About the author

I’m a passionate educator with more than ten years in the profession, having worked in both middle and senior leadership roles across many areas of school life. Redrafted is my way of sharing what I’ve learned and giving back to a profession that has given, and continues to give, me so much.

I want this to be a two-way conversation. I’d love to hear from fellow educators, whether that’s your take on a post or a question of your own, and I’ll respond to as many as I can.

My career

After studying my early passion, Sport and Exercise Science, I retrained as a secondary Science teacher, specialising in Physics. Over the years I have taught Science and PE, worked in the UK and abroad, and led at almost every level of school life, from year groups and a large department to whole school responsibilities as a senior leader. I have completed the National Professional Qualifications in Leading Teacher Development and Senior Leadership.

The thread running through all of it is developing other teachers. I have designed and led instructional coaching programmes, built coaching cycles around deliberate practice, and trained colleagues to become coaches themselves. Much of that work draws on Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction and Teaching WalkThrus, and I have led whole school training on questioning, oracy and effective teaching strategies. What I care about most is helping teachers improve, because I believe that makes the biggest difference for pupils.

Curriculum is my other great passion. In my own subject, I have led full redesigns of the science curriculum. As a senior leader, I have overseen strategic change to an all-through curriculum across every subject, from the early years to the sixth form, and I have built the templates and the strategy behind those changes, work that inspectors recognised for how well it was sequenced. Working across every phase has shown me how much depends on sequencing: what pupils meet first, what it prepares them for and how ideas build from one year to the next.

Alongside this, I have led assessment and data across an all-through school. For me, assessment is only worth doing if it changes what happens next, so I have focused on making it tell teachers clearly what pupils have learned, what they have not yet learned and where to go from there.

Much of my career has also been spent in pastoral leadership: leading year groups, guiding pupils through the move from primary to secondary, and taking responsibility for behaviour, attendance and outcomes for large cohorts, including through the pandemic. That experience has kept my thinking about teaching and learning grounded in the realities of school life.

What I read

I have a real passion for reading about education and am always looking for ideas that challenge, refine and develop my thinking as a teacher. The work of Tom Sherrington, Barak Rosenshine, Josh Goodrich and Dylan Wiliam has had a significant influence on my approach to teaching, particularly in shaping my understanding of instructional practice, effective explanation, formative assessment and how pupils learn. Tom Sherrington’s collaborations with Oliver Caviglioli have also played an important role in my professional journey, helping me to translate educational research and theory into practical strategies that can make a meaningful difference in the classroom. I enjoy exploring how these ideas can be applied thoughtfully to improve teaching, support pupil progress and make learning more effective.

Away from educational reading, my interests tend to fall into one of two genres. The first is biography, particularly sporting biographies, where I enjoy exploring the lives, experiences and mindsets of athletes, as well as the determination, resilience and discipline that underpin their achievements. The second is fantasy, which offers an entirely different kind of escape. I love being immersed in richly imagined worlds, whether that means returning to Middle-earth or discovering somewhere new. For me, both genres offer something different: biographies provide insight into real people and their journeys, while fantasy offers the opportunity to step beyond the everyday and lose myself in another world.

Outside school

I’m a husband and father first. I met my wonderful wife through education as we both worked in the same school some years ago, so once again, education gets some of the credit! We have a one-year-old son who takes up most of our time (we wouldn’t have it any other way!). Our two miniature Dachshunds, Santi and Thierry, also keep us on our toes, but provide unrivalled snuggles.

I’m a passionate football fan and follow my beloved Arsenal as much as I can, both at the Emirates and beyond. Thanks to my wife’s Spanish connections, Spain is our second home, and we’re often there visiting family.

On Redrafted, you’ll also hear from colleagues and other educators I’ve learned from, as guest voices.

You can find me on LinkedIn, where I’d be glad to connect.