Research School Network: Evidence Advocates

Lucy Lycett is the Maths Hub Lead for East Midlands West Maths Hub, where she works strategically with schools, trusts and system leaders to improve mathematics education across the region. She leads the development and delivery of a wide range of professional learning opportunities, supporting teachers and leaders at all phases to implement evidence-informed approaches that improve teaching, learning and pupil outcomes in mathematics.

Through her work with the Maths Hub Programme, Lucy collaborates with schools to develop sustainable improvement through Teaching for Mastery, subject leadership development and specialist professional development programmes. She is passionate about ensuring that all pupils have access to high-quality mathematics teaching and works closely with educators to build professional expertise, strengthen curriculum design and promote equitable outcomes.

Lucy is an experienced education leader with a strong commitment to school improvement, professional learning and collaborative system leadership. Her work is characterised by a focus on evidence-informed practice, strategic development and building capacity within schools to deliver lasting improvements in mathematics education.

Jules Gordon is currently Vice Principal at George Spencer Academy, Senior Leadership Link for East Midlands West Maths Hub, and Chair of the Strategic Board for George Spencer SCITT. She has extensive experience supporting schools, organisations and leadership teams with school improvement, including the development of self-evaluation and strategic improvement plans.

Jules leads and facilitates a range of professional development programmes and is responsible for delivering elements of the George Spencer SCITT programme, including assessment and responsive teaching. Prior to her current roles, she worked as a Teaching, Learning and Assessment Consultant for a local authority, where she led regional networks for Early Career Teachers, Primary and Secondary Science teachers, and facilitated professional learning events and TeachMeets.

Alongside her leadership responsibilities, Jules works closely with school leaders to support quality assurance, strengthening teaching, learning and student outcomes through evidence-informed approaches. She is an experienced education leader and quality assurance specialist with expertise in evaluating teaching, leadership, curriculum development and school improvement. Passionate about supporting schools to achieve excellence, Jules combines strategic leadership with a strong commitment to professional development, robust self-evaluation and sustainable school improvement.

Katy is the Assistant Principal at Fairfield Primary Academy with responsibility for exemplifying excellence in teaching, learning and assessment, implementation and impact of the curriculum, supporting/​coaching curriculum teams, leading the phonics team and promoting health and wellbeing.
Katy is passionate about promoting achievement through high quality teaching of Phonics and Early Reading. She has developed a school-wide phonics program to promote progress in reading for all children. When making changes she has utilised research to ensure that any changes made are proven to be effective.
In her role as Assistant Principal, Katy has developed curriculum leaders to ensure that a board and balanced curriculum is promoted at the school. She uses coaching strategies to develop curriculum leaders and ensure that the knowledge engaged curriculum at Fairfield is having an impact on pupil progress.

Tom Furber is an Assistant Principal at George Spencer Academy with responsibility for teaching and learning, whole-school CPD, adaptive teaching and literacy which encompasses reading, writing and oracy. Tom has a passion for evidence-informed teaching and equipping staff with the knowledge and skills to be able translate educational research into the classroom with practical, effective strategies. Tom has delivered courses on assessment and feedback for the George Spence SCITT as well as working with other schools to develop effective whole school and disciplinary approaches to explicit vocabulary instruction, reading for comprehension and reading intervention

Retired headteacher – areas of expertise school improvement and is a visiting fellow for Spencer Teaching School Hub NPQs

With over 30 years of experience in education, including 20 years in leadership positions, I have consistently focused on staff development to enable them to maximise their potential, thereby enhancing children’s educational outcomes.

My career has been varied, starting from leading mathematics across the school, a TLR role, followed by appointments as Acting Deputy Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, Co-Headteacher in 2009, and ultimately substantive Headteacher from September 2013. Additionally, I have gained valuable leadership experience through two interim Headteacher roles, supporting schools during difficult periods, stabilising situations, and driving school improvement.

My diverse expertise encompasses serving as a Local Leader of Education (LLE), undertaking roles as an NCTL Pupil Premium reviewer, and acting as an Evidence Leader in Education (ELE) for Derby Research School.

Now retired, I facilitate both the NPSQL and NPQH programmes, support Early Career Framework (ECF) delivery, assess Early Career Teachers (ECT) on behalf of the Appropriate Body, and serve as an NPQ assessor, alongside working as a coach.

As a Level 5 coach with a qualification from the Institute of Leadership, I also offer one-to-one leadership coaching sessions for Headteachers and those in senior leadership. I empower clients to develop strategies to cope and prosper.

Cara worked as a primary teacher in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire for fifteen years, with a particular passion for supporting colleagues with their pedagogical skills and knowledge. Cara believes whole-heartedly in sharing evidence-informed best practice and used this to implement professional development systems.

Supporting and working with those new to their career in education has become a passion for Cara. She has been involved in delivery of CPD for Early Career Teachers across the East Midlands and supports their induction entitlements. She works with trainee teachers as Deputy Director of GSA SCITT and with Teaching Assistants as programme leader on the Level 3 TA Apprenticeship. Cara believes that investment in TAs is essential and is proud to have created and implemented the apprenticeship curriculum.

Job title: Senior Vice Principal (Deputy Head)

Areas of expertise: Primary Literacy, Behaviour, Outdoor Learning

Tracey began teaching in 1994, teaching in inner city Leicester as an NQT and then spent 20 years in Nottingham City at Crabtree Farm Primary School (formerly Bonington Junior School). Tracey’s passion for English – particularly writing – really flourished when she became English Lead at Crabtree Farm and her passion was shared with anyone who would listen. Tracey taught across KS2, but found herself predominantly in Year 6. Nottingham City had a focus on developing English and Tracey became a Leading Literacy teacher, supporting teachers in other schools and modelling lessons and facilitating discussions around what high-quality teaching and learning entailed, particularly in English. Tracey became an SLE in the first cohort and, as part of this, led an ​‘Improving Reading’ project across seven primary schools in the Bulwell EAZ (Education Action Zone), with her own school included. Tracey’s second year as an SLE involved co-leading a transition project between the primary and secondary schools in the EAZ, including modelling a lesson with her Year 6 class at Colwick Racecourse. Tracey was also a lead teacher for the ​‘Every Child a Writer’ project in Nottingham City, which involved working with staff in two schools to develop the writing process and improve attainment and achievement. During her time at Crabtree Farm, Tracey’s in-school roles included Year 5/6 Phase Lead and two periods of acting deputy head. Tracey is currently Senior Vice Principal at Chetwynd, having started at the school in September 2014 as Assistant Head, Year 5/6 teacher and English Lead, becoming Senior Vice Principal (Deputy Head) in 2017. Roles at Tracey’s current school include Writing and Oracy Lead, Behaviour Lead and Teaching and Learning Lead. Tracey is also incredibly passionate about Learning Beyond the Classroom, leading Forest School sessions and building in opportunities for ​‘outdoor learning’ and ​‘learning outdoors’ into the curriculum. Tracey has been non-class based since September 2019, but still teaches across the school, including regular cover in EYFS, Year 5 and Year 6. Although Tracey has spent the majority of her teaching career teaching Year 6, she has taught across EYFS, KS1 and KS2 and has enjoyed the challenges and joy that each of them present. As part of the Spencer Academies Trust, Tracey has facilitated Year 6 Networks and Primary English Networks (latterly for Derby Research School). This has involved building strong working relationships with other subject leads and sharing good practice. Tracey’s drive to ​‘pay it forward’ and share the passion that she still has for the role – 31 years in – led to facilitating on the SCITT course run through the George Spencer SCITT programme. Sessions currently include grammar (subject knowledge), creative grammar (how to embed and deliberately practise knowledge), spelling and vocabulary, writing across the curriculum and writing moderation. Through the Spencer Teaching School Hub, Tracey facilitates the NPQLL, and has thoroughly enjoyed not only sharing her passion for the subject, but learning from others as they share theirs. As an ELE through Derby Research School, Tracey is currently a Priority Literacy Lead, working with three schools in Derby/​Nottingham City to support improvement in writing. Tracey’s great passion is writing and developing a love of writing in everyone. Through attendance on Greater Depth writing courses and research, Tracey has recently introduced ​‘Random Writes’, giving children (and staff) an opportunity to develop writing for pleasure. This has been incredibly successful, and the school looks forward to developing this further.

