Leading Thinkers stimulate debate in their chosen areas of education through articles, speeches, interviews and broadcasts. Together with the trustees and director, they shape NET's direction and focus.
Read Personal Wishes by NET's Leading Thinkers
Professor Robin Alexander is Fellow of Wolfson College at the University of Cambridge and Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Warwick. He has taught in schools, colleges and universities in various parts of the UK, has served on government advisory bodies and national enquiries, and has undertaken research, evaluation and consultancy in many other countries. His research and writing have covered policy, pedagogy, curriculum, evaluation, international comparative and cultural studies, primary education and teacher education. In October 2006, Robin Alexander launched the Primary Review, which when completed in late 2008 will be the biggest independent enquiry into the condition and future of primary education in England since Plowden.
Further information: www.robinalexander.org.uk, www.primaryreview.org.uk.
Keith Bartley is Chief Executive of the General Teaching Council for England. He taught for 13 years before taking responsibility for In-Service Education and Training in Northamptonshire. After a spell as Director of Education in Rutland, he became an HMI and, subsequently, a manager in the LEA Inspection division of Ofsted. From there he joined Oxfordshire County Council, initially as Director for Learning & Culture and then as Director for Children, Young People & Families. Read Celebrating the profession of teaching by Keith Bartley
Geoff Barton has worked in a number of comprehensive schools in different parts of the country, and is Headteacher of King Edward VI School, Bury St Edmunds. He writes and speaks on leadership, literacy and self-evaluation. He has written more than 50 textbooks and numerous articles in the education press.
Read the Shaping Ideas....Shaping Lives articles 'Less is More', 'Training Teachers', 'It's life Captain,
but not as we know it', Do schools need headteachers? and the fifth Counterblast ‘Shouldn't Ofsted be helping us to improve our schools?’ by Geoff Barton.
www.geoffbarton.co.uk
Mervyn Benford has worked for more than 45 years in education as teacher, small school headteacher, LEA and OFSTED inspector, and most recently advising Swedish schools on school-based self-evaluation using lesson observation and feedback. He served for eight years on Oxfordshire's Education Committee and many years working for his professional association. By profession a primary teacher, he works in Sweden across the 1 to 19 age range. His work has consistently involved being in schools and classrooms.
Read the reflections of Mervyn Benford: ‘Take your partners for the Ruskin waltz’ and ‘After Ofsted’.
Andrew Bennett was recently HMI with lead responsibility for the inspection of European schools. He taught English and drama before holding two headships in 11-18 comprehensives and senior positions in two local authorities. He has been chief examiner for a major board and a consultant to the QCA. He has delivered education leadership programmes for the University of Manchester. Andrew has worked extensively in school improvement.
Paul Bennett is Operational Director, Strategic Initiatives Primary at the National College. Paul is leading on the Succession Planning Local Solutions project, working with ten pilot areas across the country and looking at the ways in which tomorrow's school leaders can be supported and developed. Prior to joining NCSL in June 2003, Paul spent his teaching career in primary schools in Birmingham. He had two headships: one in a small Church of England primary school, and the other in a large primary school on the southern edge of the city. In 1994, Paul became a primary school inspector in Warwickshire and went on to become Senior Primary Inspector within the local authority.
Stella Blackmore was, until recently, Deputy County Education Officer in Warwickshire. Her previous experience includes three deputy headships and two primary headships. She has led several Ofsted inspections, having a particular interest in leadership and management and arts education, and has also participated in five inspections in Hong Kong as a member of international teams working for the English Schools' Foundation. Stella was seconded to the National College for School Leadership in 2002 as Acting Director of Leadership Development.
Kim Bromley-Derry is executive director of children and young people's services at the London Borough of Newham. Before this he was South Tyneside’s Executive Director of Children and Young People’s Services. And prior to that worked for Leicester City Council for five years as Service Director for Children and Family Services. He began his career in Cambridgeshire as a social worker, before working for a number of local authorities in a broad range of operational and strategic management roles.
Professor Colin Crouch is chair of the Institute of Governance and Public Management at the Business School of Warwick University. He is also the External Scientific member of the Max-Planck-Institute for the Study of Societies at Cologne. He previously taught sociology at the LSE, and was fellow and tutor in politics at Trinity College, Oxford, and professor of sociology at the University of Oxford. Until December 2004 he was professor of sociology at the European University Institute, Florence. He is a Fellow of the British Academy.
