Members

I am a qualified teacher and hold a Bachelor of Education Honours degree and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Management. I am a former inspector for Ofsted and now lead an international school improvement business based in the UK, leading inspections and reviews, as well as training local leaders abroad, including the USA, Africa and the Middle East. I am the Head Reviewer for Challenge Partners, leading on driving the quality and consistency of annual Quality Assurance Reviews across the country. I have extensive teaching and leadership experience in primary schools, including two headships, local authority adviser and school improvement partner. My particular areas of expertise are in English, early years, school self-evaluation, improvement planning and leadership training and development. My professional motto is ‘keep it simple, do it well’. My passion for my work is unbridled, the primary aim being to do everything in my power to help schools to provide equal, bespoke, exciting learning experiences for every child. Children only get one chance.

During my professional career I was a qualified social worker with a degree in Social Science. I worked as a mental health specialist for a number of years before engaging in  generic work, primarily with adults, in a variety of community settings. A move into social work leadership and management allowed me to develop more effective ways of service delivery and engage in local projects such as the setting up of Yates Court, an independent living scheme for older people with care services on site. Later I went to work in a neighbouring authority in a service improvement and development role. There I was instrumental in establishing several new services to support family carers and I also became involved in training social work front-line staff. Since retiring, I have been leading courses for carers and was appointed as a Trustee of Bengeworth MAT in 2018. Having lived in Evesham for almost 40 years, 37 of them in Bengeworth, and having brought up my family here, I have a good understanding of the changing needs of the area and its population.

I am a Foundation Governor, but also a parent of 2 children formerly attending a school in the MAT. I work for the Diocese of Worcester as ‘Youth Officer’ which involves training and resourcing youth workers and volunteers in parishes across Worcestershire and Dudley and also pioneering new youth work projects and events across the diocese. I chair the Safeguarding training group, delivering and reviewing training courses to all of our clergy and parishioners who work with children or vulnerable adults.  As part of my role, I work with the Diocesan Education team to support secondary (including middle and high) Church of England schools to enhance their Christian character and distinctiveness. This includes delivering prayer days, developing chaplaincy or leading faith discussions with tutor/year groups. I also work with teams in our churches, Malvern Priory, Pershore Abbey and Worcester Cathedral to deliver education programmes.

I was the substantive Chair of Governors at Bengeworth CE Academy and a founding member of the Bengeworth MAT. Both of my children attended schools in Evesham throughout their education. Professionally, I am a National Environment Advisor in the energy industry with special responsibilities and expertise in behavioural change, auditing, compliance, efficiency, reporting, waste reduction and training, among other things. I have NEBOSH diplomas in Environment and Health and Safety, with 30 years’ experience in Risk Assessment, Team Management and recruiting. I have 20 years’ experience in Project Management involving challenging targets regarding cost, time and safety. Environmental Sustainability requires innovative thinking and new ways to solve old problems as part of a close team. All areas of my work are regularly useful as a Trustee with great crossover.