Research School Network: Evidence Leaders in Educations (ELEs)

Job title: Deputy National Director of Special for the Shaw Education Trust
Areas of expertise: SEND, Behaviour

Ian Armstrong, a trailblazing educator with an unwavering commitment to inclusive learning, serves as the Executive Headteacher for the Shaw Education Trust. Ian’s journey in education is a testament to his dedication to empowering every learner, regardless of their challenges or barriers.

Starting his career as a mainstream PE teacher, Ian quickly discovered his passion for working with students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). His journey led him to play pivotal roles in pioneering alternative provisions tailored to support students with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. Ian’s expertise and dedication saw these provisions evolve into independent schools, providing crucial support and opportunities for some of the most vulnerable learners.

Ian’s journey in education continued to flourish as he took on senior leadership positions in independent schools specialising in SEMH education. His tenure included serving as acting Headteacher, where his innovative approaches and compassionate leadership left an indelible mark on the school community.

Most recently, Ian served as the Headteacher at Ivy House School, a specialist provision catering to students with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) and Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD). Under his guidance, Ivy House School achieved the prestigious rating of Outstanding by Ofsted in January 2024, a testament to Ian’s unwavering commitment to excellence and inclusivity.

Ian’s passion for education extends beyond the classroom. He is deeply invested in cognitive science and its application to support the most complex learners, constantly seeking innovative strategies to enhance their learning experiences. Furthermore, Ian is an advocate for research-driven practices, believing in the power of school-based practitioner enquiry to translate research findings into meaningful interventions tailored to specific school contexts.

As the Executive Headteacher for the Shaw Education Trust, Ian Armstrong continues to inspire and lead with compassion, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to ensuring every learner has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.

Job title: Vice Principal
Areas of expertise: Primary curriculum design, Teaching and learning, Computing, Use of technology

In 2011 Verity started at Wyndham Spencer Academy where she worked as part of the leadership team to move the school from OFSTED’s requires improvement to outstanding. The journey lasted for 3 years. Verity’s journey at Wyndham initially started in EYFS but then moved into Year 2 and then finally Year 6. In 2013, Verity started her journey with Apple and presented events around the UK. She also became the phase leader for Key Stage 1. In 2014, Verity became a specialist leader of education for the Spencer Academies trust. This gave her the opportunity to begin to lead networks for Computing within the Spencer teaching school alliance. In 2014, Verity was promoted to assistant principal. In 2015, she moved to Sunnyside Spencer Academy, as a Vice Principal and Year 6 teacher. In 2017, Verity completed the NPQSL and also became a writing moderator for Nottinghamshire County Council. She began presenting on the SCITT and NQT programmes around writing, reading and computing. In 2019 Verity became an ELE for the Derby Research School.

Since 2019, Verity has presented for Apple at BETT in London, presented for Reading Plus at a number of events, completed her training in the Manchester Sync store to be an Apple Learning Leader. Next Verity would like to be part of the Spencer Computing team and support schools in developing their computing curriculum and use of technology to support teaching and learning. Verity would like to continue to support the growing computing network for the trust. She would also like Sunnyside to become an Apple School and to support schools in the local area.

Job title: Deputy Director of Institute
Areas of expertise: Primary Literacy, Secondary Literacy, Leadership, Coaching, Effective PD, Teacher Education

atie Pattinson is the Deputy Director of the Institute at Academy Transformation Trust. Prior to this role, Katie had significant experience of middle and senior leadership roles in a range of schools across Staffordshire and Derbyshire as well as holding Trust wide Subject leadership, Educational Research and School improvement roles. Katie’s main passions within education have always been in developing leaders and improving teacher education and professional development – which has led her to her current role at ATT. Katie believe that everyone can continue to develop, irrespective of their current roles and really enjoys challenging herself to learn more. Most recently, Katie has completed her Teacher Education Fellowship, a NPQLTD and a Masters by Educational Research, where she focused upon the role of Deliberate Practice within effective Teacher education. As part of Katie’s role at ATTI she is a leadership coach and leads the Early Career Teacher programme and their Initial Teacher Training programme – supporting new entrants to the incredible profession is one of the best parts of Katie’s job! Katie loves working with a whole range of practitioners and leaders across her organisation and beyond – the organisation is currently lucky enough to work with over 70 schools, which means Katie gets to work with and learn from lots of experts in their field. Katie’s role as Evidence Lead in Education for Derby Research School means she is able to champion the role of evidence and research within the organisations everyday practice and to support the teachers and leaders she works with to continuously improve their practice. Across the organisation there is the introduction of Instructional Coaching – another real passion of Katie’s. Katie is looking forward to supporting leaders in embedding this into their everyday practice and to expand the offer to support Visiting Fellows, ECT and ITT Mentors further. Katie can’t wait for the day when that it can be said that everyone in the organisation has the time and opportunity to be coached; Katie think it’s such a transformative tool where professional development is concerned.