Read 'School tests and the financial collapse: an unexpected link' by Professor Colin Crouch
Professor Cedric Cullingford is Professor of Education at the University of Huddersfield. He has previously lectured and led research at Oxford, London, Lancaster, Oxford Brookes and Brighton Universities. He has published numerous books, his main themes being: the place of parents in the education system ; the place of school in children's lives; and the development of understanding in the young.
Read the reflections of Professor Cedric Cullingford: 'A fleeting history of happiness: children’s perspectives'
Colm Cregan is a Principal Inspector with Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau in the UAE, with core responsibility for underperforming schools. He leads inspections across all curricula in Dubai. Having taught and led in Irish primary schools, he was appointed National Coordinator for Leadership Development for Schools for the Irish Government. He became a School Inspector in 2000. He has inspected over 300 schools internationally and advised education ministries in several countries. A qualified teacher and principal, he has qualifications in languages and educational management.
Sally Dicketts is Principal of Oxford & Cherwell Valley College, a post she has held for three years. She has been a Principal for over 10 years and has worked in a number of colleges of Further Education and in comprehensive schools, including in London and South Wales. Sally chairs and sits on a number of local and national committees and boards. Among her interests are curriculum design, and the impact of emotional and social behaviour on learning.
Dr John Dunford has been general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (formerly the Secondary Heads Association) since 1998. He taught mathematics in secondary schools in Nottingham, Sunderland and Durham, before becoming head of Durham Johnston Comprehensive School in 1982. He is a trustee of Teach First and on the boards of Future Leaders and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.
Read Dr John Dunford's SISL articles
Maggie Donaldson is senior primary advisor for Reading Borough Council. She was previously Headteacher at St John's Primary School in Reading. Her experience covers a wide spectrum of education: VSO teacher/lecturer in India; teaching travellers; secondment to lead a 'Fresh Start' primary; consultant for Primary Strategy; work with HMI/ Ofsted on developing the inspection of good and outstanding schools.
Dr Tony Eaude was headteacher of a multi-cultural Church-Aided first school from 1989-1998 before completing a doctorate. Details of his current work as an independent research consultant can be seen on www.edperspectives.org.uk. Among his areas of interest and expertise are action-research, minority ethnic achievement and young children's learning, especially their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. He has published widely for academic and teacher audiences and continues to teach at different levels from primary school to MA students. His book 'Children's Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development- Primary and Early Years' is now in its second edition and 'Thinking Through Pedgaogy: Primary and Early Years' is due to be published in early 2011.
Read Dr Tony Eaude’s article 'SMSC-Optional Extras Or Hidden Opportunities' and NET's sixth Counterblast 'Bowling Alone? What can schools do to promote
cohesive communities?' .
Roy Evans is currently Chair of the Interim Executive Boards at Copland Community School in Brent and Colnbrook Primary School in Slough. As a consultant he is engaged by Local Authorities to support governor development programmes and bring about rapid improvement in governing bodies that are judged to be unsatisfactory or simply 'coasting'. He is the author of a NET publication 'Who Governs Our Schools' and involved with the NET initiative to improve standards of governance across the country. He is a regular speaker at NET events and at national and regional conferences of governors and others directly involved in education.
His early career was in manufacturing management, including posts at Board level. He subsequently spent 19 years in the consultancy practice of Price Waterhouse, including 12 years as a partner. His experience in industry and commerce helps him to form a critical and constructive view on leadership and management in schools and to advise on tailored and innovative structures and procedures to ensure that governors fulfil their strategic role in challenge, probity and school improvement.
Read NET’s third Counterblast 'Challenging the way we govern schools' by Roy Evans
Sarah Evans is Headteacher of King Edward VI High School for Girls, a leading girls' independent secondary school in Birmingham. Before that she was head of Friends' School, Saffron Walden, a co-ed day and boarding school. Sarah's interests include single-sex education issues, the interface between the state and independent sector, education for the gifted and talented, and teacher training and development.
Professor Deborah Eyre is a Professor of Education at the University of Warwick and, until recently was the Director of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth. She is a world renowned expert in the education of very able pupils, and has a long standing interest helping children and young people of all abilities to maximise their educational potential.
