone and there is always hope and support.
Available on Amazon and Kindle
Writing and Media Contributions
Natalie is available for:
Articles
Expert commentary
Policy contributions
Education blogs
Media interviews
Awareness campaigns
Topics include SEND, inclusion, dyslexia, parent carer rights and education inequality.
Educational consultancy for parents (one-off or short term support)
Specialist consultations to help families understand complex education situations and make informed decisions.
Support may include:
Exam access arrangements
Understanding SEND law and rights
EHCP processes
Tribunal preparation support
Disability discrimination
Understanding dyslexia support
Parent carer advocacy guidance and mentoring
Outcome: Parents leave with clarity, practical next steps, and confidence.
Speaking and Events
Natalie speaks at conferences, parent forums, education organisations and professional events.
Topics include:
Inclusive education
Dyslexia and literacy barriers
Children’s rights in education
The parent carer experience
SEND systems and reform
Working effectively with families
Available for:
Conferences
Panel discussions
CPD events
Parent workshops
Podcasts and media
Listen to Natalie talk on the SENDcast Podcast following her journey from the creation of a Facebook group that grew to 4,500 members, to engaging with legal experts. Which led to ultimately initiating a legal challenge that pressured the government to revise its policies.