Meet the Team
Ian Coulson
School Adviser
Susan Cliffe
School Adviser
David Hardcastle
School Adviser
Chris Calderbank
School Adviser
Tricia Murphy
School Adviser
David Baker
School Adviser
Nye Goodwin
School Adviser
Lynne Finn
School Adviser
Sheila Penny
School Adviser
Richard Lee
School Adviser
Anne Whitehead
School Adviser
Paul Reynolds
School Adviser
Geoff Yates
School Adviser
Peter Eavers
School Adviser
Sharon Sesnan
School Adviser
Luke Dillon
School Adviser
Ian has been a headteacher in three schools in Manchester, Cheshire and Cheshire East. Currently he is a headteacher in Cheshire where he has successfully led his school to a second accreditation as a Beacon School and in his last two Ofsted Inspections his school has achieved "Outstanding".
Ian has been a primary headteacher for twenty-seven years, gaining a wealth of knowledge and an excellent understanding and experience of issues facing headteachers today. He has supported schools using his experience as an Ofsted Inspector and School Improvement partner.
He is well known and respected in Cheshire and in the North West for his recognised skills in leadership and management, particularly in school self-evaluation, school improvement, developing teaching skills and School Development Planning.
Drawing on his fifteen years supporting schools, Ian has established himself as a highly respected, committed and enthusiastic headteacher and adviser. His adaptable and friendly approach has helped him build an extensive reputation throughout the North West for his integrity and outstanding service. His approach is friendly and supportive of headteachers and he is committed and loyal to those he works with.
Susan has considerable experience of primary education and school leadership. Most recently she has served as a successful headteacher working in challenging social contexts.
She has worked in different local authorities where she has served in county schools and in the aided sector including Roman Catholic and Anglican schools. Before entering teaching Susan had previous experience of working in commercial management and in the nursing profession.
Susan is a successful, approachable, calm, organised and reflective school leader. She was identified by Ofsted as ‘an outstanding school leader’ whose ‘dynamism and enthusiasm for success are infectious’.
As an adviser for LA and a diocese, Susan has worked with a wide range of different schools in different settings, facing different challenges. She has also helped to prepare for school leaders for headship.
She has an NPQH and is Church School Inspector. She is totally committed to supporting headteachers as they face the challenges of working in an increasingly demanding environment. Her recent, successful work as a serving headteacher gives her a powerful insight into the context of school leadership today.
Susan thoroughly enjoys working with headteachers and schools to help them ensure that the children they serve receive the best education possible.
David has been a Primary headteacher of two contrasting schools in the Kirklees authority for twenty three years. His two most recent inspections have resulted in the school being judged as ‘Outstanding’ in all areas.
As a Primary headteacher, David has built up a wealth of knowledge, understanding and experience of the issues that face headteachers today. For the last five years he has been a National Leader of Education. In that role, he has worked with a variety of schools and colleagues, supporting and developing their professional needs. In addition, David has acted as a mentor for N.P.Q.H. candidates offering helpful and constructive support.
David is highly respected by colleagues, teachers and governors for his professionalism and for the positive, friendly support that he provides for headteacher colleagues. He is very approachable and totally committed to the schools with which he works.
Chris has a wide and successful experience of school leadership, having worked in both church and community primary schools, in two local authorities.
Until 2012 Chris was a primary headteacher with over 15 years’ experience and so he has an excellent knowledge and understanding of the issues facing headteachers and schools. His expertise includes the key areas of leadership, management, communication, curriculum, governance, teaching and learning. He has also good experience of working with clusters of schools sharing good practice.
He has successfully led his school through four Ofsted Inspections and he has recently updated his Ofsted training through the Professional Qualification for School Inspectors (P.Q.S.I.) Programme. Chris has extensive experience of visiting schools across the North West Region through his work with Liverpool John Moores and Edgehill Universities where he is a key member of their Teacher Training Programme..
As a former primary headteacher Chris is approachable, committed, dedicated, enthusiastic, highly motivated and totally supportive to the schools with which he works. He is highly respected by colleagues, teachers and governors for his professionalism and for the positive, friendly support that he provides.
Tricia is an educationalist with a wide range of experience. As a headteacher in the special schools sector and Tricia ran schools that were widely recognised for their excellent and outstanding practice. She has a well- developed perspective of school leadership and management based on her wide experience.
Due to her background as an adviser she has a good understanding and working knowledge of strategies for lifting the quality of teaching, raising standards of achievement and improving pupils’ progress.
As a successful LA adviser Tricia was promoted to be the Head of the Special Needs Support Service for the LA. Due to her work across schools in the LA she has gained a wide understanding of special educational needs and the legislation surrounding this area.
Tricia is a leading figure in SEN nationally and internationally. She is an eminent author; and past president of NASEN.
Tricia is professional, friendly, approachable and totally committed to the schools she works with. We are delighted to have her work with us as an associate.