Job title: SEND Cluster Lead
Areas of expertise: SEND, Mental health

Dylan Murphy is the SEND Cluster Lead at Rise Multi Academy Trust. Dylan has been a SENDCO and Inclusion Lead in Nottingham for over 5 years and has achieved the National Award for SENCO. Through these roles, Dylan has developed systems to support children with SEND and Pupil premium, some of which have been utilised across a number of schools.

Currently, Dylan works closely with a number of SENDCos and Headteachers to improve the outcomes of pupils with SEND. Dylan has experience working across the Primary phase having taught in EYFS, Key stage 1 and Key stage 2. Dylan has an SLE in SEND and is SEND reviewer trained, enabling him to complete SEND reviews and pose purposeful actions for schools. Dylan has also been part of funding panels to allocate resources for children with SEND across a local authority.

Dylan is passionate about children with SEND making good progress, both academically and holistically, and is driven to support and work together with other practitioners to remove barriers to learning. Dylan has worked with a variety of SEND needs having experience in primary and specialist provision settings.

Dylan has worked with children with behavioural difficulties and has experience in supporting children through the use of de-escalation strategies, pre-emotive strategies and providing the child support in self-regulation. Dylan has a particular interest in making learning accessible for all children through the use of reasonable and smart adaptations. Dylan is looking forward to developing SEND provision that is aligned to a schools need across multiple settings.

Job title: SMT English Leader & Trust Reading Champion
Areas of expertise: Primary Literacy, Vocabulary & oracy, Teaching & Learning

In order to help children succeed, children need to feel safe and, in a culture which enables them to flourish, which is why Sarah is so passionate about helping level the playing field and supporting schools to achieve their best for the children.

Having taught across all phases, either with her own classes, or through my coaching and mentoring, Sarah has a solid grasp of the curriculum and expectations across the whole of primary; Sarah has led KS1, LKS2, Year 4 and Year 5 in her career. Sarah has conducted performance management of HLTAs and TAs, as well as being the induction mentor for NQTs. Sarah has also worked with UQTS, NQTs and RQTS, both as a mentor, partner teacher and as a year lead, and have been a coach to other experienced staff members who need improving in teaching and learning as well as developing staff through her English leadership role. Sarah loves developing others and helping them to grow and become empowered. Sarah believes to being an effective leader is about helping others to flourish. This is why Sarah now loves working with the Research School and as a trust champion. Alongside these roles, Sarah is passionate to support the sector through speaking at conferences and writing case studies for books.

When Sarah started out as an NQT, she had a difficult start and over the years has experienced feeling vulnerable as both a teacher and leader. It is these experiences which have fuelled Sarah to support practitioners and empower, alongside the natural desire to improve learning and life chances for children, who deserve to be in schools striving for their best. As a leader,Sarah has had great success in schools to rapidly improve phonics and reading especially, as well as whole school vocabulary approaches, but, has also implemented increased performance and success in writing. Being a School Shakespeare director has also given Sarah the opportunity to develop several groups of children to shine both with Shakespeare and the wonder of performance.

The next step for Sarah is to look for opportunities and roles where her impact can continue to grow, be that that through wider system leadership or senior leadership opportunities. Sarah wants to continue to grow her expertise in leadership and teaching and learning in order to support effective school improvement.

Job title: Art Lead/​Learning and Development Lead
Areas of expertise: Professional development, whole-school curriculum design

Beth has over twenty years’ experience working in education: in mainstream and SEMH special school settings, in both class-based and intervention-based support roles across Key stages 2 – 4; teaching GCSE art; whole-school curriculum development and Trust leadership of professional development.

Following completion of a Masters in Education in 2012, she established and developed the role of Westbury Academy Research Lead, supporting research engagement and offering critical friendship, coaching and promotion of routes for professional learning for staff at all levels. In this role, she led the school in a trial of Lesson Study as part of a research project, Closing the Gap: Test and Learn with the National College for Teaching and Leadership and CUREE, and was a member of the Transform TSA Evidence Based Practice Hub.

Beth holds a curriculum design and research TLR responsibility, leading on embedding research into curriculum development, refining assessment pathways, and ensuring Westbury’s teaching and learning principles remain evidence-informed and aligned to current guidance. The role also supports subject leaders through collaborative QA and professional development approaches.

She has served as the Raleigh Education Trust Learning and Development Lead since 2018, working closely with colleagues to shape the Trust’s central professional development offer. This has included working with external providers as well as designing and embedding a range of internal programmes. A Teacher Development Trust Associate in CPD Leadership and a qualified OLEVI coach and facilitator, she brings expertise in auditing practice, supporting collaborative improvement networks, and coordinating large-scale events, including the Trust’s annual conference and festival of learning. The Trust is currently working with Nottingham Contemporary and Freelands Foundation on a two-year, whole-trust research project to evaluate how teachers and artists can work together and learn from each other’s practice.

Beth has worked closely with several organisations to promote evidence engagement and professional development, including Derby Research School as Innovation Hub Lead, leading the Evidence Champions programme and Knitting Network from 2019 – 21, and as and ELE since 2020. She was a member of the ​‘What Matters’ steering group, aimed at promoting collaboration between schools and the University of Nottingham, and was a member of the Chartered College of Teaching Associate Advisory Group. Beth has written

and presented on the theme of journal clubs and professional development, both nationally and internationally, for organisations including researchED, the Teacher Development Trust, the Chartered College of Teaching, and for individual school conferences. During COVID lockdowns, she helped found the Teacher Development Trust CPDConnectUp series of webinars, and she is a member of the Trust-Wide CPD Leaders Forum.

Job title: Director of MFL
Areas of expertise: MFL, EAL, Technology for Teaching and Learning Behaviour

Natalie began teaching in 2000 and has been a middle leader since 2001. Straight after her NQT year Natalie became an Assistant Head of Year and became Head of Year the year after that at Merrill College. Natalie became Subject Manager for Spanish at The Trinity Catholic School (TTCS) in Nottingham in 2011. In 2015 Natalie became an Apple Distinguished Educator, joining a select group of educators from around the world. As part of this role, she led the student Digital Leaders across the Saint Barnabas Academy Trust. Natalie became the Association for Language Learning’s Secondary Language Teacher of the Year in 2016. Natalie became a Showbie Champion in 2017 and delivered virtual training on its use in MFL as well as writing articles and speaking at conferences such as the Association for Language Learning’s Language World conference, about its implementation. In 2018, Natalie became Learning Director at The Bemrose School. Natalie leads a team of A‑level and GCSE community language tutors and taught primary languages. Natalie delivered CPD for the other teachers of MFL in their primary phase and was responsible for setting up the Spanish curriculum for year 5 and 6 as well as planning the French curriculum for year 3 and 4 alongside the teacher in charge of MFL at their primary. Natalie is currently Director for MFL at Allestree Woodlands School. She runs the Language Leaders Award as well as continuing to support students with their community language exams. Natalie is Lead Visiting Fellow for the NPQ Leading Behaviour and Culture. Natalie’s current interests are the use of AI for supporting content creation and ways in which technology can support language acquisition for EAL students and for second language learners in MFL. Key responsibilities include: Lead Visiting Fellow for NPQLBC, Language Leaders Award and GCSE and A level exams in Community Languages.

Job title: Assistant Principal

Areas of expertise: Secondary literacy, CPD design

Lauren is currently Assistant Principal leading on Staff Development at a large secondary school and Sixth Form. Lauren’s background is particularly strongly focused on curriculum having previously held responsibilities as Lead Teacher of English, Head of English Faculty, Trust Associate English Subject Director, as well as being a seasoned GCSE English Language AQA examiner. Lauren has also line-managed multiple faculties outside of her own subject specialism and provides regular CPD to curriculum leaders. Having completed the NPQ in Leading Teacher Development and achieving a Masters in Education, Lauren truly values ongoing professional development and learning from up-to-date research developments. At present, Lauren is enjoying the challenges of leading the design and implementation of a long-term whole school literacy CPD programme.

