About Same Boats Parents
Meet our founder - Jonno Wood (MPhys QTS ECUK)
Jonno’s first encounter with teens occurred at the epicentre of the BAFTA award winning show Educating Greater Manchester - Harrop Fold School. Jonno was a physics teacher battered 5 hours a day by teen challenges interrupting the way his day was meant to go. His programme career highlights have reached as far as parliamentary awards.
At its worst he found himself crying with frustration in the office, feeling he’d tried everything he’d been taught to and it hadn’t worked, this failure it couldn’t go on. Jonno decided to throw out the rule book, he started giving lesson time to teaching adult skills instead of physics. His teenage classes began to fly.
Jonno now runs an Alternative Learning Hub helping teens who have failed in mainstream education. Jonno is approached by Multi Academy Trusts and Councils to increase his project sizes and start new centres helping an ever growing number of teens. He has even been enlisted by the Dyson Institute to support their teen undergraduate intake in developing adult workplace skills.
There has been one key thread to helping teens succeed through all of this work, parents. Jonno dreams of a future where parents don’t need to feel like they’ve tried everything and failed, lonely or lose sleep. That’s why Jonno trained as an emotion and life coach and started Same Boat Parents, to ensure every parent understands what their teen needs and be confident they are doing the right things at this challenging but exciting period of human development.
Meet the Experts
Jonno Wood
Jonno is the founder of Same Boat Parents, Alternative school creator and qualified emotion coach. He has 10 years of experience in teenage challenges and how to help them become more adult.
Sarah Williment
Sarah has over 25 years’ experience of working within educational policy. She is an international expert in relationships and a certified ILM Coach. Sarah is also a parent with personal experience managing family trauma and resilience, having lost her second daughter to leukaemia.
Kate Truscott
Kate is a school leader with 17 years experience helping young people who don’t naturally fit a traditional system. She believes our children’s behaviour is a form of communication and Kate knows how to listen to it.
Will Trick
As a senior leader in secondary schools Will specialises in ensuring children are included in school, no matter who they are. He is an expert in listening to their needs and setting boundaries.
Amy Hainsworth
Amy has over 10 years of Secondary teaching experience. She has specialised in supporting students with behaviour or emotional needs. She is a parent herself and loves helping children be the best version of themselves.
Alex Chapman
Alex started in grassroots children’s sports, coaching in challenging areas. As his expertise in engaging teens grew, he moved into Olympic and Paralympic sports as a Coach developer. He now specialises in helping adults help young people get to where they want to be.
You're in good hands
You are unique and so will your experience be.
We have taken on every issue you can think of, got it wrong, cried in the office, worked it out, then got it right 100s of times after. We have made all the embarrassing mistakes. We have been made to feel 2 feet tall by a child with a captive audience watching. Some of us are parents and some of us are not BUT all of us kick ass at building relationships with children and helping them grow.
We are bespoke, to you and your need.
We have training and experiential learning that parents never get and that isn’t fair so we want to pass it on. We are a safe space where there is no judgment (because teachers know what it is like to be judged). We tackle these issues without thinking about it but remember how hard it was to learn to do that with the first few children. We stick with the simple and effective, using conversations, not confrontations (this isn’t super nanny). We will help you support your child with kindness and listening so you can become closer together.
FAQs
What ages do you cover?
Adolescence (the real name for the changes which give rise to “teenage or tweenage behaviours”) typically runs from 10-19 years old. Your child will learn that concepts are less concrete, to project consequences into the future and create their own independence. However, you might experience these as early as 8 or as late as 24. If you think it’s happening then get in touch.
What if my child has SEN?
Whatever their need, they still experience adolescence. If you are experiencing “Teenage behaviours” then the same rules will apply. The majority of our team are highly experienced working with SEN Teens and can adjust sessions accordingly.
If my partner/spouse wants to do it too, does it cost extra?
You are encouraged to bring your spouse or partner along for the journey at no extra cost.
Shouldn’t you be working with my teen for me?
Well that would be easy and you’d end up paying us more in the long run. We aren’t here for easy, we are here for you and your family. Adolescence (the real name for the changes which give rise to “teenage or tweenage behaviours”) can last as long at 10-24 with lots of twists and turns. The best outcomes will happen for your Teen when you are confident you know exactly what to do instead of waiting for a problem and introducing them to a third party. Empowered parenting will equip you with all the knowledge, tips and tricks so you can lead your Teen through this key developmental period as they learn to be an adult. Should you hit something unusually challenging you can always draw on our expertise with a few extra coaching sessions.