David worked in primary schools in Devon, Essex, Cheshire and Stockport. After two deputy headships, he was headteacher of a large primary school for nearly ten years before becoming a primary education adviser in Stockport.
He has an excellent understanding of the issues facing the headteachers of primary schools.
As a primary adviser for over twenty years he visited schools on a regular basis to give advice and support to senior staff on curriculum and management issues. He also delivered in-service training and engaged in constructive dialogue with teachers following lesson observations. Over the years he had LEA responsibility for various curriculum areas and aspects of leadership training, particularly in relation to school self-evaluation.
He has established an excellent reputation for the excellent quality of his work and he is held in the highest esteem by headteachers, teachers and governors.
David is professional, friendly, approachable and totally committed to the schools he works with. We are delighted to have him work with us as an associate.
Nye has worked in both primary and secondary schools in Wales, Suffolk and Greater Manchester. He was most recently a Headteacher of a large primary school and children’s centre for ten years. He has experience of successful leadership in very challenging circumstances.
Nye worked as an adviser and inspector for two North West authorities over a period of 12 years. He led the advisory team in a large greater Manchester LA before returning to school as a Headteacher. He has significant experience in Headteacher appraisal, having worked as an external adviser to governing bodies across the North West of England. He visited schools routinely to give advice and support to senior staff on curriculum and leadership development. He also led in-service training.
Over the years he had LEA responsibility for various curriculum areas and aspects of leadership training, particularly in relation to school self-evaluation.
He has established an outstanding reputation for the excellent quality of his work and Headteachers, teachers and governors hold him in high regard.
Nye has a clear educational philosophy. He is professional, friendly, approachable and totally committed to the professional development of teachers to ensure high quality teaching and learning and the best outcomes for children.
Lynne has worked as a primary school headteacher for eleven years, most recently in the Halton borough. She has an excellent grasp of the challenges facing headteachers and has been successful in strategically developing staff to meet, most importantly the needs of children but also to succeed in inspection. Her two most recent inspections have resulted in the school being judged as ‘Outstanding’ in all areas.
Lynne is totally committed to learning and has worked ceaselessly to create a school community where both children and adults can develop as learners. A key feature of learning and also staff development has been through Action Research projects. Under Lynne’s leadership the school achieved many awards including accreditation by Exeter University as a 'Thinking School' and more recently as an ‘Advanced Thinking School.’ Lynne has used creative approaches to strategically raise standards at all levels. She is well respected by headteacher colleagues, teachers, governors and the Local Authority for her enthusiastic, committed and innovative approach to headship and professional support of colleague headteachers.
Sheila Penny has taught for 38 years. She has over 24 years of headship experience. She successfully led her school through five Ofsted inspections. Her school was judged to be outstanding in all areas and it was in the top 10% of high achieving schools.
Through her substantial experience as a headteacher she has developed an excellent understanding of the challenging complexities facing headteachers when they are leading development and change to raise standards and improve progress. Sheila has expertise in most aspects of primary school development including: teaching and learning; raising standards; the development of personal capabilities within a creative curriculum; Early Years education; leading schools through inspection; team building; improvement planning and creating a school vision that works.
Sheila was a consultant leader within a local authority and worked in support of school leadership teams as well as individual headteachers. She was also the Primary headteacher representative on the board of BECTa for several years. This role gave her national recognition and enhanced her understanding of how ICT can be used effectively to enhance teaching and learning.
Sheila has excellent interpersonal skills and quickly establishes good professional working relationships. Her wide experience as a successful and highly respected headteacher and external consultant, has given her a wealth of knowledge, skills and expertise to offer to schools.
Richard has worked as a primary school headteacher for 20 consecutive years in 5 local authorities. Three of his headship appointments were to schools in ‘Special Measures’ and under his leadership they were quickly removed from the category in their next Ofsted Inspection.
He is a former National Leader Of Education, and has contributed to headteacher development programmes regionally and locally. School-based placements in leadership practice have been provided by him for colleagues from Sheffield, Cumbria and Greater Manchester authorities.
He has a wide range of experience and depth of knowledge of school leadership and management, and he is skilled at creating effective teams. In particular, he has been consistently successful in addressing school improvement, self-evaluation, pupil achievement, and staff development and appraisal.
He has chaired his LA’s Association of Primary Headteachers and has been N.A.H.T. Local Branch President. He is a governor of a multicultural denominational school, and he is an experienced educational consultant.
Richard is well-regarded by colleagues and is very resourceful, flexible, adaptable and supportive. He is good-humoured and quickly builds positive professional relationships with others.
Anne served as a successful primary headteacher in different schools for twenty years. Most recently she was Executive Principal of a multi academy trust.
She became a National Leader of Education and one of her schools a National Teaching School.
Anne also has experience as a Consultant Leader and SIP, as well as a carrying out a variety of roles within the LA and for the ‘Greater Manchester Challenge’.
