Terrie Spencer
Head of Inclusion, Dubai Heights Academy
Terrie Spencer is a passionate and dedicated leader of Inclusion. She has extensive experience of leadership and teaching in a variety of school settings in the UAE and UK, including: mainstream schools, specialist schools for students of determination, a pupil referral unit, a single gender school, a bilingual school and international schools. Terrie has worked with pupils with a vast range of special educational needs and disabilities, including pupils with selective mutism, hearing impairment, Autism, ADHD and specific learning difficulties. In addition, she has supported the development of pupils with English as an Additional Language and has enriched the learning experiences of pupils identified as Gifted and Talented to ensure that they, like all pupils, are suitably challenged to reach their full potential.
Terrie is the eternal student, committed to ongoing professional development. To support her role as the Head of Inclusion, she holds a Master of Education in Special Education Needs with distinction, PENTA accreditation, is a registered test user and a qualified neuro-developmental therapist (INPP method). Furthermore, she is a member of professional bodies including, The British Psychological Society and the Institute of Neuro-Physiological Psychology. In her quest to support and challenge the students in her care, she has studied Gifted and Talented identification and provision, school mental health improvement, Exam Access Arrangements and ABA therapy.
Terrie is especially passionate about school readiness, early intervention and the role of movement in learning. She particularly enjoys spending time in the Early Years, ensuring that pupils have the solid foundations necessary to thrive on their personal learning journey. Terrie believes that working in close partnership with parents and caregivers is key to the best outcomes for pupils and is regularly involved in events, such as parent workshops, to foster these partnerships.
