Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Consultancy, Teaching/working with pupils, Training and Writing
Specialism:
Cross-phase English, Curriculum Design, Initial Teacher Education, Primary and Reading
Region available:
Midlands, National, Online and UK
Social media:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lauraspargo Bluesky: @lauraspargo.bskysocial Substack: https://substack.com/@lauraspargo
Website:
www.lauraspargo.com
Testimonials
" 'Having Laura in to our school has transformed the way we teach English lessons and given the teachers the confidence to adapt planning and lessons to the needs of their class.' Rachel Boswell, Executive Headteacher, Tibshelf Infant School, Derbyshire."
" 'It’s always a joy to collaborate with someone who brings such clarity, depth, and heart to the work. I very much hope we’ll find more opportunities to work together in the future. Thank you once again for helping to make the session so memorable.' Nadine Abeng, Education Partner, Birmingham Education Partnership."
" 'We recently received training from Laura and have already booked her in for a return visit. It has sometimes proved difficult to find someone with the right skills, knowledge and passion to really engage our staff during training days but she provided us with the best training we have had for a long time!' Nikki Ingram, Literacy Coordinator, Dame Allan’s Junior School. "
Profile
Having led Primary English across the UK, Spain and Dubai, and with a career in education spanning over 16 years, Laura is an experienced practitioner and subject specialist. Passionate about inspiring and supporting educators in cultivating reading and writing experiences which are inclusive and ambitious, Laura has presented at a number of conferences and works with a range of educational organisations. She is a member of the Opening Doors team, supporting schools in creating a quality English curriculum, rooted in providing inclusive learning experiences and promoting equity and excellence for all. She is a also a Just Imagine trainer and content contributor, providing bespoke training and consultancy opportunities for schools, academy trusts and wider organisations on all aspects of teaching English, literacy and dialogic pedagogy. Laura is a proud member of the English Association's Primary and Early Years Education Committee.
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Writing
Social media:
@WritingRocks_17
Website:
www.writing4pleasure.com
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Advisory work for government bodies/organisations, Assessment, Broadcasting, Consultancy and Training
Specialism:
Oracy, Primary, Reading and Writing
Region available:
Midlands and South
Social media:
Twitter @BabcockLDPEng
Website:
https://www.babcockldp.co.uk/english
Testimonials
"Thank you very much for last week, all staff felt that it is the best CPD they have had; it was both informative and confidence boosting for them."
"I just wanted to say a massive thank you for your support and calming words during the English assignment time. Honestly, you and Rebecca were brilliant and made me feel that I could achieve the necessary pass!"
"The webex meetings have been extremely useful. They enhance our subject knowledge and give us lots of ideas to try with the children. The course leader (Jenny) is incredibly knowledgeable and ensures the sessions are well-paced. The sessions have had a direct impact on our teaching and the progress our children are making."
"Thank you so much Jenny. I have found your support very productive and reassuring! I am excited about the way forward and the changes we will now finally be able to implement, so thank you!"
"I am writing to thank you very much for the No Nonsense Spelling training you delivered to us this morning and for forwarding the presentation slides. The session was excellent and enjoyed by everyone. It has prompted some thoughtful discussions about spelling in our school and we are looking forward to using the programme from September."
Profile
Jenny currently works as one of Babcock LDP’s team of English Advisers. Her role involves providing training for teachers and English subject leaders in all areas of primary English, supporting teachers in the classroom and co-writing teaching publications such as No Nonsense Spelling, No Nonsense Grammar and No Nonsense Literacy. Jenny is an experienced primary class teacher, senior leader and English subject leader with experience in schools in the UK and abroad. Jenny is also a KS2 moderator and provides the English training for Devon Primary SCITT. In addition to working for a number of years as an English Adviser, Jenny also worked as a Primary Languages Adviser for Devon between 2005 and 2012.
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Consultancy, Training and Writing
Specialism:
Cross-phase English and Oracy
Region available:
International and UK
Social media:
Blue Sky @think_talk_leah.bsky.social
Website:
www.leahcrawford.com
Testimonials
"'I am more confident now to ‘facilitate’ when questioning and I feel more able to reinforce the ‘ease’ in which grammatical knowledge can be applied to complex tasks through talk.' Primary English Subject Leader"
Profile
Leah had 15 years experience as a Local Authority English Inspector/Adviser, working across the primary and secondary phases before becoming an independent consultant. In her school career, she held pastoral and subject leader roles. She now leads Thinktalk consultancy, is a Tutor for the King’s College Let’s Think in English Cognitive Acceleration programme and is a consultant and writer for Bob Cox’s Opening Doors publications and consultancy. She has completed a Masters in Education Degree on teacher learning and development and has supported a European Erasmus project on the Assessment of Thinking Skills. Leah has led extended professional learning courses through Teaching Schools and MATS on Mastery of Reading at primary, Writing Design and Process, Grammar for Purpose and Viewpoint, and Word Study – combining the teaching of spelling and vocabulary. She is delivering the new NPQ in Leading Literacy through the University of Winchester.
