Successful Schools
Speakers
Roy Blatchford Roy Blatchford was Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools (HMI) in England, with lead responsibilities for school improvement and for the national inspection of good and outstanding schools. He was Principal (1999 - 2003) of Walton High & Walton Learning Centre in Milton Keynes, opened in September 1999 and described by OFSTED as 'a first class centre of learning - innovative and inspiring'. He was Founding Director (1996 - 1998) of Reading Is Fundamental, UK a non-profit organisation developing children's reading and family literacy. From 1986 - 1996 he was Headteacher of Bicester Community College, an Oxfordshire comprehensive school serving 1200+ 11 - 19 year old students.
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Crichton Casbon Crichton Casbon worked as a teacher in Dorset and Northamptonshire before moving to advisory work in East Sussex. He has been at the QCA since 1998 working as the PE adviser, directing the QCA PESS project and, latterly, managing the development of whole school curriculum models for the secondary phase. He also manages the consultation currently taking place on the programmes of study. |
Phil Revell Phil Revell joined the NGA this year. Phil taught for nearly twenty years in secondary schools and served a full four year term as a staff governor before leaving teaching to try his luck as a journalist. For ten years he wrote on education issues - mainly for the Guardian and Times Educational Supplement - before joining in NGA in July 2007 |
Carole Whitty Carole Whitty is currently the Deputy General Secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, which is the largest professional association of school leaders in Europe and represents all phases of school. Carole began her career in education in Birmingham where she worked as a teacher of English and Drama in 5 very different secondary schools in the city before becoming Deputy Head of Great Barr School, one of the largest comprehensive schools in the country. Carole gained her first headship in 1990 at Carisbrooke High School on the Isle of Wight, a 13-18 school. She took up her second Headship in 1998 at Eggbuckland Community College in Plymouth, a specialist technology College, which had the additional benefit of an extensive community programme. Both schools had some pre school facilities on site and significant community and muti agency engagement. Eggbuckland became a Microsoft partner school in recognition of its innovative work on the use of ICT as a transformational tool. Carole spent two years working in the DfES as a Children’s Services adviser, just prior to her present position. Through her work at the Department Carole has gained an insight into the potential of the Every Child Matters agenda along with an appreciation of the complexities of its implementation. Throughout her career Carole has promoted the concept of community education and extended schooling. She has been engaged over time in the delivery and design of management and leadership training. She was the regional coordinator of the NCSL network of Headteachers and a consultant leader and has held a number of representative roles as a former member of the NAHT national council. |
Pat Jefferson Pat Jefferson is an experienced public administrator with an established professional background in education and children's services. A successful teaching background and innovative work with some of the most disadvantaged children in the north east of England led to advisory work and involvement as an accredited trainer with Ofsted. Pat subsequently joined the Primary Education Study Group - an independent national think tank which developed a distinguished reputation and used its influence to shape the views of policy makers and practitioners in schools. She worked with the DfES for three years as a senior adviser on education policy and has served on a number of national steering groups and advisory panels whilst continuing her career in local government. Recent work with the World Bank took Pat to Azerbaijan to advise ministers and school leaders on the reform of secondary education. She has also developed a strong professional interest in the research on links between the growth of personal well-being in children and young people and economic regeneration. Pat has worked within a local authority with the Every Child Matters programme for change for the last five years and has recently retired from her post as Executive Director for Children and Young People with Lancashire County Council. |
Spokey Wheeler In a career that has spanned England, Singapore and Germany,Spokey has led three secondary schools. During his first headship in Germany he led an annual youth cultural festival, Lets Do It, which brought together annually over 100 artists and up to 5000 British and German students. During his second principalship he was seconded as Launch Director of an Education Action Zone. Subsequently he was invited to join the inaugural team of London Challenge Consultant Leaders which has now become National challenge. In 2005 Spokey took on the headship of a failing London secondary school taking it out of special measures turning it into one of the fastest improving schools in the country and leading its achievement of Academy status. Having successfully taken it through its first transitional year Spokey was appointed as Special Advisor for International Educationto Absolute Return for Kids(ARK),. As the architect of School Leaders India which was launched in Mumbai and Pune in August 2008 he has a broad understanding of Indian education. He continues to support this work-based leadership programme through his consultancy to help create school leaders for schools serving less privileged children in India. Spokey is a trustee of Launchpad for Learning, a charitable educational project, sponsored by The Royal Aeronautical Society committed to turning young people on to Technology and careers in Aerospace. He is the co-author of Coaching for Success, a national programme of the charity Youth at Risk for increasing the performance of low-achieving students. Spokey also practices as a trained Business Performance Coach. As a long-serving member of the council and executive of The Association of School and College Leaders he represented the association on matters as various as Connexions, Teachers TV and OFSTED. Beyond education he has set up an Arts Centre, written and presented education television and continues to write free lance journalism. Throughout his career he has worked extensively as an educational consultant. |