Natalie has built an alternative provision around adaptability, trust and belonging, a place where young people can feel safe, rebuild their confidence and discover that learning can work for them, not against them.

We sat down with Natalie, along with Darwin Education team member Dak and teacher Sam Cash, to hear how Darwin is supporting young people through personalised education, sport and community.

Watch the full conversation above, then read on for the story.

How Darwin Education started

Natalie always knew she wanted to teach. From a young age, education was part of her plan, and sport was the route that helped bring it to life. After studying sport science, coaching and educational studies, she began her teaching career, later becoming a SENCO and senior leader in an SEMH school.

But even with years of experience in education, Natalie kept seeing the same problem: students left on the sidelines by a system that simply wasn’t built for them. Young people who needed a different approach, more flexibility, and a place where they could feel safe enough to learn.

“Everyone has got a right to an education that suits them,” Natalie says. “The current education system is a kind of one-size-fits-all mould, and it doesn’t always work like that.”

Once she had the qualifications, experience and confidence she needed, Natalie put her own savings into creating Darwin Education, a not-for-profit alternative provision designed to adapt around the individual.

Education that’s built around the individual

At Darwin, learning doesn’t begin with a rigid timetable. It begins with relationships.

Every student’s timetable is shaped around their needs, interests and goals. Some are working towards a return to mainstream school, while others need support after long periods away from education, low confidence or personal challenges. There’s no uniform, no bell, no single mould everyone has to fit.

Natalie has deliberately designed the centre not to feel like a school. The space feels homely, and the priority throughout is removing as many barriers as possible so young people can feel comfortable.

“The things that I hear within the centre is a lot of laughter,” she says. “We try to make the centre look homely, so that they can feel safe and secure.”

For Dak, a Learning Mentor who works at Darwin Education, that sense of safety is what allows real change to happen. He says many young people arrive feeling like everyone is against them, but over time, they begin to trust that the people around them genuinely want to help.

“I think it’s about seeing the change in a lot of these kids,” he says. “They come in and they have a lot of emotions and a lot of things that have happened to them… And then all of a sudden, they have these people here that actually want to help them.”

A place to feel accepted

For Sam Cash, a secondary school teacher and parent, Darwin’s approach is personal. Her son attends Darwin, and after only a few weeks, she says she saw a “massive change” in him. What stood out most was that he didn’t have to fit into a mould. He could simply be accepted for who he is.

“He’s a square peg,” says Sam. “And you’re trying to fit him into a round hole. That doesn’t matter here. He’s accepted for who he is.”

That acceptance has helped him feel less isolated, meet like-minded people and build confidence in an environment that flexes around his needs. It’s also part of what convinced Sam to take the next step in her own career.

After years in mainstream education, she’ll be joining Darwin Education in September, drawn by the chance to support more children in a setting that feels more adaptable and personal.

Learning through sport, confidence and community

Sport runs through Darwin Education’s story, not just as an activity, but as a way to connect with young people.

Natalie grew up playing football, hockey and lacrosse, and went on to coach and manage at a high level. For her, sport has always been about more than playing. It builds confidence, teamwork and mental wellbeing, and it opens young people’s eyes to different futures.

“The role of sport within education is a common language,” Natalie says. “When we think about sport, we’re not just thinking about playing it. There’s so many different roles as well.”

That thinking comes to life through lessons such as Football Studies, where students explore English, maths and science through the lens of football—everything from the physics of how a ball moves to formations, statistics, coaching and the roles that exist behind the scenes in sport.

Dak sees sport as another way to help young people feel included. Whether it’s football, basketball or a simple game that gets someone involved, he says sport can create a “domino effect”, encouraging students to try something new because someone else has shown them it’s possible.

Sam agrees. As a former personal trainer and teacher, she sees sport as an outlet where young people can channel their energy, develop discipline and express themselves in ways that traditional lessons don’t always allow.

“Sport takes away those boundaries,” Sam says. “You can be whoever you want to be.”

That connection to sport is also helping Darwin Education build links with the wider community. The organisation sponsors local football players, including Jamie Reid at Stevenage Football Club, and sees local clubs as safe spaces that can give young people positive role models to look up to.

For Natalie, even small acts can make a big difference. A professional footballer knowing a student’s name, signing something for them or simply showing an interest can help a young person feel seen.

How Darwin Education gets time back with Sage

While Natalie knew education inside out, starting Darwin Education meant learning a completely new side of running an organisation.

“Business is not my thing at all,” she says. “There were so many things that I didn’t know about business before setting up Darwin Education: taxes, payrolls, pensions.”

Payroll was one of the areas where Darwin Education needed the right support from the beginning. Sage was recommended to Natalie as the system to help manage payroll, pensions and the monthly admin that comes with paying people correctly.

Since using Sage Payroll, Natalie says the biggest benefit has been time. “It saves so much time at the end of the month,” she says. “It’s a kind of 20-minute click on doing the payslips, and click, click, and it’s done.”

That extra time is proving invaluable. With Sage taking care of payroll, Natalie has more space to focus on what she does best, supporting students, and it’s part of what’s allowing Darwin Education to grow.

From September, the organisation is expanding its post-16 alternative provision in partnership with Stevenage Football Club, supporting young people leaving Year 11 who don’t have a college placement. Students will follow sports-based courses adapted to their needs, with smaller classes, mentoring and time split between the Darwin Centre and Stevenage Football Club.

Natalie is also looking at primary provision and continuing to grow Darwin as a not-for-profit organisation that can support more young people and more families.

Final thoughts

Ask Natalie what she’s proudest of, and it isn’t the growth. It’s the young people who’ve found their way back to learning because of it.

“I hope that Darwin continues forever as a legacy,” Natalie says. “Where we can continue as a not-for-profit organisation to support as many families and as many young people as possible.”

Because at Darwin, education isn’t about forcing young people to fit the system. It’s about creating a place where they feel safe, understood and ready to take their next step.