Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Consultancy, Keynotes and Writing
Specialism:
Cross-phase English
Region available:
International, Midlands, National, North, Northern Ireland, Scotland, South, UK and Wales
Social media:
@BobCox_SFE
Website:
www.searchingforexcellence.co.uk
Testimonials
"See lots on the website"
Profile
Writer of the ‘Opening Doors’ series and national/international presenter on approaches to a richer and more challenging English curriculum
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Consultancy, Training and Writing
Specialism:
Assessment, Curriculum Design and Writing
Profile
23 years in comprehensive schools, 15 in university and 40 years in GCSE Assessment
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Advisory work for government bodies/organisations, Assessment, Consultancy, Teaching/working with pupils, Training and Writing
Specialism:
Curriculum Design, Oracy, Phonics, Reading and Writing
Region available:
International and National
Social media:
x - @susie_spolander
Website:
www.primarysupportteam.co.uk
Testimonials
"Over the past few years, Susie has been an integral part of the development of our English curriculum. She has supported the leadership team with planning, implementation and monitoring, ensuring results that exceed national standards across all areas. In addition, Susie has tailored training sessions for both the entire staff and individual teachers, strengthening their practices and fostering a culture of continuous improvement."
"I just wanted to say thank you for all your help with writing. Our results this year built on the great training that you gave us: 83% of our pupils hit the expected level in writing with 20% working at a greater depth! To say we were pleased would be an understatement and we thought you might like to know the impact that you were a part of."
"I have worked with Susie over many years. When I needed some staff training on key priorities, I asked Susie to support. Her knowledge of current developments were particularly useful, both supporting staff and challenging their thinking. The focus on grammar and whole class guided reading has certainly supported the staff in improving attainment for children. Our KS2 results clearly show the impact of the support."
"Susie is clear, has great subject knowledge and speaks with passion and enthusiasm. The project gave practical ideas that can be implemented straight away."
"I have tried your method for writing for the first time over the last couple of weeks and I am overwhelmed by how well it has turned out. I am excited about feeding back to school and sharing the experience so that they can also move forward. I just wanted to say a massive thank you for your guidance and support."
Profile
With over 25 years in education, Susie is an experienced teacher, leader and English consultant, working with schools and organisations both nationally and internationally. Drawing on her comprehensive understanding of curriculum, assessment, and effective teaching methodologies, she guides school leaders, teachers support staff and governors in developing their strategy and practice to improve pupil outcomes. Having served in a variety of educational roles, including as a Local Authority School Improvement Consultant for both Oxfordshire and West Berkshire, Susie specialises in designing and delivering tailored training programmes and projects to address educational priorities, working with individual schools, academies, trusts and partnerships, as well as collaborating with institutions such as Oxford University Press, Hachette Education, BlueSky Learning and Edge Hill University. Susie is passionate about inspiring teachers and engaging learners. Her face-to-face and online training is of high quality: rooted in the curriculum and providing evidence-based practice coupled with creative teaching and learning approaches. She believes in a bespoke approach to school support, working alongside school leaders, class teachers and support staff to develop practice through a range of leadership and classroom-based strategies, always precisely tailored to the identified needs of the school.
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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:
Assessment, Consultancy and Training
Specialism:
Primary, Reading and Writing
Region available:
North
Social media:
@lancsliteracy (Twitter) @lancslpds (Facebook) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC55zSaI6p5ZhJxL--Q00IjA (Youtube channel)
Website:
http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/english/index.php
Testimonials
"'Nicola and her team are inspirational - the support and expertise in the team is incredible! I am grateful for having the exceptional support in Lancashire and hope others across the country can access it via websites, publications and online training'. A Lancashire Headteacher"
Profile
Nicola has worked in Lancashire since 1997 as a primary teacher, Senior Manager and Consultant. She joined the Literacy team in May 2004 after several years as a Leading Literacy teacher and Subject Leader, and has been involved in co-developing and presenting the very popular boys' writing projects in KS2 within Lancashire and beyond.Nicola has a particular interest in the use of film to develop literacy and has gained Lead Practitioner status with the British Film Institute. In addition, she regularly consults on projects with the BBC.In 2009, Nicola was awarded NPQH and in 2010 became an accredited Local Consultant for Improvement in Stronger Management Systems and Support for Writing. In 2012, Nicola was appointed by DFE for leading phonics in Lancashire with an outstanding accreditation. She also specialises in reading development, improving writing, boys' writing and is the Lancashire Lead Moderator for KS1 and KS2.She currently leads a team of eleven Primary English and Literacy Consultants, as part of Lancashire Professional Development Service, with expertise from Nursery to Y6 in all aspects of English. Nicola has a valued reputation for working wtih an extensive range of schools across Lancashire, and beyond, in raising standards via in-school support and high-quality CPD training courses.Nicola was appointed to the Senior Consultant role in October 2017.
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Assessment, Consultancy, Initial Teacher Education, Research, Training and Writing
Specialism:
Assessment, Early Years, Higher Education, Initial Teacher Education, Oracy, Phonics, Primary, Reading, Secondary, Secondary Literacy and Transition
Region available:
International, Midlands, North, Northern Ireland, Online, Scotland and Wales
Social media:
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claire-mckie-1b28391a5 https://www.facebook.com/mckiemastery?__tn__=-]C
Website:
www.powerphonicsbooks.com
Testimonials
"Exceptional progress in terms of pupil achievement and engagement"
"Claire McKie's Power Teaching methods could revolutionise the way we teach. Since adopting itwe have seen a consistent level of very high results well above thenational average. The benefits have been high achievement (consistentlyTop 2% in England phonics and KS2 SAT results); great work-life balancefor teachers and spare money (we don't need any additional support).Children have become independent learners and that is the key to PowerTeaching success "
Profile
Former teacher and senior leader in primary, secondary and special provision schools in the North East, with a particular track record in significantly reducing and eliminating the attainment gap in schools operating in high deprivation socio-economic contexts.Founder and Author of DfE England and DoE Western Australia Approved McKie Mastery Power Phonics. Implementing Adaptive Power Teaching in schools nationally, Claire has worked alongside leaders and staff to radically change whole school approaches to pedagogy across the curriculum as well as implementing an Adaptive Power Teaching Infrastructure in English and in Maths. Research published in 2023 found "Exceptional progress across all schools" (Nobari et al 2023). Created a in high deprivation and high SEND classrooms in the North East, the Adaptive Power Toolkits were designed to scaffold learning, behaviour, engagement, oracy reading, writing, spelling and maths mastery for ALL pupils including those who struggle most.SEND Training Partner at SEND Station, Claire delivers online training to teachers and leaders nationally and internationally on Adaptive Teaching Tools designed to best support ALL pupils.Whole School Improvement Partner, Claire has worked nationally with Multi Academy Trusts, mainstream primary, secondary and special provision schools to implement innovative Adaptive Teaching based pedagogy, infrastructure and processes across the curriculum as well as subject-specific changes in English and Maths teaching and learning
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Training and Writing
Specialism:
Secondary
Contact the Adviser
Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Assessment, Assessment, Consultancy, Research, Training and Writing
Specialism:
Oracy and Primary
Region available:
Midlands
Social media:
@rebeccakennedy39
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Personal Information
Type of work offered:
Assessment, Training and Writing
Specialism:
Assessment, Curriculum Design, Further Education and Oracy
Profile
Experienced advisor for UK qualifications in English, including Entry Level, GCSE, A-Level and enrichment. Teacher of English in post-16 settings for over 20 years; A-Level examiner and coursework moderator; curriculum leadership.
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