SNE Event

Marc Rowland

Adviser for improving outcomes for disadvantaged learners, Unity Schools Partnership

Marc is the adviser for improving outcomes for disadvantaged learners for the Unity Schools Partnership, a large cross-phase Trust based in the East of England.
Marc has worked / is working with numerous Local Authorities, Multi Academy Trusts, Research Schools, Teaching School Hubs, English hubs and groups of schools nationally on long term projects to support better outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. He has carried many area based programmes, from Cumbria to Cornwall focussed on the experiences of disadvantaged pupils in schools and classrooms nationally.

Marc is / has also been working with the Jersey government for six years on the introduction and
implementation of a ‘Jersey Pupil Premium’. This has led to a marked improvement in outcomes over time for disadvantaged pupils there.

Marc works with, and advises the Department for Education on addressing educational disadvantage in schools. He has worked with over 1000 individual schools to support them with their strategies to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Marc is the education adviser to the Driftwood Association, a Swiss charitable foundation running education and development projects in Nepal.

He was formerly director of the Research School at Rosendale Primary School in Lambeth, and the Deputy Director of the National Education Trust (now NET Academies Trust).

Marc’s most recent book ‘Addressing Educational Disadvantage’ was published in February 2021. The
second edition of his award-winning book, ‘An Updated Practical Guide to the Pupil Premium’, was published in December 2015 (John Catt Educational). His book ‘Learning without Labels’ was published by John Catt in March 2017.

Dr Vanessa Ogden CBE

Chief Executive Officer, Mulberry Schools Trust (MST)

Dr Vanessa Ogden is CEO of the Mulberry Schools Trust (MST), a family of 8 schools and a Teaching
School Hub in the East End of London. Vanessa is an NLE and has undertaken a range of successful
school turnaround work in urban and rural settings. She has built and opened three new schools,
including a University Technical College to champion technical learning.

Vanessa has a doctorate specialising in education policy and school improvement. She continues to
lead initiatives to address disadvantage. Vanessa is the Chair of the Fair Education Alliance and of the
Unicorn Theatre for children. She is on the panel for the National Curriculum and Assessment Review.

Vanessa featuresin the ‘Female Lead’. In 2015, she welcomed Michelle Obama to Mulberry School for
Girls and was invited to take students to the White House to visit the First Lady. Vanessa has
established a number of Mulberry Changemaker programmes, including Global Girl Leading, a global
platform for girls’ leadership and voice, and the Mulberry STEM Academy in partnership with
Mercedes Grand Prix. Vanessa was awarded a CBE in the King’s 2024 New Year Honours List.

David Didau

Author & Educational Consultant

David Didau is an educational consultant, author, and speaker known for his work in the field of teaching and learning. He is particularly recognised for his expertise in cognitive science and its application to education. Didau has written several influential books, including The Secret of Literacy and Making Kids Cleverer, which focus on improving literacy and critical thinking skills in students.

He regularly contributes to educational discussions through his blog and has delivered numerous workshops and seminars to educators around the world. His work emphasises the importance of evidence-based teaching strategies and the role of teacher expertise in fostering student development. David is committed to helping educators refine their practice to achieve better outcomes for all learners.

Jennifer Duncan

Deputy CEO and Executive Head Teacher, Discovery Special Academy and SEND, Tees Valley Education

Jennifer has 25 years+ experience in serving a range of mainstream and specialist educational establishments at a school, Local Authority, and system level, where she has been committed to championing inclusion, opportunity, and life chances for all.

Ed Southall

Maths Subject Lead, Oak National Academy

Dr Ed Southall is the maths subject lead for Oak National Academy, overseeing the design and development of nearly 2000 open license fully resourced maths lessons from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4. He has worked in education as a teacher trainer, senior leader, lead teacher, and head of department for over 20 years in both primary and secondary schools at home and abroad in the Middle East. Ed is the author of several mathematics books including the internationally published subject knowledge book “Yes, But Why? Teaching for Understanding in Mathematics

David Bailey FCCT

School Improvement Director, Education Village Academy Trust

David works part time as School Improvement Director for Education Village Academy Trust in Darlington. He is also Co-Director of Newham Learning, a large school-led Area Learning Partnership in London, serving 40 schools. He is also leading NPQ specialist and leadership programmes for a local trust. He is also a governor and former Chair of Management Committee (Chair of Governors) for two Pupil Referral Units in London.

Prior to his current roles, David had extensive teaching, middle and senior leadership experience in four 11-18 secondary schools before moving to senior positions within two multi-academy trusts. His responsibilities included leadership and teacher development, quality assurance, and supporting schools to improve pupil outcomes. He previously led Carmel Research School and several large regional and multi-regional DfE- and EEF-funded school improvement programmes.

David became a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching in 2022.

Martin Bailey

Director, Animate 2 Educate Ltd

Martin Bailey is an esteemed educator with 25 years experience in primary school teaching and leadership roles across the UK. Currently, Martin serves as a part-time teacher and Computer Subject Leader at Ellington Primary School in Northumberland and Birchwood Primary School in Tamworth. In these positions, he passionately delivers the Computing curriculum to students from Early Years Foundation Stage to Year 6 while spearheading digital enrichment activities and shaping the schools' digital strategies.