Job Title: Principal
Areas of Expertise: Primary Leadership, Implementation and Change Management

Lorraine is Principal at Chetwynd Primary Academy, the Lead School for the Spencer Teaching Hub. She has led the team at Chetwynd Primary Academy for just over seven years and remains committed to providing all children with the best possible experiences, ensuring that they achieve their full potential – both academically and holistically. She is passionate about excellence in teaching and learning, working with many schools in the East Midlands to spread knowledge and evidence-based practice. This includes working with the Maths Hub after becoming one of the first schools to roll out the Mastery approach.Her passion for research resulted in Chetwynd changing their curriculum in 2015 to a knowledge-based curriculum, designed to maximise opportunities for children to revisit learning and remember more.She was incredibly proud to lead the first primary school in the county to earn an Outstanding grading under the new Ofsted framework in 2019, knowing that her investment in teaching and leadership development lies at the heart of outstanding teaching and learning.

Shelley is currently Deputy Headteacher at an all through school in Derby where she leads on Teaching and Learning and CPD, having previously held senior roles across both primary and secondary schools in the West Midlands and Staffordshire.

Whilst Shelley enjoys her leadership responsibilities and the opportunities it gives her to work with colleagues, in particular those early in their career, she is still happiest in her classroom teaching physics and implementing the evidence led practice that she supports her colleagues to embed across their classrooms.
With an interest in literacy and the role that it plays in removing barriers to learning for pupils, Shelley also works as a Bell Foundation Licenced Practitioner, supporting schools to evaluate and develop their school policy around teaching for pupils who have English as an additional language.

Shelley has delivered several NPQs for Ambition Institute over the last 6 years and loves the interaction it provides with colleagues from a range of settings and also the opportunities it provides for her to continue to learn.

Job Title: Director of Research and Development

Areas of Expertise: SEND, AP, Inclusive Pedagogy and Curriculum Adaptation, Behaviour, Communication, Leadership

Jolene is the Director of Research and Development at Esteem Multi Academy Trust, a SEND and Alternative Provision MAT spanning 14 schools across the Midlands. Her work centres on designing and delivering a high-quality professional learning offer for both internal colleagues and external partners, with a sharp focus on inclusion, leadership, and evidence-informed practice.

With specialist expertise in inclusive pedagogy, curriculum adaptation, SEND, communication, and behaviour, Jolene has held a range of leadership roles in both specialist and alternative provision settings. Her practice is grounded in a trauma-informed, emotionally literate approach to behaviour, underpinned by research and focused on enabling co- and self-regulation.

Jolene plays a supportive role beyond her Trust, working in partnership with the University of Derby, Nottingham Trent University and other MATs to share best practice in SEND. She facilitates Early Career Framework learning, supports ITT development, and is a network lead for the BERA Teacher Network. She regularly delivers professional learning communities, including ECT and UQT development, English and leadership training.

An advocate for the intelligent use of evidence, Jolene embeds the EEF’s guidance – particularly the implementation cycle – across a range of contexts, adapting it meaningfully for SEND and AP settings. She is passionate about ensuring every learner – particularly those with SEND or at risk of exclusion – receives the opportunity to thrive.

Job Title: Early Years Teacher

Nichola is an experienced early years leader and Early Years Evidence Advocate for the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), championing evidence-informed practice across the sector. Alongside this role, she leads the two-year-old provision at Stonehill Nursery School in Derby.

