I joined the Learning for Life Education Trust board as the Assistant Director of Education at Peterborough Diocese, as one of the schools in the trust is a Church of England School.  Following my retirement, I am now a co-opted member of the board.

I have been involved in Governance for over 30 years and am a national Leader of Governance so I hope my experience will support all of the schools in the trust.

With over 29 years of experience in education, I have held senior leadership positions across a range of schools and have been Headteacher of two primary schools. I am passionate about ensuring that all children have access to the highest quality education and opportunities, enabling them to thrive both academically and personally.

As CEO of the Trust, I work closely with leaders, staff, and governors to build strong, collaborative schools that serve their communities well. Alongside this role, I am also a Trustee of a local primary multi-academy trust in West Northamptonshire, where I continue to contribute to the wider educational landscape and share expertise across the sector.

I am a qualified speech and language pathologist, psychologist and teacher (English & Mathematics) and Professor of Education (Cognitive Psychology), as well as former Dean at the College of Teachers, Institute of Education, University College, London.

Currently I am a scientific advisor at the Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University for the psychological and pedagogical conditions in the development of intercultural communication competencies of teachers.    I have published 23 books and over 150 refereed papers in journals and have been lead speaker at many international conferences on issues to do with Language, Education and Employment.

My interest in becoming a non-executive director comes from my passion for education as well as hoping to contribute from a background of practice and research in education.

I have been in the teaching profession for 37 years, starting my career as a nursery teacher and ending as the Headteacher of a large Infant school. I have always led and worked with honesty and integrity, with the children at the centre of all that I have done. I believe that every child should have the right to a strong supportive environment in which to grow and flourish both academically and as an individual. In my career I have supported other schools with their leadership and development, and currently work in a voluntary role for WNC on their schools appeals committee.

I retired from the teaching profession in August 2023 with the aim of travelling with my husband in our camper van to see a bit more of the UK and Europe. I have had the pleasure of being appointed to LFLET’s board of directors and look forward to continuing to support children, teachers, and leaders, and  the trust in its growth and development.

I have been a Director at the Learning for Life Education Trust since its inception. Before retiring, I was an Electrical Distribution Engineer so have a very high level of knowledge of health and safety practice and law.

I was a DfE designated National Leader of Governance Advocate NLGA and through this I supported many Local Authority governance support teams, Governing Bodies and Multi Academy Trust Boards.

I first became a parent governor when my two daughters attended school and this fuelled my passion to continue supporting the education of all our children. Through my experience in primary and secondary education together with my engineering background I strive to contribute to the vision and driving principles of the Trust.

I believe in delivering the best education for all our children locally. By working closely together as part of our Trust, we are achieving this through being “Stronger together”.

Working closely with the other schools in the Trust is enabling us all us to deliver an engaging and relevant curriculum for the children, ensuring they reach their potential and are ready for the world beyond school at every stage. 

I have been the Head Teacher of Irthlingborough Nursery and Infant School since 2012 and have worked at the school since 2002.