About me

Elizabeth Swan is an independent education expert witness, consultant, and coach with more than 20 years of experience as a qualified teacher and school leader.

Her career spans mainstream and specialist education, including senior leadership roles as Headteacher of a specialist school for pupils with complex needs, Deputy Headteacher, SENCo, and Designated Safeguarding Lead in mainstream secondary schools, and Senior Leader within a multi-academy trust. She has also undertaken postgraduate study in psychology, achieving an MSc Psychology.

This breadth of experience, from classroom to headship, and across some of the most complex needs in education, is what Elizabeth brings to her expert witness, consultancy, and coaching work. She understands how educational organisations function, how decisions are made, and where systems fail the people they are meant to serve.

Alongside her professional background, Elizabeth has lived experience of neurodivergence. This informs the depth of understanding she brings to her work with families, organisations, and individuals, not as a substitute for professional expertise, but as an additional lens that makes that expertise more grounded and more human.

Qualifications MA (Hons) Modern Foreign Languages · MSc Psychology (Merit) · PGCE Secondary Education · Qualified Teacher Status · National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCo) · Designated Safeguarding Lead · Mental Health First Aider · Member, UK Register of Expert Witnesses