Sara Donnelly is a former primary headteacher turned SEND consultant, trainer and advocate who has worked in the education system for 14 years. She works with schools, the NHS and families across the UK, specialising in neurodivergence in girls, inclusive practice and emotionally safe learning environments.

ADHD isn’t just an area of professional interest for Sara; it is part of her lived experience. Both she and her daughter have ADHD, as do several members of her wider family. She understands first-hand the brilliance, intensity, creativity and exhaustion that can come with an ADHD brain, and the frustration of navigating systems that don’t always recognise it.

Through her consultancy work, Sara supports schools to deepen their understanding of neurodivergence and helps families advocate confidently for their children. She is particularly passionate about championing stronger, mandatory training for teachers around ADHD and wider neurodivergence, so that children are understood earlier, supported appropriately, and not mislabelled or missed altogether.

Sara believes the conversation must move beyond “managing behaviour” towards genuinely understanding underlying need, and beyond coping towards thriving.

Becoming an ADHD UK Ambassador is a natural extension of her work, combining lived experience with professional insight to raise awareness, challenge stigma and campaign for better support across education, healthcare and workplaces.

She is committed to ongoing fundraising throughout the year and to using her platform to amplify ADHD UK’s mission: warmer support, clearer information and meaningful systemic change for ADHD individuals and families.