“Law can’t change the heart but it can restrain the heartless”

My first dream was to become a professor of human nutrition and travel the world focusing on malnutrition and hunger—its causes and effect—then to take up a desk job with one of the international donor bodies such as UNICEF with a major part of my time spent on my first love—research. I abandoned this dream in 2000 when my circumstances changed and I returned to the UK to my second love—teacing.

Then followed a completely new learning curve that took me on a journey that led to academic qualifications (MA and MPhil) in special education needs/inclusion and to leading Ofsted inspections in schools. I have over 30 years experience of teaching and school leadership in mainstream and special schools.

I have learnt through a lifelong fascination with teaching and learning both in the literal sense and in the philosophy underpinning education policy and practice that the major problem in schools is simply ‘poor’ teaching. I am astonished at how children are labelled as ‘special’, lower ability or higher ability with such impunity when the playing field is uneven. Are all children given equal opportunities to access high quality education? How prepared are teachers for the diverse classrooms they are thrown into when they qualify as teachers?

My vision is of buzzing classrooms managed by extremely confident teachers enthusing pupils to break the frontiers of learning and meet the challenges of the 21^st century—a privilege which is the private preserve of very, very few schools in the UK and abroad. This mental picture led to the birth of the Society for Gender and Child Advancement in the UK in December, 2010 and its rebirth as Gender and Child Advancement (GCA) International more recently.

Building GCA with Lynn Beckett (co-founder) and Mark Lambert has given me a chance to work for and on my dreams. From a Myers-Briggs perspective I’m an ENTJ and I value that part of me which reaches out and inspires others to achieve and to do well in the world. I take pride and joy in guiding others to work together to improve themselves and their community. This is how I understand my role as GCA International’s first CEO. I am using skills and capabilities acquired throughout my working life to bring high quality education to all children through GCA’s bespoke approach to teaching and learning.

It is amazing to watch the GCA team expand with committed professionals and experts across the full spectrum of education both in the UK and abroad. Currently, GCA works both in the UK and Africa. I recognise this change of direction in my life as God’s work and I envisage the future with great joy for this unique opportunity to make a contribution.

Specialties:

• Training for stakeholders and influencers—school owners, proprietors and governors
• Curriculum Access & Inclusive Education & Special Education Needs
• Linked/Joined-up school systems and processes
• Using data to drive improvement in schools
• Assessing Curriculum Needs
• Managing the quality of teaching
• Improving the skills set of teaching assistants
• Negotiation and influencing skills – at school management level
• Leadership of multi function teams
• Presenting to large audiences—training and inset