Experience

I have had the good fortune to undertake diverse roles over the last twenty years including a range of leadership and advisory roles. Each job has deepened and broadened my knowledge of education. This range of experiences has enabled me to now work as an independent consultant and trainer; a job I love. Every day I learn something new and every day I have the opportunity to help others - which is extremely rewarding and motivating.

I enjoy the luxury of being able to study and research key educational issues to a level and depth that is hard for those working full time in school to achieve. Tapping into this knowledge base is one of the reasons schools choose to use external consultants.

I have also had the privilege of observing hundreds of lessons and have worked alongside some excellent senior and middle leaders in assessing current practice. Every classroom I visit deepens my appreciation for the complexities of learning and helps me to join the dots between educational research, strategic leadership and classroom practice. I know that leaders I work with appreciate being able to engage in professional dialogue with someone who has seen practice across a diverse range of schools.

I have also been Chair of Governors for a large primary school in Leeds. A challenging and rewarding role which provided me with a different perspective on school improvement and a deeper appreciation for the day-to-day and strategic challenges headteachers and schools as a whole face.

My freelance role often involves me working at a leadership level, e.g. supporting headteachers with performance management; working with phase leaders to develop leadership capacity; supporting leaders to develop and implement whole school solutions to challenging issues, such as closing the gap for disadvantaged pupils; and delivering projects on themes such as metacognition and growth mindsets. In addition, my role also involves working at a classroom operational level, particularly on aspects of reading and writing. I enjoy working with key stage teams and middle leaders to develop whole school practice. Looking at educational issues from both a teacher and leadership perspective keeps my feet firmly rooted in reality. This ensures that when undertaking school reviews they focus on the 'what' as well as the 'how'. It also ensures the training I deliver is practically minded.

One of my strengths is having both primary and secondary experience, which has shaped my views on teaching and learning and resulted in a deep fascination of how we support children to become successful life long learners who love challenge, respond to feedback, are resilient and take ownership of their learning.

I continue to gain enormously from every colleague I work with, every organisation I have the good fortune to be involved with and the continued professional development I undertake. Working independently over the last nine years, I have provided training for over 100 schools and thousands of colleagues across the Yorkshire region. Every event is a privilege to deliver and working in schools keeps me committed to designing and delivering solutions that work for busy teachers and leaders.

Areas of expertise

• Working with leadership teams to strengthen and maximise impact
  
  
• Leadership development for senior and middle leaders.
  
  
• Effective leadership of teaching assistants
  
  
• Data analysis - support for interpretation of data and school development planning
  
  
• Maximising the impact of the pupil premium and closing the gap for disadvantaged pupils
  
  
• Supporting teachers and leaders on developing the quality of teaching
  
  
• Raising pupil aspiration through utilising research, such as 'growth and fixed mindsets', positive psychology and metacognition
  
  
• Development of effective marking and feedback
  
  
• Reading comprehension
  
  
• The development of writing
  
  
• A mastery approach to delivering primary mathematics
  
  

"Vicky is a fantastic trainer - very inspirational and knowledgeable."

"Fabulous resources good themes for group discussion, lots of opportunities to share ideas and a variety of learning tools."

"I just wanted to say a huge than you for Friday - I am excited about getting my teeth into the curriculum and changing it for the better."

"Wow! Superb - brilliant ideas that I can use straight away in the classroom."

"You have inspired the whole staff and this is just what we needed to kick start the year."

"The journey I have been on is amazing. Thanks for everything. I would highly recommend this course (DHTs - key issues programme) to others."

"Research, quality of activities, engagement, reflection. This has been a confidence-building superb course."

"Excellent ideas and suggestions, especially when dealing with tricky issues."

"I feel I have a clear vision and know the steps I need to take next as a leader. Thank you for all your support."

"This (curriculum course) has been so useful! The day was so well structured and led us through the thought process clearly. We now have an action plan and know what we want to achieve and how to do it."

"I feel totally inspired and determined to improve reading."

"Fantastic resources. Very well explained. Lots of examples of good practice. Great ideas to use in the classroom."

"Useful resources and excellent activities that I have been able to use in twilight sessions in school. Really enjoyed the training. Vicky is a generous and engaging course leader."

Training / qualifications

Qualifications

Keeping up to date is important. I undertake a great deal of research and development work. In addition, here are examples of training courses I have attended recently: