Dr. Dennis Piper is a Special Educational Needs Consultant and a Social, Emotional and Mental Health Specialist.

Dr. Denn lives and works in Manchester UK and is available for consulting, training and keynote speaking engagements.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Dr. Denn was excluded from two schools and consequently underachieved in formal examinations —due to a lack of understanding of social, emotional and mental health needs.

This experience coupled with 40 years of experience in education, working with the most complex and damaged children, led to years of research culminating in the publication of The PIPER Model —a guide for teachers in how to best support children with social, emotional and mental health needs in schools.

As an applied practitioner and researcher Dennis works to provide the bridge between academic and professional aspects of the roles of teacher and lecturer and was shortlisted in the 2016 Teacher of the Year Awards, as “best supervisor” —voted by students at Manchester Metropolitan University UK. He is a member of a number of specialist groups, involved internationally in projects in the field of social and emotional learning and mental health needs.

He now regularly supports schools with training and universities as a guest lecturer.

Following publication of the PIPER Model and subsequent teacher reviews, Dennis was (amongst two) shortlisted by the UK National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN) 2017 for the ‘most inspiring publication’ category. He was eventually runner up. The book has gone on to be placed on the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination (NASENCo) reading lists of Manchester Metropolitan University, Northumbria University, University of Gloucestershire in the UK; internationally, the book is featured in the libraries of the University of Melbourne, Australia and Ministry of Education, Auckland, New Zealand. In 2019, The PIPER Model was also selected by Routledge / Taylor and Francis to feature as an exemplar on-line resource as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Project 2030 (UNSDGO) Goal 4: Quality Education-Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all — https://www.taylorfrancis.com/sdgo/

Dennis has a doctorate (EdD) from the University of Manchester, UK and is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). He is also is an affiliate member of the British Psychological Society (BPsS) alongside membership of the National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen), European Network for Social and Emotional Competency (ENSEC), National Association of School Psychologists (NASP, USA) and International School Psychology Association (ISPA). Additionally, he is an advocate of the UK Nurture Group Network — www.nurtureuk.org