Deborah serves on the Board of the Teacher Development Agency (TDA) and is their representative on the Board of The National College for School Leadership (NCSL). She is Vice President of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, an Advisory Board Member of the Centre for Talented Youth, Johns' Hopkins University, Baltimore, a Director of the Inspiring Futures Foundation, Governor of Kingshurst City Technology College, Birmingham and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Dr John Guy has been Principal of The Sixth Form College Farnborough since 1992. Originally a scientist and teacher of chemistry in grammar, independent and comprehensive schools, he was a member of the Tomlinson Committee on 14-19 reform and chaired the assessment sub-group. He is a board member of Cambridge Assessment and OCR and has taken a particular interest in action research in teaching and learning.
Sir Iain Hall taught for thirty-nine years in complex urban environments, the last twenty-three as headteacher. He was head of a large inner-city school in Liverpool for nine years, before moving to Manchester in 1990 to take up the headship of Parrs Wood High School. Sir Iain is presently an associate director of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, with special responsibility for developing leadership programmes. He is presently seconded from the Trust to act as Director of Leadership Development for the Future Leaders organization. He was knighted for 'services to education' in 2002.
Read The new school leader, A Vexing Question, Making Choices and Aspiration 'on the slate' by Sir Iain Hall.
Dr Neil Hawkes is transforming education through his focus on Values-based Education. His engaging philosophy and practice can now be seen in numerous countries. For instance, Australia has embraced many of Neil's ideas in its Values Education initiative. It has been the focus of a comprehensive research project, which has concluded that values-based schools improve academic diligence, nurture relational trust and make schools great places to be. He is Founder of the Values Education Trust in the UK and is a Director of the Association of Living Values International (ALIVE). As an inspiring speaker, Neil is in great demand worldwide. The range of his quality work and contact details are on www.values-education.com. Read the Values Education May 2010 Newsletter
Diane Hofkins is a freelance journalist and a member of the Primary Review's advisory committee. She was primary editor of The Times Educational Supplement for nearly 20 years, including five years as editor of TES Primary magazine. She led the TES Target Creativity campaign and edited a series of specials on What is Education For?
Pat Jefferson began a successful teaching career with innovative work with some of the most disadvantaged children in the north east of England; this led to advisory work and involvement as an accredited trainer with Ofsted. Pat subsequently joined the Primary Education Study Group - an independent national think tank which developed a distinguished reputation and used its influence to shape the views of policy makers and practitioners in schools. She worked with the DfES for three years as a senior adviser on education policy, and has served on a number of national steering groups whilst continuing her career in local government.
Recent work with the World Bank took Pat to Azerbaijan to advise ministers and school leaders on the reform of secondary education. She has also developed a strong professional interest on links between the growth of personal well-being in young people and economic regeneration. Pat has worked within a local authority with the Every Child Matters programme for the last five years, and has recently retired from her post as Executive Director for Children and Young People with Lancashire County Council. She is now a consultant. .
Kevin Jones is the Chair of Trustees of the Children’s University, which aims to raise aspiration and attainment in areas of disadvantage through high quality out of school learning for children aged 7-14. Kevin has been Head of St John’s College School, a leading independent Prep and Choir school, since 1990. Before that, he was Deputy Head of the Yehudi Menuhin School, having previously taught the English Tripos at Cambridge University as a postgraduate after taking a First in English at Caius College, Cambridge.
Hilary Lowe is Assistant Dean at the Westminster Institute of Education, Oxford Brookes University, where she has responsibility for new developments, partnerships and external relations. She was formerly a secondary school senior manager and Head of Languages.
Hilary has a particular interest in educational policy and teacher education. She has written and published widely on gifted and talented education and broader curriculum issues and has contributed to a number of consultative and advisory groups in education. She was the Project Director for the Oxford Brookes-DCSF Excellence in Cities National Training Programme for Gifted and Talented Co-ordinators.
Professor John MacBeath is the Chair of Educational Leadership at the University of Cambridge and until 2000, was Director of the Quality in Education Centre at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. From 1997 to 2001 he was a member of the government's Task Force on Standards. Other consultancies have included OECD, UNESCO and ILO (International Labour Organisation), the Bertelsmann Foundation and the European Commission. He is Chair of the Hong Kong based International Network for Educational Improvement and President of the International Congress on School Effectiveness and Improvement. He has written widely on school self-evaluation, school improvement and school leadership.
