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Nicole Bateman

@nicolelbateman

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followers

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Mum of two, neuro-inclusion trainer
💜 #epilepsy
🧡 @thefriendlysendadvisor
🎙️ @conversationswithasendmum

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Yesterday at CAA Ignite, we talked a lot about belonging.

And this is why I do what I do, helping organisations build on the amazing work they are doing to develop that neuro-inclusive space where all children feel like they genuinely belong.

Because when children feel safe, understood and supported, they have more opportunities to take part, build confidence, make connections and enjoy the things they love (which is particularly important for those kids who find the school system hard)

And working with children's activity providers I see such great practice but how do we make that experience consistent across the whole organisation?

That's exactly what my 3 month Neuro-inclusive Activity Partnership is designed to support.

Over 90 days, we work together, my eyes on your business, to create meaningful, practical change through:

Clarity: Understanding what's already working well and identifying opportunities across your customer journey, from that first enquiry with a family, nursery or school to the experience children have in your sessions.

Confidence: Equipping your team with bespoke training and practical tools so they feel more confident adapting their approach to meet different needs.

Change: Turning everything into a manageable 90-day action plan, with regular calls, WhatsApp support and accountability from me to help embed those changes into everyday practice.

The outcome?

A more confident team, a more consistent and inclusive experience for children, and families who feel reassured that their child will be understood, supported and welcomed as themselves.

Those organisations I'm working with right now feel that reassurance that I'm right there working alongside them.

If you'd like to explore what this could look like in your organisation, I've opened up some F.R.E.E Neuro-inclusion snapshot calls over the next few weeks.

We'll chat about your specific provision, celebrate what's already working and identify 3 practical actions to build on it.

Comment 'SNAPSHOT' and I'll send you the 🔗 to book.

Because belonging isn't just about being able to join in, it's about feeling that this is a place for you.

#TheFriendlySENDAdvisor #SEND by @nicolelbateman

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a day ago

Come along with me for week 1 of building 'Your thing at 19' a new content series with the purpose of raising awareness for the kids still missing out on activities they love.

Week 1 was lots of researching into famous faces and finding both postal and email addresses (mainly of their agents) then designing the postcard with the help of @canva_uk and doing some old fashioned writing of personal notes (I really don't do that much writing anymore so my hand felt it 🤣)

Then I wanted to try out the concept that was in my head in real life so I brought some mini mics and classic Nicole forgot to actually use them when I had a walk and talk with @fruitionforbusiness !

I then went to find a photo of me at 10 from my @stagecoachworldwide Poole days and did a launch post (having been back to my old school for a 20 year reunion the weekend before and remembering that @malonegareth helped me with an audition when I was 10!) so I thought I would tag him and send him a postcard too!

I then wrote a few more postcards and added them to my Instagram stories and @hannahjwilkes and @dodge.woodall responded, and Hannah said yes! As you can see on the video, I was very excited and I'm looking forward to chatting with Hannah very soon!

I went to record another chat with @conexustuition_southbourne and DID have the microphones this time but I looked back at the footage and it recorded with no sound...

I then followed up with some messages and tested the microphones so now I'm confident they will work for my week 2 interviews!

Week 1 recap...

6 postcards in blue envelopes sent to Hannah, Dodge. Gareth, @romankemp @missemmapaton and @harryredknapp

One YES from Hannah

One Thumbs up from Dodge

More postcards going out for week 2... Who are you nominating for me to try and chat with next?

#YourThingAt10 #TheFriendlySENDAdvisor #sports #Arts #Music by @nicolelbateman

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4 days ago

Last night I saw what happens when ‘there’s a place for you’ actually means ‘you can take part’...

I spent some time with Tash Bartlett from AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust yesterday evening filming her 'Your Thing at 10' conversation (coming soon) and seeing their Ability Counts football in action.

One of the most powerful bits for me was what I heard from the parents who bring their kids to these sessions. They talked about this being a safe space for their children where they’re understood, where adjustments can be made and where they can enjoy football without having to constantly fit into an environment that wasn’t designed with them in mind. And speaking with the parents often elsewhere they experienced the opposite and a number of their kids had been excluded because other places couldn’t provide the support their child needed.

Ability Counts shows what can be possible when there is funding, enough adults, understanding and flexibility around the child but this shouldn’t depend on whether one brilliant organisation happens to have secured the resources to make it happen.

There are children all over the country who love football, dance, drama, swimming, art, STEM, music and more. Some already know exactly what their ‘thing’ is, the thing that brings them joy and a sense of belonging, but some are still waiting for the opportunity to discover it.

Too many neurodivergent children and those with disabilities are missing out because the additional support that would make participation possible costs money; more adults, smaller ratios, communication support, sensory adaptations etc. Activity providers cannot always absorb those costs themselves even though they care.

That is why I’m asking Government to ring-fence funding for the support that makes access possible, because I don’t just want a handful of children to be lucky enough to find a safe space, I want every child to have the chance to find their thing, and somewhere they genuinely belong while they do it.

If you believe that too, please sign and share my Jumping the Inclusion Gap petition, and keep an eye out for Tash’s Your Thing at 10 conversation!

