I am an education and safeguarding consultant with many years of experience working across primary, secondary and special schools in both the maintained and independent sectors, including nine years as an HMI.
I have firsthand experience in education as a teacher, Advanced Skills Teacher (AST), subject leader, Deputy Headteacher, Local Authority Consultant and Adviser.
My main subject specialism is computing and ICT. I have a degree in computer science and a master’s degree in electrical engineering. In the early stages of my career I introduced the teaching of computing into the schools I taught in. I have been an A level computing examiner.
I taught in schools for more than 30 years as a class teacher, subject leader and deputy headteacher. I was among the first to achieve Advanced Skills Teacher accreditation and worked for several years as a deputy headteacher of a secondary school, this included being the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). I was also a Local Authority subject adviser, developing the use of ICT across the curriculum and supporting subject teaching.
I spent nine years as an HMI and further seven as an Ofsted Inspector and I am now in my eighth year as an education/safeguarding consultant.
During my school-based career I was involved in the national Schools Online and European Web for Schools projects, that helped establish the use of the internet in schools. I worked with the University of Houston to introduce the Consistency Management and Cooperative Discipline (CMCD™) behaviour management and teaching quality programme into my own and several other schools. This led to significant improvements in pupil attitudes to learning and outcomes. Many of the programme’s strategies that help promote positive attitudes to learning I see successfully replicated in the schools I visit.
I have developed my expertise in safeguarding over many years in my various roles.
I can offer current advice to schools on all aspects for safeguarding. This includes recruitment, child protection arrangements, staff training, online safety, the ‘stay safe’ curriculum, policy development and monitoring as well as behaviour and attendance.
In addition to my review and inspection work, I have assessed schools and headteachers applying for a National Leader of Education designation or teaching school status on behalf of the Department of Education.