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Kelly Hannaghan

From Counting Days to Creating Purpose: Transforming Attendance for Students and Staff

Kelly Hannaghan – Wellbeing Leader, Motivational Speaker & Attendance Advocate.

Kelly Hannaghan is the Director and Founder of Mind Work Matters Ltd, an award-winning mental health and wellbeing consultancy putting people first in education. A dynamic motivational speaker, school improvement advisor, and published author, Kelly is passionate about transforming the way schools think about attendance, shifting the focus from counting days to creating purpose and belonging.

With years of experience working systemically across education, Kelly has supported local authorities, multi-academy trusts, senior leaders, and pastoral teams to build thriving, healthy school cultures. She is an expert trainer for Senior Mental Health Leads and works in some of the most challenging communities, helping schools break down barriers to engagement, including Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA), wellbeing challenges, and systemic pressures.

Kelly’s talks on meaningful attendance are both inspiring and practical, offering schools the tools to boost both student and staff presence through connection, wellbeing, and purpose. Drawing on her leadership in the DfE’s Wellbeing for Education Return project and her recognised influence by the DfE, NCB, The Anna Freud Centre, and The Education Support Partnership, she delivers actionable strategies that improve attendance, engagement, and outcomes.

Audiences leave energised, motivated, and ready to create school environments where attendance isn’t just expected, it’s meaningful.

Testimonials from Teachers

"Kelly has shown the power of living leadership in a way she cares for all the people around her and for herself. Pupils in her school have learned the importance of core values like bravery, respect, and responsibility.

They have encouraged to express feelings and moods in a constructive and reflective way.

They learn self-management techniques and support each other by electing wellbeing ambassadors in every class. Voices of pupils are central to the wellbeing strategy.

Kelly lives and breathes these values herself.

Her approach to the school and its community is inspiring."

– Anna Feuchtwang, CEO, The National Children's Bureau

"Kelly is an inspirational person and wellbeing ambassador. She has a wealth of knowledge around practical strategies to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the whole school community. Her passion and drive enable her to have huge impact on raising the mental health of pupils both at her own school but nationwide. It is a pleasure to collaborate with her both as a speaker across Optimus Educations conferences but also as a leading influencer on wellbeing across the educational sector."

– Steph Reynolds, Managing Director, Optimus Education

"Kelly Hannaghan is a wellbeing professional of the highest calibre. She specialises in sensible practical steps that schools, pupils and staff can adopt to improve their mental health and overall performance. At The Primary First Trust, she has designed and implemented bespoke programmes that have had real, tangible results in our community and rightly attracted nationwide attention for their innovation and effectiveness. She is warm, inspirational and a joy to work with."

– Andrew Moorhouse, CEO, The Primary First Trust