#TheFriendlySENDAdvisor #SEND #Neuro by @nicolelbateman

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These last few weeks have reminded me personally as a SEND Mum why children’s activities matter so much (especially when kids find the school environment hard).

Then, at Class Business Live I spoke with so many brilliant activity providers about the difference their classes can make.

Because it is never ‘just’ an activity.

Your activity can be the place where a child finds their thing, where they are welcomed as themselves, build relationships and experience a real sense of belonging.

Therefore I have created a few slots in my diary available for free 20-minute Neuro-Inclusion Snapshot calls over the next few weeks.

You complete a short eight-minute reflection form beforehand, then we chat through what is working and where there may be barriers. You’ll leave with three practical actions to help make your business more neuro-inclusive.

If we chatted at Class Business Live, or this feels relevant to your organisation, comment SNAPSHOT or message me for the link.

Ps thank you @iamkristinemonaghan for creating an amazing event celebrating all the class businesses and the wonderful things they bring to society

#NeuroInclusion #ChildrensActivities #InclusiveBusiness #SEND by @nicolelbateman

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6 days ago

@entrepreneursgb 2025 Winner to 2026 Judge

Thank you to the Great British Entrepreneur Awards Team led by @frankie_j4y for the honour of inviting me to be one of the judges for this year's awards.

Last year I entered the Early Stage Stand Out Category with zero expectations, I saw the application writing itself as such a helpful exercise in helping me reflect on my first year of @thefriendlysendadvisor so when I was announced as a finalist I was very excited.

The awards ceremony itself, held at @grosvenorhouselondon was like being whisked off to a Cinderella movie setting with so many amazing entrepreneurs in one massive room.

I was filming as my name was read out and appeared on the big screen but when I was announced as winner by @calv_eden I dropped my phone in shock 😲 and even forgot to pick up my award before going on stage 😂🙌

Reading through some of the entries for this year's awards has been so interesting and I've loved seeing the big variety that the 2026 finalists bring. If you are a finalist but haven't yet got your ticket I would really encourage you to go because it really does feel like a dream. I went by myself last year, and was unsure about how it would be, but made new friends and bumped into some lovely fellow winners I knew like Robin, Channon and Natasha.

Who will I see at The Great British Entrepreneur Awards this year?

PD: red and navy graphic with a picture of Nicole saying Official judge 2026 second photo of Nicole smiling with her award wearing a green dress

#TheFriendlySENDAdvisor #GBEA #FemaleFounder #Neuroinclusion by @nicolelbateman

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11 days ago

Last week I went to chat with my local MP @tomhayesmp

Tom is a great advocate for play, works closely with @playengland and chairs the APPG for Play and having spoken to him before I know he's an MP who cares about equal opportunities for children.

I went to chat with him about the Every Child Can enrichment paper and my petition to create a SEND access fund because of what I see working in the children's activities industry and as a mum of a child with SEND.

I see and work with providers who care and want to do all they can to include all children

I also see kids like my son who can't access lots of after school clubs etc without additional adult support.

Often there are 3 options if a child needs additional adult support and none of them are ok

1. The provider has to find additional money to pay for an additional adult (which for many small businesses is not viable and definitely not sustainable long term)

2. The provider has to ask the parent to stay (which is not great for working parents or parents who have other kids plus all the extra safeguarding risks etc)

3. The provider has to tell the family that they can't meet the needs of the child and so the child misses out on activities they love.

Goodwill cannot fund inclusion alone so therefore we need a ring fenced SEND access fund for community groups to be able to access in the Governments new enrichment plans.

Go to @thefriendlysendadvisor bio to sign the petition... and do share with others so every child actually can access activities they love.

PD: picture of Nicole and Tom with words saying last week I met with my local MP to share about children missing out

#SEND #EveryChildCan #JumpingTheInclusionGap #TheFriendlySENDAdvisor #ChildrensActivities by @nicolelbateman

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12 days ago

What was your 'thing' at 10? (Or things?)

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and realised I definitely didn’t just have one.

I had swimming, netball, flute, piano and @stagecoachworldwide

I loved having lots of different things to throw myself into. When I was 10 @malonegareth was my drama teacher at Stagecoach Poole for a few terms and even helped me prepare an Alice and Wonderland monologue for the audition that led to me getting an all-rounder scholarship at school.

Looking back, those activities gave me so much more than skills, they gave me confidence, different groups of people to belong with, places to express myself and lots of different ways to work out who I was.

A child’s ‘thing’ doesn’t have to be one thing.

It might be sport, music, drama, gaming, lego, animals, coding, dancing or something really niche that they could talk about for hours. Or it might be their ' things' like me!

Because activities are rarely ‘just’ activities, they can be confidence, connection, regulation, joy, identity, belonging, or simply somewhere a child feels more like themselves.

So I’m getting ready to start asking people, What was your thing at 10? What made you light up? What did you get completely absorbed in?

I’ve got my phone, two little microphones, a rather large number 10 and a growing list of people I’d love to chat to (thanks for your nominations yesterday)

And there’s a bigger reason behind it too because so many neurodivergent children and those with disabilities are still missing out on activities they love because the support that would help them access activities isn’t quite there and some children haven’t even had the chance to find their thing, or their things, yet.