She established her LA’s first Network Learning Community involving twelve schools with very diverse communities and needs. She is totally committed to schools working together to share best practice. Recently she has worked with HMI supporting schools.
Anne has a wide experience of school leadership and the challenges it brings, having specialised in turning around failing schools in extremely difficult circumstances.
She is well known and respected both locally and nationally, building a good reputation for promoting the values of primary education. She is passionate with regard to children achieving their full potential regardless of background.
Anne is humorous, enthusiastic, motivated and dedicated to making learning relevant, inspirational and accessible for all members of school communities.
Paul has an excellent background in primary education where he has experience of two successful headships. Paul has been a primary teacher for 31 years, with 16 of these being as a headteacher. Currently, he is a headteacher a large primary school that incorporates nurseries for 2 and 3 year olds.
Paul has successfully led his schools through 5 Ofsted Inspections, with his current school being rated as Outstanding in all areas (2016).
He has a great deal of experience of transforming teaching and learning; leading whole school developments; and cross authority projects. Being a serving headteacher, he is fully aware of the pressures schools find themselves facing in this era of unprecedented change.
Paul prides himself as being a ‘people person’ who is recognised for his friendly and professional approach to his advisory service work.
Geoff Yates has had considerable leadership experience as a headteacher in three primary schools in two local authorities. He has also worked as the senior primary adviser in a North West local authority.
Geoff has had extensive experience working as a school improvement partner across the North West of England and currently undertakes quality assurance work in one local authority. Geoff has plenty of experience leading school inspections and also denominational inspections in Anglican Church schools.
He prides himself on being not only friendly and highly supportive to schools but also in having the skills to challenge senior leaders including governors in a professional way, without causing offence. Geoff is totally committed to improving outcomes for pupils and to do all that he can in helping school leaders at all levels to fulfil all they set out to do.
Peter has a background of successful experience as a headteacher in primary education, including working in challenging areas of social disadvantage. As a headteacher he successfully moved his schools into the top percentile and they gained two consecutive National School Achievement Awards. He has a specialist background in mathematics and French but has a wide view of the whole primary curriculum, teaching and learning. As a successful headteacher with an excellent reputation he was used by his local authority to work as a consultant with other schools and headteacher colleagues. He has worked in both the English and Scottish education systems.
Peter became a LA School Improvement Officer and later was appointed as a Regional Area Education Adviser working across several LAs. He then was recruited to become an HMI and for several years inspected schools. Most recently he has been the Director of Education in a diocese where he has had responsibility for more than two hundred schools. In that capacity he has worked with thirteen LAs across the North West Region.
Peter has a very wide experience of primary education and of working in partnership with headteachers. He has excellent inter-personal skills. He is very highly regarded by his colleagues and he enjoys working with headteachers to support them in the challenges they face.
Sharon has most recently been the successful Headteacher of a large inner city Primary School. She has considerable experience of every aspect of school leadership. Much of her career has been spent working with disadvantaged children and families. Her last school was graded as outstanding in all areas and judged to be outstanding overall by OFSTED.
Her school was included in a recent Ofsted Mathematical Survey and inspectors judged teaching, learning and curriculum in mathematics to be outstanding. Her school was selected by OFSTED to be one of only twelve schools to take part in ‘The Reading by Six’ report – How the best schools do it.’ Under her leadership the school has achieved national recognition for the outstanding quality of its leadership, teaching, learning and curriculum.
As a headteacher Sharon’s high expectations have led to consistently outstanding results. Her school was invited by the DFE to be a member of a national programme of qualitative research on schools’ performance and the tackling of social disadvantage. More recently in response to the white paper, ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’, her school was invited by the DFE to take part in a study which investigated the characteristics and cultures of high achieving schools.
Sharon believes in sharing good practice and she has worked successfully in partnership with the headteachers in many schools. She has also worked with HMI in developing school improvement. She has a strongly held belief that every child should have the opportunity to succeed no matter what their individual circumstances. She has worked in church schools and has a very good understanding of the aided sector and faith schools. Sharon gets on well with everyone and she is regarded by colleagues as being approachable, supportive and caring.
Luke Dillon has been a Headteacher in three different schools over a twenty eight year period all of which have been described as outstanding by OFSTED.
In 2007 he took the slightly unusual step of moving from a primary school to become head of a secondary school which was in danger of closure. He led the complete overhaul of staffing, curriculum and was involved in creating a new model for Y7 students which drew on his experience of primary education. The school went on to gain national recognition for the improvement in standards and was soon oversubscribed.
Since moving into consultancy Luke has enhanced his reputation as someone who is able to offer real support to senior leaders in schools.
He has empathy and understands the challenges presented to headteachers. He realises that the success of the school is very closely aligned with the wellbeing of the headteacher.
He has been described as inspirational and someone who can influence school improvement in a direct way.
He has also been working with The Premier League to assess the impact of young footballers being taken out of schools.