Job Title: Primary Executive Leader

Areas of Expertise: Cognitive Science, Early Years, KS1, Metacognition, Leadership

Leanne is an ELE in Key Stage 1 teaching and learning and is
passionate about early years and teaching for memory. As part of her current
role, Leanne works across two schools in the Trust supporting in driving the
education and curriculum of EYFS. Leanne’s role in driving change for school
improvement has impacted positively upon staff’s subject knowledge, curriculum
design and pedagogy across school. She is passionate about research and all of
her decisions and thinking is evidenced informed.
Leanne has supported schools and shared best practise
extensively across the Trust; including SCITT, NQT Programmes, Teaching School
and Derby Research School.

Job Title: Headteacher

Areas of Expertise: Coaching, Leadership, Maths, Implementation 

Paul is an advocate for coaching as a tool for continued professional development and has completed level 4 training in this area for the NCE. Paul is a maths specialist for primary and has worked across East Midlands Maths Hub and Research Schools.

Job Title: Senior Vice Principal

Areas of Expertise: EdTech, leadership, Implementation primary phase.

In 2011, Daniel Millward began his journey in education, establishing himself as an innovative and forward-thinking practitioner. As one of Spencer Academy Trust’s earliest adopters of 1:1 iPad devices, Daniel led staff in exploring how technology could meaningfully enhance teaching, learning and pupil engagement. His early leadership in this area helped lay the foundations for a culture of digital excellence across multiple schools.
Daniel’s partnership with the Derby Research School marked a significant phase in his professional development. Working as part of a collaborative research project, he investigated how metacognitive approaches could be strengthened through the thoughtful use of technology. This deepened his understanding of evidence-informed practice and reinforced his commitment to adaptive teaching that meets the needs of all learners.
As Senior Vice Principal at Ashwood Spencer Academy, Daniel has played a central role in shaping curriculum innovation, digital strategy and high-quality teaching and learning. Under his leadership, Ashwood Spencer achieved national recognition, receiving the Best Use of ICT in the UK award — celebrating the school’s commitment to purposeful, transformative technology use. Daniel also has a keen interest in instructional coaching, which is a current and evolving area of practice he is exploring to further strengthen teaching and learning across the academy.

Beyond his work in the UK, Daniel has spent the last four years supporting rural tribal schools in India, helping them implement sustainable technology solutions and adaptive teaching practices in low-resource contexts. His international work has strengthened global partnerships and expanded access to quality education for underserved communities.

Daniel also leads The Research into the Classroom Podcast, a platform dedicated to making educational research accessible, practical and relevant for classroom practitioners. Through conversations, insights and real-world examples, he supports educators in turning evidence into action.

Looking ahead, Daniel aims to continue driving innovation, expand research-engaged practice, and further develop collaborations that improve educational opportunities for all children.

Nicol Winfield-Murray is an experienced teacher and leader, whose practice remains firmly anchored in the classroom and in the evidence of what makes teaching and learning most effective. She combines strategic insight with a deep understanding of classroom practice, ensuring that her leadership decisions are shaped by the realities of daily teaching. Nicol is committed to evidence-informed practice and to implementation that leads to sustained, meaningful change.

Peter Monk retired headteacher of Friesland School. Friesland School is an 11 – 18, co-educational, genuinely comprehensive school on the Derbyshire/​Nottinghamshire border. The school was judged as ​‘good’ in all areas by OFSTED in May 2015 under his leadership.
Since 2018, the school has been part of ​‘The Two Counties Trust’. Peter was Head at Friesland for eleven years having progressed from Assistant Headteacher leading on Post-16 (two years) to Deputy Headteacher (four years). Previously, he had held various leadership responsibilities at De Lisle Catholic School in Loughborough. In total, he has worked in education for 35 years.
Peter is now working as an educational consultant, including as a Link Advisor for four schools in Derbyshire, a PD consultant for ASCL and delivering on NPQs for the Spencer Academy Trust. The NPQ work has involved delivering on NPQH and taking on the role of coach for NPQML and NPQSL participants. He has worked as a contracted OFSTED Inspector since 2015. His subject specialisms are English, Drama and he has a wealth of experience Post-16.

