Background founding director

My background was disadvantaged, and as a young single parent I overcame many challenges before beginning my career as a leader in business. I later secured a contracted role teaching English in a large Further Education college, where I quickly progressed into leadership. After more than 20 years leading innovation, raising standards, and working with diverse groups of learners—and having had the privilege of collaborating with many inspirational colleagues—I chose to support organisations more widely in developing the “golden thread” that drives improvement for all. 

I have extensive experience working with leaders and teams to turn both financial and quality underperformance into high and sustainable outcomes. Examples include leading a school from a deficit budget to a long-term surplus through securing tenders and developing business growth strategies, and supporting a department previously graded “inadequate” at Ofsted to achieve an “outstanding” judgement with outcomes at the top of national achievement tables. Throughout my career, I have successfully navigated major curriculum reforms: including the mandation of English and maths, apprenticeships, and preparation for T Levels, while supporting training, resource planning, and transition processes to ensure quality and learner experience remain exceptional. 

I have chaired a wide range of steering groups and collaborative projects across colleges and multi-agency networks. Notable work includes coordinating a national English and Maths conference with colleges across the North East, funded through sponsorship and delegate fees, which supported around 1,000 practitioners from across the UK, from Northumberland to the Isle of Wight, to enhance their practice and improve outcomes. More recently, I have partnered with school leaders, police, youth workers, and social care to design a tiered approach to preventing weapon-related crime through early intervention and partnership working. This model has now been adopted by all secondary schools in the region. 

My experience working with some of the most disadvantaged groups: including permanently excluded young people, ESOL learners, high-needs students, and other vulnerable cohorts, enables me to develop inclusive strategies and act as a critical friend, offering clear, evidence-informed advice on areas for organisational improvement. 

I’m excited for this next chapter and to partner with others who are passionate about making meaningful, lasting change. Get in touch to discuss how RISE can support you.