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Training and Writing
Specialism:
Secondary
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Advisory work for government bodies/organisations, Consultancy, Initial Teacher Education, Keynotes and Research
Specialism:
Reading
Region available:
International, National and Online
Profile
Debbie has over 20 years’ experience as a teacher, school leader and consultant, specialising in English. This includes extensive experience of supporting a wide range of schools and settings with all aspects of teaching, leading and inspecting English and assessment. Her areas of expertise span strategic leadership of English, reading for pleasure pedagogy and practice, the design and delivery of CPD, leading strategic reviews of practice and the implementation of assessment and effective practice. Part of her week is spent as a Lecturer in Reading for Pleasure with the Open University RfP team, working to promote research informed practice across schools, through their flagship Reading Schools Programme and a national network of Teachers’ Reading Groups. Debbie also facilitates on the NPQ programmes and delivers phonics and early reading audits for English Hubs and is the proud co-founder of the Spark! School Book Awards.
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Research and Training
Specialism:
Primary, Reading, Transition and Writing
Region available:
North
Website:
https://researchschool.org.uk/lancashire
Profile
I have been teaching for 20 years in KS2- predominantly Y6 and have been English subject lead for this time also. I am Director of Lancashire Research school as part of the Research School Network working for EEF to support schools in evidence informed practice.
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Advisory work for government bodies/organisations, Consultancy, Teaching/working with pupils and Training
Specialism:
Early Years, Phonics, Primary, Reading and Writing
Region available:
Midlands and South
Social media:
@Julie_Sargent1
Website:
www.innovateducation.co.uk
Testimonials
"Thank you once again for yesterday’s training session. It was just what the team needed: non-threatening, encouraging and full of practical suggestions."
"We have had some real success so far with the text-based planning and some lovely feedback from the children about it. It is having an impact!"
"Just a note of thanks for yesterday's training. It was incredibly helpful and very clear to follow. I appreciated every minute. It was engaging and interactive as well as relaxed and conversational. And who knew that you could do so many amazing collaborative things (break out groups and visualisers) on Zoom!"
Profile
I work with SLT, English subject leaders and staff in developing all aspects of primary English. Bespoke support could include: developing the reading and writing curriculum, progression and development of literacy skills; planning units of work with teachers; or specific subject leader support. I also offer a variety of training around aspects of literacy such as phonics and spelling; teaching grammar in context; reading for meaning; and developing writers.
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Initial Teacher Education
Specialism:
Initial Teacher Education, Secondary and Secondary Literacy
Region available:
Midlands and Online
Social media:
@NikkiCopitch
Profile
I have been a subject leader for Secondary English and Drama ITE, an English consultant and an English and Media teacher. I am now NAAE Secretary and Publicity Officer, a foster parent and a visiting university lecturer in ITE.
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Consultancy, Training and Writing
Specialism:
Phonics, Primary, Reading and Secondary Literacy
Region available:
London
Social media:
@phonicsandbooks
Testimonials
"Thank you so much for a great session. Our teachers thoroughly enjoyed the session. It was very informative and gave everyone a good understanding of the structure for teaching the different phases. "
"Thank you so much for the staff training yesterday, it was pitched perfectly and really useful. Interestingly, staff who have been using MLS already said that it was helpful doing the training as they could relate to what you were talking about and it gave them some ideas to try out. "
"Thank you so much and once again, the training was excellent "
"The course was fantastic and we are already starting to implement ideas I got from it into our teaching. "
Profile
Passionate advocate of high-quality teaching and learning for all children, raising standards in phonics, reading and writing and other curriculum subjects in schools. Phonics expertise, working for several validated schemes and publishers.Improving leadership and teaching in schools. Expertise in delivering high quality training to a wide range of audiences. Comprehensive knowledge of teaching and developing literacy skills in all pupils from preschool to Year 8 . Author and trainer.
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