A Short Biography

I began my teaching career in 1982, after studying Neurobiology at Sussex University, and then doing three years at the MRC Institute of Hearing Research at University of Nottingham. I so nearly became a leading world authority on deaf mice… how different life would have been! But the call of the classroom pulled me towards the School of Education at Nottingham.

I have taught at a variety of schools in a variety of social contexts, from multi-ethnic inner city, to middle class extra-urban (often found in the “blue doughnut” surrounding more deprived city areas, to solid white working class communities (the wards of one of my schools were rated in the bottom 1% in the entire country in terms of education and social deprivation), but have always enjoyed a challenge: challenging the pupils to learn better, challenging the staff to teach better, and challenging local authority officers, civil servants and the body politic to lead better.

After five years as an assistant and deputy headteacher, eleven years as a headteacher, and nearly three years as CEO of ASDAN Education, one of the larger education charities and social enterprises, I launched my own business, SCiP5 Education and Media. I did so well with contract work that the marvellous charity, Achievement for All, signed me up full time to develop and manage their on-line professional training and staff development portal, The Bubble. I still keep SCiP5 going as a networking hub.

Just to explain the “Media” bit of SCiP5 Education and Media: I have been lucky and privileged to have combined a career in teaching with one in contemporary music. I have led a variety of bands over the years, mainly in the areas of jazz, world and acoustic/folk. I still perform regularly with my singer-songwriter partner Cindy Stratton. I am very experienced in digital recording and production technologies, and now run a successful community choir in Bath. SCiP5 now allows me to grow this part of my life in tandem with my interests, knowledge and skills in education SCiP5 Education and Media.

The views expressed in this blog are entirely my own.