Job Title: vice principal

Areas of Expertise: Literacy, curriculum
Michelle Garton is a Vice Principal at Wyndham Spencer Academy, part of the Spencer Academies Trust. Michelle is an SLE in English and leads the subject across Wyndham as well as the Derby Research School. Her role in driving innovation alongside supporting staff subject knowledge, curriculum design and pedagogy across schools is underpinned by a passion for being outwardly looking and evidence informed. This has been recognised by TES who awarded Wyndham ​‘English Team of the Year’ (2018). Michelle works across the Trust, including SCITT, NQT Programmes and the Teaching School as well as Derby Research School, sharing best practice and supporting other schools.

Job Title: Director of Performing and Creative Arts & Arts and Oracy Lead, Saint Ralph Sherwin Trust

Areas of Expertise: Oracy, Literacy, Drama

Anna is Director of Performing and Creative Arts at Saint Benedict school in Derby and is also the Saint Ralph Sherwin Lead for the Arts working on developing creativity and oracy across key stages. Anna believes passionately that teachers need opportunities for targeted ongoing CPD to plan for purposeful talk in their lessons and the explicit teaching of oracy. This will in turn empower students to have the knowledge, ability and confidence to thrive both academically and personally.

Job Title: Lead Professional Mentor
Areas of Expertise: teacher professional development, secondary English, pedagogy, literacy, and using education research in the classroom

Fe Brewer began teaching in 2008 in further education before completing her teacher training in 2009 – 2010. She then taught English in a range of secondaries, teaching from non-mainstream Entry Level 1 Functional Skills to A‑level Literature. After spending several years in department leadership, and mentoring trainees, she began working part time in Initial Teacher Training in 2020. Originally leading on mentor support, she now works full-time in ITT, still leading on mentoring, but also teaching across both the primary and secondary phases. Fe has also contributed to a number of teaching conferences, events and publications, including the Litdrive National Conference 2023, Keynote Education’s mentoring conference, TES, Teaching English Magazine, and CLiC Dickens. Her recent publication ​‘Bloomsbury Teacher Guide: Frankenstein’ was awarded ​‘Highly Commended’ in the Teach Secondary book awards.

Job Title: Director of Education, Odyssey Collaborative Trust, President of the Chartered College of Teaching

Aimée Tinkler is an experienced education leader with over 25 years in teaching and school leadership across diverse contexts. Currently serving as Director of Education at Odyssey Collaborative Trust, she is also President of the Chartered College of Teaching and a Founding Fellow, championing evidence-informed practice and ethical leadership across the profession.

Her career includes eight years as a primary headteacher in Derbyshire and senior roles in multi-academy trusts, where she has led school improvement, governance, and professional development initiatives. Aimée has worked nationally with organisations such as the DfE, Ofsted, and the Church of England Education Department, contributing to policy development and the design of NPQs.

A passionate advocate for small and rural schools, Aimée has published widely, including her recent book Small and Mighty – Conversations about Small Primary Schools. She is currently undertaking doctoral research at UCL Institute of Education, exploring the impact of a worldviews approach to Religious Education on pupils’ understanding of self and others, using innovative visual methodologies.

Aimée’s leadership vision is rooted in collaboration and community impact. She regularly speaks at national conferences and contributes to education media, sharing insights on evidence-informed leadership and curriculum design.

Alan Eathorne is the Director of The Institute of Education for Learn Academies Trust, leading the trust’s work in professional learning, school improvement, and educator development. A former executive headteacher of four small, rural schools in South Leicestershire, Alan has a strong track record of supporting schools to enhance their practice and build thriving professional cultures.

With a background as both a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) and an Evidence Lead in Education (ELE), Alan has dedicated his career to developing high‑quality professional development that has impact in the classroom. He has delivered training locally, nationally, and internationally, championing collaborative approaches such as Lesson Study, Teacher Learning Communities, and Instructional Coaching to promote effective, sustainable improvement.

Alan also leads Initial Teacher Education (ITE), the Early Career Teacher (ECTP), and National Professional Qualifications (NPQ) programmes for two national providers, supporting educators at every stage of their career.

He serves on the strategic board of the East Midlands South Maths Hub and holds a Masters in School‑Based Leadership and Management and a Lecturer for The National Institute of Teaching (NIOT). Alan is a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching.