Advisory & consultancy
Good schools are built on coherent thinking. The most effective leaders I have worked with share a clear sense of what they are trying to create — and why — and are able to translate that into systems, structures and cultures that hold together under pressure. That coherence rarely emerges from off-the-shelf frameworks or external reports delivered and forgotten. It comes from sustained, honest thinking, usually in collaboration with someone who has been there before. That is what I offer.
I work with schools and education groups as a strategic thinking partner, bringing direct experience of building and leading academic systems from the ground up, to support leaders and organisations in doing the same. My approach is collaborative, rooted in practice and shaped by a clear set of beliefs about what outstanding education looks like. I do not arrive with ready-made solutions; I arrive with the questions, the experience and the judgement to help you develop your own.
Areas of expertise
My experience and advisory work span four broad areas, though in practice they rarely operate in isolation:
Foundation & strategy
– School founding and positioning
– School and group strategy
– Guiding statements and educational philosophy
– Building and learning environment design
– School founding and positioning
– School and group strategy
– Guiding statements and educational philosophy
– Building and learning environment design
Translating vision into practice
– Aligning strategy, systems and practice
– Balancing educational ambition with commercial and operational reality
– School development planning and evaluation
– Stakeholder and partner engagement
– Aligning strategy, systems and practice
– Balancing educational ambition with commercial and operational reality
– School development planning and evaluation
– Stakeholder and partner engagement
Academic provision
– Curriculum design and qualification frameworks
– Teaching, learning and assessment
– Academic enrichment and co-curricular provision
– University and careers guidance
– Curriculum design and qualification frameworks
– Teaching, learning and assessment
– Academic enrichment and co-curricular provision
– University and careers guidance
People
– Recruitment and selection
– Leadership structures and systems
– Personal and professional development
– Appraisal and performance management
– Recruitment and selection
– Leadership structures and systems
– Personal and professional development
– Appraisal and performance management
Working together
No two engagements are the same. Some clients need a sustained thinking partner over months; others need focused input at a particular moment — a decision point, a period of change, or the early stages of something new.
Every engagement begins with a conversation to explore the context, identify what is needed and discuss the nature and scope of our working relationship. If you'd like to start one, get in touch via the contact page.