Nichola has held early years leadership positions in both nursery and primary school settings, including Early Years Lead roles at Fairfield Spencer Academy and Ashwood Spencer Academy, where her interest in using research evidence to drive high-quality practice first developed. Previously, she worked for eight years in a large inner-city primary school in Derby as SENCO and Lead Teacher within the Enhanced Resource Unit, supporting a highly diverse community with significant numbers of children learning English as an additional language.

With expertise in curriculum leadership, inclusive practice, and supporting children with SEND and EAL, Nichola is passionate about translating research into practical strategies that improve outcomes for young children. She is committed to ensuring every child has access to high-quality early education and enjoys bringing professionals together to learn from one another and strengthen evidence-informed practice across the early years sector.

Job Title: Year 3/4 phase lead and year 3 teacher at Wyndham Spencer Academy

Katie Tildesley is a current year 3 and 4 phase lead and year 3 teacher at Wyndham Spencer Academy, part of Spencer Academies Trust. She is an SLE for Art and leads Art at Wyndham. She was previously a Curriculum Director where she worked alongside other subject leads to develop a knowledge rich curriculum across Wyndham through lesson monitoring, feedback and CPD.

She is passionate about metacognitive approaches and worked alongside leaders to develop the use of graphic organisers across school to support the chunking of information and generation of ideas within lessons.

Katie Brentnall is the Early Years Lead at Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School, where she also teaches in Reception. Having worked across both Nursery and Reception, she has developed a strong understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and is passionate about giving every child the best possible start to their education.

Alongside her role in school, Katie serves as a governor at another Derby City school, broadening her perspective on school improvement and educational leadership.

She has a particular interest in evidence-informed practice and current educational research, especially in how research can be translated into meaningful, practical approaches that improve outcomes for young children.

Katie is committed to using research to inform her teaching, leadership, and professional development. She enjoys supporting colleagues to reflect on and strengthen their practice through evidence-based approaches, fostering a culture of continuous improvement within the Early Years sector.

Kate Green began her career at Fairfield Spencer Academy in 2003 and exemplifies the nurturing, professionally enriching ethos that defines Spencer Academies Trust. From NQT to Interim CEO, Kate is a highly driven and passionate leader who believes every child should have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their starting point. This commitment reflects Spencer’s mission: ​“To deliver the best possible outcomes for children and young people” – a principle that drives Kate every day. As a proven executive system leader, Kate has an exceptional track record in school improvement at subject, school, and trust level. In her role as Director of Primary Education, she fostered a culture of collaboration that has delivered sustained improvement and collective results which are above national averages. Under her leadership, Spencer primaries have thrived in an environment where school improvement is seen as an energising force, and her impact is evident in the quality of inclusive education delivered by highly effective teams. Kate’s contribution as part of the executive team has been instrumental in embedding equity and excellence as core pillars of the Trust’s work. Her strategic insight and deep understanding of Spencer’s strengths position her strongly to lead during this interim period. She is committed to bringing the #OneSpencer plan, which was launched in September, fully to life. Kate views this opportunity as a privilege and will steer Spencer Academies Trust into its next chapter with Aspiration, Partnership, and Responsibility at the heart of everything we do.

Prior to joining the trust, Aoife was an HMI (Schools) in the East Midlands and she continues to lead inspections in the region. She was formerly deputy headteacher in a comprehensive secondary school. She has held a range of senior leadership responsibilities including pastoral, DSL, teaching and learning, special educational needs and/​or disabilities (SEND), pupil premium and literacy. Her subject specialism is languages.

Vanessa has taught and led mathematics departments for over 20 years in various roles including head of faculty and latterly as the Trust Mathematics Lead for the Spencer Academes Trust and has promoted teaching reasoning and problem solving in the mathematics classroom in all of these roles. As a LLME and SLE, she has led PD for both maths specific and wider training events. She is interested in work tackling the disadvantage gap in attainment in mathematics and widening access to mathematics study post 16 and beyond.