Karen Coombes became a childcare practitioner following a career move when her own children were young. She worked in a variety of childcare settings and job roles across Greater Manchester, focusing on working with children with special educational needs. Karen achieved a Level 4 Childcare qualification and also a Masters of Education specialising in Basic Skills. She has extensive experience in teaching post-16 year olds, and for the last 17 years she has taught a range of subject areas, including Childcare, Teaching Assistants, Health and Social Care, English, Maths and IT.