Mrs Thereza Rees
Theresa Rees is a Communication Champion at a Swansea mainstream primary school with 20 years’ experience supporting mainstream pupils with Additional learning needs as a speech and language and additional learning needs practitioner. She is passionate about making a difference to the families and learners with and without additional learning needs, striving to improve the learner’s confidence, wellbeing, knowledge and abilities through nurturing and supporting their communication, emotional wellbeing and fostering resilience.
A Thrive practitioner and a certified Attention Autism facilitator. She has undertaken intensive school-based training to support learners access the curriculum, including relational behaviour, practice, trauma informed, safeguarding and child protection. Theresa is also a Burns By Your Side Volunteer with her current dog Milo and previously with Takoda, spanning 9 years, as part of the reading dog scheme. She has seen for herself the difference a well-trained, calm non-judgemental approach of a sentient being, in this case a dog, can have in supporting and making a difference to the wellbeing of the learners and families, forming strong relationships. She has also been part of studies of the effect of dogs in school through the University of St David and contributed to studies leading to published papers and publications.
Having a passion for animal assisted learning and the role and welfare of dogs in school, she is keen to helpdevelop clear guidelines and best practices for safe and ethical interactions between dogs, teachers and children. Enabling every school introducing a dog has access to high quality advice, clear guidelines, and works towards a national standard to evaluate the positive impact on both learner and animal welfare.
In addition to her role in education, Theresa is also a certified and approved IMDT and DTC dog/puppy trainer, IMDT Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy instructor, Kids Around Dogs Pro Trainer, Advanced Accredited Canine Hoopers UK instructor and a Canine Body Language Instructor. Her additional interest is sensory integration education both human and animal, striving to further her knowledge and professional development through Animal Centred Education Free work modules and courses with the aim to become an associate member trainer.