I really want to help change that.

More soon…

But first, I’d love to know: what was your thing at 10? Tell me in the comments

#YourThingAt10 #JumpingTheInclusionGap #TheFriendlySENDAdvisor #Stagecoach #ChildrensActivities by @nicolelbateman

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13 days ago

It started with a jump, for the kids missing out...

At @ideas_fest , I asked @benshephardofficial @aj11ace , @curtispritchard12 , @iamhollymatthews @helenshub.uk @meganhumphreys_ @louiswxtkins @happyconfidentcompany and so many other brilliant people, to Jump the Inclusion Gap with me.

A little movement of joy (jumping, stepping or wheeling over the gap) for the children who are still missing out on the activities they love.

And I loved seeing people get behind it.

But afterwards I kept thinking...

I want to go deeper than the jump.

Because when we think back to being 10, so many of us had a ‘thing’, or several things.

The sport, the music. the drama class. the hobby we could disappear into. the place we found our people. The thing that gave us confidence, regulation, joy, belonging or simply somewhere we could be ourselves.

And that made me wonder:

What was their thing at 10?

What did it give them?

What do they understand about that child now?

What did the adults around them get right... and what might they have missed?

So I’m starting something new:

YOUR THING AT 10

Short, relaxed conversations about who people were before we knew who they became.

And there’s a reason I want to tell these stories.

Too many neurodivergent children and children with disabilities can’t access things they love because the support they need to take part isn’t there.

Others haven’t even been given enough opportunity to discover their thing, or their things, yet.

I want to help change that.

Because every child deserves the chance to find their thing.

I’m filming the first conversation tomorrow...

Whose 'Thing at 10' would you love me to find out? Tag them below and let's see if we can start the conversation...

#YourThingAt10 #TheFriendlySENDAdvisor #JumpingTheInclusionGap #ChildrensActivities by @nicolelbateman

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14 days ago

@curtispritchard12 shared why movement and music are so important when I spoke with him at @ideas_fest

He shared what dance gave him when he was younger and how movement and music makes people smile, makes people happy, makes people relax and makes people feel included.

THIS is exactly what ALL children should have access to and have the chance to enjoy movement and music but unfortunately in reality so many neurodivergent children and those with disabilities still miss out.

This is why I'm so passionate about working with amazing activity providers who care to make the whole family experience more accessible and inclusive.

Movement and music are so important but goodwill cannot fund inclusion alone which is why I'm calling on the Government to ring fence SEND Funding in their Every Child can enrichment promise and I need your help.

If you believe that every child should actually access movement and music then go to @thefriendlysendadvisor bio, sign and share.

Thank you Curtis for sharing your support and Jumping the Inclusion Gap with me.

#TheFriendlySENDAdvisor #DanceClub #Movement #SEND sign created by @elena.foxmade by @nicolelbateman

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16 days ago

Last week I was one of 100 Founders that got invited to @googleuk for the @helpbnk sprint and what a day it was!

This was not just your usual inspiring business event, it was more than that, it was super practical and gave us time to actually implement and work through sticking points in our business on our tables (shout out the our wonderful mentor @adamsmi7h and the table 10 crew @square1sport @x.onyx.x @thefreshfriends @giggle.gifts @turilicious_sauces @cain.omen @get_going_with_nadia ) great to chat with @orth_otics too who is making such an important product and see @brownieandthebean and @emilyairey_ to walk in together (thanks @superdinkyuk)

Thank you Tobias, @miss_holly_mann and @adrienhastert for some strategy and frameworks that are achievable but impactful.

When they run a day like this again, fellow small business friends apply to go because you'll learn and implement things that will definitely help build your confidence to go for your mission and your dream even more!

I'm on a mission to make sure no child misses out on activities they love through @thefriendlysendadvisor and if you believe every child should be able to access sport, theatre, STEAM Clubs and more too pop a 🙌 in the comments!

Thank you Helpbnk team and Google for creating such an impactful day!

#TheFriendlySENDAdvisor #SmallBusiness #Helpbnk #Neuroinclusion by @nicolelbateman

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18 days ago

Lived experience matters...

It's so important for us all to listen to and hear from those who have experienced things in different ways to us because we all have more to learn.

This picture was from 3 years ago, I was standing, in front of a room of doctors and professors plus hundreds listening in online sharing about our lived experience with the medical system as a family. I felt under qualified and so nervous back then but now I know that our lived experience is so valid and we need to be sharing so others can learn.

Some may be experts through training but others are experts by lived experience and some both. I had the honour of being on the Ethics and Law Committee of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health as an expert by experience for 4 years and now I know that it's so important to have a whole and rounded view of systems from all angles.

So if you feel like your views or your experiences are not valuable enough to share, think again, because what you have to offer the world is so valuable and if it can even just make a positive impact for one person then surely that is worth sharing?!

PD: picture of Nicole standing behind a podium saying RCPCH with people sat beside her and a slide saying Genomics Workshop

#TheFriendlySENDAdvisor #ExpertByExperience #Epilepsy #Genomics by @nicolelbateman

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22 days ago