After a very short stint working in the private sector, I made the leap into teacher training nearly 30 years ago and have never once looked back. I am as passionate about the power of education and its ability to transform lives as I was thirty years ago, and I suppose it is that zeal that has helped to nudge me into the school leadership positions I have held over the past twenty years.

After a very short stint working in the private sector, I made the leap into teacher training nearly 30 years ago and have never once looked back.  I am as passionate about the power of education and its ability to transform lives as I was thirty years ago, and I suppose it is that zeal that has helped to nudge me into the school leadership positions I have held over the past twenty years.

I started out from loving but humble origins and, notably, a school which did not help build my aspirations.  These two factors remain at the heart of my ambition for all young people, and particularly those who live in similar communities to the one I grew up in.  I am tireless in my commitment to ensuring that schools help all children and young people achieve their ambitions and potential, and never miss an opportunity to promote this where I can.

As a lifelong student of European languages, I spent many happy years sharing this passion with the thousands of children to whom I taught French and German.  I self-studied Spanish and am also relatively proficient in Italian.  It is never too late to learn something new and even better when it helps you communicate with more people!

Before becoming CEO of Insight MAT I spent six years as the headteacher of Sir Graham Balfour School.  I am immensely proud of the school and of what we achieved in that time; navigating our way successfully through the pandemic is up there with my proudest moments.

Much is spoken and written of what makes a school successful.  Schools and the communities they serve are complex, with often competing pressures. For me, it’s all about the relationships we form with colleagues, families, and the children themselves.  We build trust, we demand the best of each other, we don’t allow anything to get in the way of what we need to do to help the young people in our care.  We want every one of them to do well, take their place in the world and be happy.  That’s all that matters, really.

Outside of my role I love spending time with my husband.  We love travelling, walking and planning holidays.  I am well known for my support of Manchester United (both ladies’ and men’s teams), adore listening to cricket commentary (especially when England teams are doing well) and baking.  I am a keen, though haphazard gardener and ukulele player – I remain optimistic that practice will one day make proficient.