Learning to Lead

Notes on Leadership & Education

Reflections from the frontline of secure-facility education, large-team leadership, and digital transformation in Further Education.

Featured · Career Development

When to Say No to a Good Offer

A good job offer and the right one are not always the same thing. Drawing on two career defining decisions years apart, I explore why timing, family, and flexible terms can matter as much as the role itself, and why walking away can still be the right call.

Read the full post →
All posts
Career Development · 23 Jul 2026

From Research to Reform: Unexpected Lessons in Education Leadership

Transitioning from academic research to educational leadership was never the original plan. Discover how viewing data, human behaviour, and institutional systems through an analytical lens helped drive rapid growth from temporary lecturer to senior director.

Read more
Prison Education · 22 Jul 2026

Reframing Futures: Why Education Behind Bars Is More Than Just Compliance

In a high churn local prison like HMP Pentonville, education is often the first real opportunity men get to rewrite their stories. Discover how targeted learning, neurodiversity support, and tailored teaching help break generational cycles of disadvantage and reduce reoffending.

Read more
Leadership & Personal · 18 Jul 2026

Balancing the Scales: Leadership, Fatherhood, and the Power of Transition Rituals

Managing workforce stress and complex change projects requires immense emotional energy. Here, I discuss why physical boundaries and deliberate transition rituals are essential to protect your home life and ensure you can show up fully as both a leader and a father.

Read more
Change Management · 23 Jun 2026

Raising Standards Behind Walls: One Year in Prison Education

Transitioning into prison education is a gear change for any educational leader. Transitioning into HMP Pentonville, a complex, high pressure Category B environment, right as it navigated the intense operational pressures of an Urgent Notification is another thing entirely.

Read more
Leadership & Personal · 11 Dec 2024

The Legacy of Learning: A Personal Journey (or Why I Am an Education Leader)

Every single day I’m reminded of why I chose education as my life’s work — it is, I believe, our greatest equaliser.

Read more
Quality & Compliance · 03 Sep 2024

Making the SAR/QIP Cycle Useful Instead of Just Compliant

Turning a regulatory requirement into a genuine improvement tool for teaching teams.

Read more
Research & Practice · 17 May 2024

What Ten Years of Academic Research Taught Me About Running a Team

Reflections from a career that moved from primate biomechanics to education leadership.

Read more
Change Management · 08 Feb 2024

Restructuring Four Campuses Without Losing Staff Trust

A practical account of the sequencing, communication, and budget trade-offs behind a 12% cost saving.

Read more
Mentoring · 20 Nov 2023

What I Look for When Mentoring a New Teacher

The habits that separate a competent lesson from a confident teacher.

Read more
Digital & Data · 14 Sep 2023

Why Moving to the Cloud Is a Culture Project, Not an IT Project

What we learned rolling out shared governance systems across a five-campus college.

Read more
Leadership · 02 Jun 2023

Leading 100 People Across Five Sites Without Losing the Thread

Notes on governance, delegation, and staying close to the work when you can’t be everywhere at once.

Read more
Leadership · 31 Jan 2023

Do We Need a Leader?

Leaders exist — but does the group they lead actually consider them effective?

Read more
Leadership · 11 Apr 2022

How to Lead a Team

Do you believe in magic recipes for success? There are, however, things successful leaders have in common.

Read more

No posts match that filter.

Open to conversations about senior education leadership roles.

Reach out directly or review the full career history and qualifications.

Full CV Contact LinkedIn