I have been Headteacher of Dene Magna School since 2010. In this time, I have led the school through an Outstanding Ofsted inspection (Dec 2012) and formed the Forest Teaching School Alliance (which is led by Dene Magna as a Teaching School). The TSA had a track record of successfully supporting schools and specifically targets primary and secondary school collaborative support. In 2020 I began my role as CEO of the Forest of Dean Trust and we are delighted to have welcomed two schools into the Trust.

During my time at Dene Magna and the Trust, I have led training and supported staff and students to reach their potential. I am an experienced coach and skilled at strategic planning.

I have been a Director of the Gloucestershire Association of Secondary Headteachers and Chair of the Local Organising Committee of the Gloucestershire School Games.

Prior to working at Dene Magna I led a school in very challenging circumstances. Under my leadership, the school came out of special measures. I have also worked as a Foundation Subjects Consultant for Gloucestershire LA.As a teacher, I was Head of Geography before moving into Senior Leadership.

I have a BSc (Hons) in Geography, PGCE, NPQH, PG Dip Ed and am currently completing my NPQEL.

I have worked for the Trust for several years and assisted with the transformation from a maintained school to an Academy conversion and, in recent years, various expansion projects to the growing Multi Academy trust it is today.

I have worked in service-based organisations for 30 years - overseeing growth, governance, financial control, people and process change. I run a Marketing Consultancy business alongside my role as the Chair of Trustees and support the NHS as a Community Responder for critical care response across the Forest of Dean. Both of my children have been students within the Trust. The Trust currently employs my wife, and my family has links to the local area for over 100 years.

I have worked for the Forest of Dean Trust for several years. In 2015, I became Head of English. I relished the opportunity to develop staff, build a strong team and ensure that all students could leave us at the end of their learning journey with the core qualifications required for the next steps in their future and enjoy the process. 

More recently, I became Assistant Headteacher for Curriculum and now oversee Quality Assurance at both Dene Magna and our partner primary schools to ensure that children in our Trust receive high-quality curriculum provision throughout their school journey from nursery to the age of 18. This all-through curriculum is a unique provision offered by the Forest of Dean Trust because it ensures a collaborative approach across primary and secondary schools. As a previous Drybrook and Dene Magna student, I care deeply about education in the Forest of Dean and enjoy the opportunity to ensure that students from the area gain the best education to succeed.

I have been part of the Forest of Dean Trust since the beginning and am in charge of leading Teaching and Learning. Under my leadership, the Teaching and Learning across the trust has gone from strength to strength, allowing all learners to make maximum progress. I am passionate about Teaching and Learning and want all children in the Forest of Dean to have the best education possible. I want all staff in the trust no matter their position, to feel valued and that their wellbeing is at the forefront of our minds. I believe that ‘if we stand still, we can only go backwards’ so I make sure that as a trust, we are up to date with the current research to inform our excellent ‘Reflective Practitioner Programme’ to make sure that all staff have the skills and knowledge through outstanding professional development.

I have worked in education for over 2 decades and, during that time, have had experience leading special educational needs within the primary and secondary sectors. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with many young people with varying needs and their families. I continue to be passionate about helping our students to flourish. Being Director of SEN allows me the opportunity to continue this extremely rewarding work of helping our students to succeed by overseeing the provision of SEN across all the schools within the Forest of Dean Trust.

I joined the Trust in December 2023. I have over 25 years' experience working in ICT primarily in the housing sector. I have managed ICT teams for 15 years, leading teams of between 4 - 16. During that time, I have managed organisational changes big and small, and enjoy championing continual improvements.