Pamela Matty is Headteacher of Grove Primary School, Birmingham. She has been head of this large inner city primary school for nine years and was previously responsible for the maths advisory team in Birmingham LEA. She has significant experience of inspection, as an OFSTED inspector and as a trainer of inspectors both in the UK and internationally. Her particular areas of expertise are in leadership, mathematics, early years, school improvement and curriculum development. Pamela has a wide range of experience as a writer of educational materials published in the UK
Sylvia McNamara joined QCDA in 2010 as Executive Director for Policy and Implementation. Sylvia brings to QCDA a wealth of education experience having worked in Birmingham Advisory and Support Service since 1998, starting as Senior Secondary Adviser. In 2003 Sylvia was appointed as Assistant Director, School Effectiveness Division, and then Director of Transforming Education. Here she had a wide ranging remit, with particular responsibility for the strategic leadership of the Transforming Education Agenda, including Building Schools for the Future. Sylvia's has a background in special education needs and support for pupil behaviour in secondary schools, and also as a Reader at Nottingham Trent University.
Read the first Counterblast by Sylvia McNamara Is Every Child Mattering?
Anne Nelson is an Early Years Specialist. She has a wide range of experience as an early years teacher, a primary head and as a local authority adviser. She worked as a school improvement adviser in primary, secondary and special schools. She became head of Early Years and childcare in Coventry. She was Chief Executive of the British Association for Early Childhood Education (Early Education) until March 2009.
Anne is currently involved in working with local authorities on projects to improve quality in the Early Years; mentoring senior staff in Children's Centres and chairing Oxfordshire's EYDCP and Parenting Strategy Group. She is a trustee of the Centre for Research in Early Childhood in Birmingham and a director of WEAVE, a company promoting the reuse and recycling of discarded materials from local businesses involving artists and educators exploring opportunities for creative learning.
Marva Rollins is the Headteacher of Raynham Primary School, a large Primary School and Children's Centre in North London. She is in her 14th year of headship. Her main focus is ensuring her pupils are excited about learning in a secure, safe environment. Raynham Primary school was mentioned by Beverly Hughes MP, Minister for Children and Young Families in July 2008 as one that was making a huge difference in the lives of young people.
Marva is an experienced trainer and conference presenter. She is a firm believer in succession preparation and is one of the lead facilitators on LCLL Investing in Diversity and Equal Access to promotion.
Marva was the recipient of The Windrush Award in 2004 for her contribution to Education and the Community, and featured in the Evening Standard's 1000 most influential People in London in 2008.
Dr Tessa Stone is Chief Executive of the Brightside Trust. Tessa read History at Newnham College, Cambridge, and graduated in 1994 with first class honours. She completed her PhD in 1998, and was appointed the Mary Bateson Research Fellow at Newnham in the same year. In 2000 she was appointed Admissions Tutor with responsibility for the College's admissions policy and process, and all outreach activities, and was a member of the University Admissions Forum. She was Director of the educational charity the Sutton Trust from 2002-2008, and in January 2009 she joined the Brightside Trust – a charity committed to providing non-privileged young people with the confidence and skills they need to overcome disadvantage. Tessa is a Trustee of the CU Trust and IntoUniversity, a governor of Brentwood School in Essex and the Perse School for Girls in Cambridge, an Associate of Newnham College, a member of the History and Policy Advisory Board, and a member of the Institute of Directors.
Read the Shaping Ideas....Shaping Lives article A crisis in social mobility?
Dr Nick Tate taught in schools and colleges of education in England and Scotland, and with the Open University, before joining the National Curriculum Council in 1989. From 1989 to 2000 he worked for a succession of national educational bodies, finishing as chief executive successively of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (1994-1997) and of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (1997-2000). From 2000-2003 he was Headmaster of Winchester College. Since 2003 he has been Director-General of the International School of Geneva, the world's largest international school. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of civil law by the University of Huddersfield in 1999, and appointed CBE in 2001.
Read the Shaping Ideas....Shaping Lives article What is education for? and Wishing school leaders well for 2009! by Nick Tate.
Dr Bernard Trafford took over the headship of the independent Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne, In September 2008 following 18 years as Head of Wolverhampton Grammar School. He was the 2007-8 Chairman of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) and also chairs School Councils UK. Bernard is an advocate of school democracy (the focus of his doctoral research carried out while a head) and writes, speaks widely and has advised government on that, and on school/ student councils, participation and broader educational and leadership issues. In 2007 he co-authored a manual on Democratic Governance of Schools for the Council of Europe.
James Turner is the Director of Policy at the Sutton Trust, which aims to promote social mobility through education. It has funded a large number of access projects in early years, school and university settings, and now focuses on research and policy work, as well as a small number of pilot initiatives. Previously, James was a civil servant and, before that, worked for the Labour Party. He is a trustee of the Children’s University and sits on the advisory board of FutureFirst.
Greg Wallace has been the Headteacher of Woodberry Down Community Primary School in Hackney since 2001. The school has been widely recognised for a range of significant achievements including its culturally relevant curriculum, use of ICT and approach to marking. The school was first on Ofsted's list of 'Outstanding schools' in 2005 and appeared again in 2008. Greg is currently Executive Principal for three Hackney primary schools, including Woodberry Down, and is a regular contributor to conferences and INSET. Greg is a National Leader in Education.
Websites:
www.woodberrydown.net
www.lfwdfederation.org.uk
www.effectivemarking.co.uk
Mick Waters was Director of Curriculum at QCA. Previously, Mick was Chief Education Officer for the City of Manchester: key agendas included the development of joint children's services, the 14-19 strategy, the employment and skills dimension, and building schools for the future. Before moving to Manchester Mick worked in Birmingham LEA, and had experience of headship in two schools and of working in teacher training. He was also part of an Education Development Unit which worked on a contract basis with LEAs and other agencies across the UK and worldwide. He has written a number of books on the curriculum, teaching and learning, and management.
Spokey Wheeler's international school leadership career includes three secondary headships, taking an inner London school out of special measures, and setting up the first English fast-track Academy.
Beyond school he was the architect of Youth at Risk's flagship programme, 'Coaching for Success' and was ARK's International Education Advisor, for 'School Leaders India'. Today he is the CEO of UM Gurukul, an Indian Education Company and the Managing Partner of Bespoke Solutions, an international Consultancy.
Carole Whitty has been the Headteacher of two secondary schools, a DCfS Children's services adviser and most recently the Deputy General Secretary of the National Association of Headteachers. Carole has long been engaged in challenging the current paradigm of educational politics. She is an advocate for fundamental systemic reform and provision of a learning environment fit to prepare young people to tackle the unprecedented challenges of the 21st century.
Professor Geoff Whitty: Geoff Whitty has been Director of the Institute of Education, University of London, since September 2000. He taught in primary and secondary schools before lecturing in education at Bath University and King’s College London. He then held Chairs and senior management posts at Bristol Polytechnic and Goldsmiths College before joining the Institute as the Karl Mannheim Professor of Sociology of Education in 1992. His main areas of teaching and research are the sociology of education, education policy and teacher education. Geoff Whitty was a specialist advisor to the House of Commons Children, Schools and Families Committee from 2005-10 and has been a member of the General Teaching Council for England since 2003. In 2009, he was awarded the Lady Plowden Memorial Medal for outstanding services to education.
Clive Wilkinson has been a primary headteacher, college lecturer and held various adviser and inspector posts in Local Authorities. Most recently he was Assistant Director, Children's Services in Worcestershire. He is a former president of SCIA (Society of Chief Inspectors and Advisers) and contributed to the professional development of school improvement professionals. Clive is currently the Regional Director for Children & Learners based in the Government Office for the West Midlands and works with Local Authorities on the Every Child Matters agenda.
Kathy Wood MBE has successful experience as a teacher, headteacher, teacher trainer, OFSTED Inspector working in the UK and abroad, and as an external examiner for TTA graduate and overseas teacher training programmes. From 1992 to 1998 she worked regularly as a consultant, leading education reform projects for UNICEF in Eastern Europe. Her eleven years of headship have been in leading schools in challenging circumstances, both in the UK and overseas environments. Since 2004 she has been Headteacher of Hornbill School SCE in Brunei: the school follows the UK National Curriculum and serves children of Gurkha soldiers and other British military and civilian MOD personnel based in Brunei.
In 2008, Kathy Wood received the MBE for services to education.
Click to visit the Hornbill School web site
Chris Yapp has 30 years experience in the IT industry, with over 20 years interest in IT and Learning. He writes, blogs and consults around technology futures and their social and economic impacts. He wrote and co-edited "Personalizing Learning in the 21st Century". He is a patron of NACE.
Click to visit Chris Yapp's blog
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