LVA TRUST

14/07/2026

Our final year 6 session. Today we looked at boundaries and support webs.

06/07/2026

Last week in our year 6 SEN transition group we went to battle with the wellbeing gremlins. We chose our weapon. Then we showed our battle strategy. And then we defeated those gremlins one scenario at a time.

23/06/2026

Week three of our SEN emotional wellbeing small group for years 6’s getting them secondary ready. Today we looked at how we access our of Happy Hormones and other healthy coping strategies for when the wellness gremlins rear their ugly head 🙈

17/06/2026

Help us co-design inclusive parent resources at LVA

We are developing a new suite of bite-sized learning resources for parents and carers to be available for free on our website. To ensure these are truly accessible, relevant, and inclusive, we are inviting a small group of parents to work alongside us as co-design partners.

We are particularly keen to hear from parents/carers with a diverse range of backgrounds, lived experiences, and perspectives to help shape resources that genuinely reflect the communities we serve.

What’s involved:
6 short, informal Zoom sessions
Opportunity to share ideas and lived experience
Contributing to meaningful, community-informed resources

📅 Dates and Times TBC

If you’re interested, or know someone who might be, please complete our expression of interest form here:

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=uaQEyOGSVUuoQX81LrFV6G1pYWG2vvlJlQHow_BWTnVUNzM3NTQxNlBJSFJSNUwxR1Y5SEFCMlNQSCQlQCN0PWcu

Together, we can create resources that better support families and strengthen our community.

Education DiversityAndInclusion

09/06/2026

Today we delivered our first SEN transition group session from our 6 week wellbeing group. Such a wonderful bunch of year 6’s and I can’t wait to work with them over the next 6 weeks to help them gain all the skills they will need to thrive as they move into the next era of school life. 😍💪

21/05/2026

What a night. ✨

Our LVA Diamond Ball was a celebration of 10 years of mission and a powerful reminder of what can happen when a community comes together behind a shared mission.

A huge thank you to Spring Capital and Albourne for your incredible support and generosity, and to every individual, donor, sponsor, volunteer and guest who helped make the evening so special.

And a special thank you to Emma Wilson for hosting again this year with a very successful live auction again!

Because of your support, we can continue delivering vital work through RSHE education, mentoring, small groups and support for parents and carers, helping young people know they are loved, valued and able.

To everyone who gave, bid, donated, encouraged and championed LVA: thank you for believing in the mission. The impact of your generosity will ripple far beyond the ballroom. 💎

Because of you we hit our fundraising target! 😍

08/04/2026

Action-attainment have created a Mum and daughter Yoga programme delivered by a specialist OT.

LVA Trust have had the privilege of getting to know the team and the amazing work that they do for our neurodiverse community of young people and their families.

This latest offering is one I, CEO of LVA Trust, would have personally taken up with my daughter.

If you are interested or you know families who are, please do reach out to them.

Full Quote on Feedback from Mother from the first pilot:
"there are so many ways I can help my daughter that I wasn't aware of and that what you see is not always what is happening underneath the surface. I believe this will be a breakthrough for us if we can learn to co regulate and understand her triggers better."

They are a social enterprise for neurodiverse children and young people, and everyone who works alongside them. We work with families, schools and sports organisations to provide practical inclusion strategies that can be used in all areas of life.

22/01/2026

https://www.lvatrust.org/blog/to-ban-or-not-to-ban-is-that-even-the-question

Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban: The Parent in Me Cheers. The Professional in Me Worries. By a parent and a youth-facing professional, watching Australia’s “world‑first” under-16 social media ban with two minds at once. Australia’s ban came into effect on 10 December 2025 , requiri...

19/08/2025

✨ What is Self-Awareness? ✨

Part of emotional intelligence is learning to truly know ourselves and it’s rarer than we think.

There are actually two types of self-awareness:
💭 Internal – understanding our own thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
👀 External – seeing ourselves from the perspective of others.

For young people, building both is vital. It helps them manage emotions, take ownership of their actions, and grow empathy. For parents, understanding this can be the key to better supporting our teens as they navigate who they are, how they’re seen, and how their environment shapes them. 🌱

When strong emotions hit, we can all practice taking back control:
1️⃣ Stop – notice the emotion
2️⃣ Breathe – slow your mind
3️⃣ Challenge – ask, “Is this a me problem, or a them problem?”
4️⃣ Choose – respond with intention, not reaction

💡 Self-awareness is the foundation for resilience, confidence, and healthy relationships.

👉 What do you find harder: understanding yourself, or understanding how others see you? Share in the comments!

14/08/2025

Cheesy results season post incoming….🤪

I was kicked out of school in year 9. I had my first child at 16. Second at 18. Third a week before my 21st birthday. My fourth at 26. Life was chaotic for a while as a traumatised child trying to raise a family the best she could.

BUT…

At 27 I got my first GCSE in English I got a B (at the time undiagnosed and had no idea I had dyslexia and ADHD).

At 28 I got my first ‘it means something to me’ job.

On my 30th birthday I got our charity number to LVA which I founded with Sue.

At 38 I got level one functional skills maths and then level two functional skills maths, something I thought was impossible, genuinely!

Heading to 39 I am now a chartered manager and have a level 7 apprenticeship in leadership.

In a few months and by the time I’m 40 I will have a Masters in Business Administration.

Who knows what’s next!!!

The moral of the story isn’t ’be a teenage parent’ 🤣 the moral of the story is that life isn’t linear.

And university straight out of school isn’t for everyone (actually I don’t believe it’s for the majority straight out of school). If you didn’t get the results you needed to go to the university you wanted or even at all. Or if you’ve just done your GCSE’s and didn’t get what you needed. It’s not the end it’s the beginning of a different journey for you. It’s scary but every failure is an opportunity. Every closed door opens another.

So wollow for a bit. Scream into your pillow for a bit. Be angry for a bit. BUT then…

Go figure out who you are. Find ad hock jobs. Experience adulting hard work let it build character. Find your tribe. Save up if can. Find your passions. Or even try again, if it’s what you really want. You get to choose your next steps.

AND

Rise like the phoenix you are and show yourself what you’re made of!!!!

-Kayleigh Butler, CEO, CMgr, FCMI 😉