Beyond his classroom commitments, Martin is the driving force behind Animate 2 Educate Ltd, where he acts as a Primary Computing Advisor. Through this platform, he extends his expertise globally, conducting engaging workshops for students and comprehensive training sessions for staff on all aspects of Primary Computing and technology integration. Martin's academic journey includes lecturing roles at institutions such as Durham University and his current involvement at Sunderland University, where he educates PGCE and BA students on Primary Computing. Martin's influence transcends the classroom; he's a frequent presenter at international conferences like BETT and the SEND Show.

He's also a regular contributor to educational publications and has served as a judge for prestigious awards like BETT and ERA (Education Resource Awards). Notably, he has held advisory positions for both BETT and NAACE (National Association of Advisors for Computers in Education), demonstrating his commitment to shaping the educational landscape.

Claire Brown

Senior Director of Performance and Standards, Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust

Claire Brown is the Senior Director of Performance and Standards and leads the education team at Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which comprises 47 primary and secondary schools across four local authority areas.  Claire has significant senior leadership experience in both primary and secondary schools, including in headships in schools in challenging contexts. She has held senior roles in school improvement across several local authority areas. Her experience in education spans thirty years. Claire was previously a Senior His Majesty's Inspector, holding a number of national and regional roles within Ofsted as a specialist adviser, including the development of policy and training related to MAT summary evaluations.

Martine Murphy

Director, Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust’s Centre for Teaching, Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust

Martine Murphy is Director of the Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust’s Centre for Teaching and has oversight of the development of teaching and training in the Trust, working with both primary and secondary schools. Martine has extensive senior leadership experience, including substantial work with initial teacher education and the delivery and oversight of early career teaching programmes and national professional qualifications. Martine also leads the Trust’s Bell Foundation Centre of Expertise which supports schools with meeting the needs of pupils with EAL.

Emily Pringle

School Improvement Adviser, Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust

Emily Pringle is a school improvement adviser at Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust with responsibilities including maths, science and primary assessment. Emily has substantial teaching and leadership experience and a track record of securing exceptional outcomes in the primary phase. She is a Primary Maths Mastery Specialist and an accredited Professional Development Leader with the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. Emily has extensive experience of supporting schools across different local authority areas to improve their curriculum and outcomes in maths.

Imelda Milner

School Improvement Adviser, Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust

Imelda Milner is a school improvement adviser at Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust with responsibility for English and Humanities. She has extensive teaching and senior leadership experience in the primary phase. She has also undertaken advisory roles within a local authority, providing support and challenge to schools. Imelda trained in reading with the UCL Institute of Education and has a rich insight and understanding of early literacy acquisition. Imelda has undertaken extensive research into high quality curriculum and teaching and has substantial experience of putting this into practice in schools.

John Bee

School Improvement Adviser, Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust

John Bee is a school improvement adviser at Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust with responsibilities including maths and personal development. He has extensive senior leadership and teaching experience. John is a facilitator on the National Professional Qualification in Leading Primary Mathematics and is an accredited Professional Development Leader with the National Centre of Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. John has specialist experience in coaching, mentoring and leadership development. He is also an author, with books published on mathematics education.

Jo Kendrick

Deputy Head Teacher, Emily Wilding Davis School

Jo Kendrick is a Deputy Head teacher at EWD School in Northumberland. Jo has over 20 years experience working in schools across the North East; having worked in Mainstream & SLD Specific Primary settings and most recently having moved to Secondary SEMH. Throughout all of these settings her passion and motivation has always been rooted in curriculum development.; ensuring well planned, engaging and bespoke pathways of learning for students who learn in none traditional ways.

Mick Hutchinson

Head Teacher, Emily Wilding Davis School

Dr Mick Hutchison is the headteacher at EWD school in Northumberland. Mick joined the school as a PE teacher in 2012 and has progressively moved up through the leadership structure becoming the headteacher in November 2022. Mick took over the school at an incredibly difficult time - the school had recently moved to a new site, the move had not gone well and we were placed in special measures.

Following 18 months of amazing work from an incredible team they turned the school around and were graded good in all areas in the Summer of 2024. Mick's specialist area is motivation in education (quite apt!) and he is particularly interested in people's personal stories and how they shape our world view.

Karl McGrath

Year 6 Teacher and Task Design & Curriculum Implementation Lead, Benton Park Primary School

Karl is a passionate Year 6 teacher with 10 years of experience in education. His diverse background includes roles as a family & pastoral support worker at Hotspur Primary and Computing lead at West Jesmond Primary. He has facilitated courses and curriculum development on behalf of the National Centre for Computing Education as well as presenting nationally at the Computing at Schools conference. Now the Task Design and Curriculum Implementation lead at Benton Park Primary. Karl’s love for technology and belief in the impact of graphic organisers and encouraging deeper thinking drives him to create dynamic and engaging learning experiences for his students which he relishes in sharing widely.

Dominic Martin

Headteacher, Benton Park Primary School

Dominic is currently Headteacher at Benton Park Primary School, Newcastle upon Tyne, having taken up the post in September 2019. Prior to that, he was Head of School at West Jesmond Primary and a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) in curriculum design. Dominic has always had a keen interest in curriculum design and implementation; playing a pivotal role in shaping curricula in a number of very successful primary schools across Newcastle. He has supported colleagues as a Curriculum SLE to progress their own curriculum ideas; contributed to the writing of recent NPQ content; as well as speaking at various events across the North East. Most recently, since his appointment at Benton Park Primary, Dominic has reshaped a leadership team to rewrite and implement a new curriculum, despite the challenges of the pandemic. Alongside his responsibilities as Headteacher, Dominic leads Benton Park's RE curriculum; regularly teaching both Year 6 classes - a highlight of his week!