About The Joyful Learning Culture
I'm Charlotte, founder of The Joyful Learning Culture, a qualified teacher and education professional with experience spanning teaching, leadership, partnerships and educational services.
I've spent my career working alongside children and young people, families, schools and professionals to understand what helps children engage with education. And what barriers they may face.
The Joyful Learning Culture grew from that experience, and from a belief that how children experience education matters just as much as what they achieve from it.
Meet Charlotte
Why I do this
I've had the privilege of meeting hundreds of young people and their parents and carers across the North East and nationally, listening to their experiences and understanding the barriers that can lead to disengagement from education.
I've supported disengaged young people across the country to transition back into education, and I've seen the difference that a successful return can make. I've also seen what can happen when a setting isn't ready to meet a young person's needs.
Schools are working within an increasingly complex landscape, often supporting children with significant and varied needs alongside the pressures of attendance, SEND, behaviour, attainment and wellbeing. But through partnership working and prioritising children's experience of education, we can create the conditions in which they can engage and thrive.
What I bring
My experience gives me a perspective across the education system. As a teacher, I've experienced the realities of the classroom. Through my leadership and partnership roles, I've worked with schools, organisations and wider services. And through my work directly with young people and families, I've seen education from the perspective of those experiencing it.
At Nudge Education, I held senior roles including Director of Partnerships and Service Delivery, working nationally to develop partnerships and re-engage young people experiencing barriers to traditional education.
In a world where children as young as six are facing mental health crises and more young people than ever are disengaging from education, I bring perspectives together to ask - as a society - what could we do differently?
The Joyful Learning Culture
I believe children deserve to enjoy their education now, not just as preparation for tomorrow.
We talk about attainment, attendance, resilience, wellbeing and outcomes, but when was the last time we asked whether children are actually happy?
For me, joy isn't about making education easy or entertaining all the time. It's about creating the conditions for curiosity, confidence, connection and resilience. When children are curious, they want to explore. When they feel confident, they're more willing to take risks. And when they enjoy learning, they are more likely to engage with it.
I believe preparation for the future should be a natural outcome of a joyful, meaningful education and not its sole purpose.
Partnership Working
Every educational setting is different, so I don't arrive with a ready-made solution. I work alongside schools to understand their culture, listen to children's experiences and identify practical opportunities for change. This might involve professional training, a culture review or a longer-term culture change project.
The aim is simple: to help create educational cultures where children's needs are met and they are able to experience a joyful learning journey.
And to help the adults around them feel better equipped to make that possible.