About Me
My background
With years of experience in Primary Education and over 12 years in Senior Leadership, I am well placed to guide school teams through the complexities of educational leadership and curriculum design.
I have worked in 5 schools across three counties, each with their own strengths and challenges. From a tiny village Primary School with 100 pupils on roll to a 4 and 5 form entry Junior school in the centre of Leicester City, I have a broad range of experience which I bring to my consultancy.
As Headteacher, I passionately led my school to be the very best it could be; I am committed to educational excellence for all and this shone through in my practice. A phrase I often use is 'Every second counts' – I firmly believe that anything less than the best is not good enough for our children and there is no time to waste!
Whilst a Deputy Headteacher in Leicester City, I ran the Deputy Headteacher network, organising and facilitating sessions with deputies from across the city to network with other schools and share best practice. As part of this, I arranged a number of workshops focusing on finance, Governance, developing an ethos and assessment and data, taking feedback from colleagues on gaps and designing sessions to meet their needs.
With a specialism in English, reviewing, evaluating and designing English Curricula is probably my favourite element of my role - I specialise in using a Novel Study approach to teaching English, which brings English teaching alive through inspiring and engaging novels.
I was a SENDCo for over 8 years, qualifying as an SLE for SEN in 2017. I worked with Leicester City Council to carry our SEN reviews of local schools in 2017 and 2018 which enables me to support schools to evaluate and improve their provision for those children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my background or services with you in more detail - please get in touch to book an appointment.
My Philosophy
First and foremost, education is about children. As a teacher, a school leader and now as a school advisor and education consultant, the children are at the heart of every decision I make. I believe that, through appropriate support and challenge, we can enable our schools, our teachers, our Leaders to be the very best they can be so that they can give the very best to the children in their care.
I remain a teacher at heart; I can still vividly 'see' lessons I taught with my classes - those 'wow' moments stay with you and stay with the children, too and this is what I want to inspire in those I work with. A love of education, of the curriculum that they teach, so that they can pass that love on to the children they work with.
When I worked in schools, I was always on the lookout for the leaders of the future and that passion has continued into my advisory work, leading me to write the 'Learning to Lead' programme for new and aspiring leaders. I remember acutely the challenges of whole school leadership and so feel strongly about my support for Leadership Teams, which includes supporting Headteachers through their Performance Management reviews.
I am committed to providing bespoke support, tailored to each school or individual’s unique needs and aspirations. I pride myself on my personable but rigorous approach; I make no apology for having high standards but do so with an energy and enthusiasm that will enthuse and inspire the teams I work with. With my significant leadership experience, strong theoretical background and my motivation and commitment towards improving standards of teaching and learning, it would be my pleasure to support you on your school improvement journey.
Qualifications
NPQH
National Professional Qualification for Headship - Inspiring Leaders
NASENCo
National Award for SEN Coordination, University of Northampton
MEd - Researching Practice
Masters in Education - Researching Practice, University of Cambridge
PGCE
Post Graduate Certificate in Education, University of Cambridge
BSc - Psychology
Bachelor of Science, Psychology, University of York