Research School Network: Meet the Team

Experience and Specialism
Asima has over 20 years’ experience serving in schools across Birmingham. She is the Principal of Oasis Academy Foundry where she has been a senior leader for 11 years. Her leadership is deeply rooted in a moral purpose to serve with integrity and improve the life chances of all children. She leads a nurturing environment that promotes wellbeing, inclusive practice and provides high quality learning experiences for all. Under Asima’s Headship, the school has been rated Outstanding.

Experience and Specialism

Whilst holding experience across the Primary sector, Attiye has always had an affinity for EYFS and the fundamental role it plays in both educational progress and the growth of each individual human being – celebrating everybody’s uniqueness through a curriculum that encourages awe and wonder. With her passions outside of education firmly rooted in Performing Arts, Attiye contributes to wider school opportunities and has recently produced large-scale outdoor music festivals for Primary Schools. Educational support has also ventured across to the other side of the world, as Attiye visited and worked with a charity in Madagascar (Africa) to both teach and develop the English language offer for both staff and pupils of a local village school.

Attiye is currently Assistant Head in an infant school and has recently completed her NPQSL.

Experience and Specialism
My passion and specialism is SEND, Mental Health, Neuroscience and Initial Teacher Training! I qualified as a SENCo in 2012 and since then have held various Senior Leader roles across a diverse range of settings. I became a Headteacher in 2016, and have led Inclusion and Safeguarding across our Multi Academy Trust since 2019. I love working with teachers new to the profession, and helping them to develop a toolkit that they can use to bring about creative solutions to a diverse range of needs in their classrooms. In more recent years I have worked collaboratively with leaders in different schools, spanning primary and secondary, to bring about improvements in their provision for pupils with SEND and SEMH.

Experience and Specialism

Guy Carpenter is Director of Research and Innovation at Dudley Academies Trust, leading trust‑wide strategy for evidence‑informed improvement, digital transformation and inclusive innovation across primary, secondary, alternative provision and SEND settings. With over a decade of senior leadership experience, he specialises in translating research and national reform into practical, scalable school improvement through effective implementation, distributed leadership and high‑quality professional development. Beyond the Trust, Guy is an active system leader, contributing to regional and national partnerships, leadership coaching, conference activity and evidence‑based professional dialogue.

Experience and Specialism
In her 18 years in Education Hannah has held a number of senior roles within schools, Local Authorities & Educational Consultancy. These have included School Improvement Adviser, Vice Principal, Director of Inclusion, SENCO, Behaviour and Attendance Consultant and lead trainer for the Anti-Bullying Alliance. Hannah have worked in both mainstream, special and SEMH settings, and through her consultancy she has a wealth of cross phase experience, from early years to FE. 

Hannah’s specialisms are in Behaviour, SEND, SEMH & coaching. She is also an Adviser for the Leading Parent Partnership Award as well as a licensed Emotion Coach practitioner. Underpinning her career has been the passionate and focused belief that the emotional well-being, resilience and safety of all pupils, including our most vulnerable and troubled young people and families is key to ensuring aspirations, access and achievement. Hannah is based in the Midlands and has worked in several inner-city settings in Birmingham, and schools in Worcestershire. Currently my work takes me right across the UK. 

@HLHalleducation

Experience and Specialism
Jade’s specialism is cognitive science and metacognition. This includes using understanding about memory and how we learn to develop effective teaching strategies. Jade has worked with teachers and leaders in many schools to embed this approach into their teaching and has generously shared her strategies, resources and model examples of how research translated into practical pedagogy. As a result, school leaders, teachers and more importantly students across the country have benefited from Jade’s work.

@MrsPearce

Experience and Specialism

Jez has been an integral part of the St Thomas Aquinas Senior Leadership Team since 2009, devoting his time to enhancing teaching, learning and the curriculum. He has always maintained a passion for the classroom and his subject discipline of Geography. Jez reads extensively about curriculum and metacognition and devotes much of his time towards focusing on how to implement change effectively in schools. Jez also has experience of working with schools in the wider Research School Network as a course facilitator. He loves to visit other schools around the country with the view that there is always so much for us all to learn from our colleagues in different settings.

@jezbaker3

Experience and Specialism

John is Deputy Headteacher at Southfields Community Primary School, a large inner-city school with high levels of disadvantage, transience and EAL. The school is a Voice 21 Centre of Excellence, a recognition earned through its sustained commitment to developing high-quality oracy provision. John leads on Teaching & Learning and Curriculum, and has previously overseen Pupil Premium and Oracy. He applies his passion for cognitive science, focusing on how rigorous, up-to-date research can enhance teaching practices and improve pupils’ learning experiences.

After completing his PGCE with a maths specialism at the University of Warwick, John has gained over a decade of experience teaching and leading in a range of settings across Coventry and Warwickshire. He values opportunities to put theory into practice and remains closely connected to classroom teaching.

Experience and Specialism

With two decades of experience in the education sector, John Paul has held diverse roles across schools in the UK, consistently prioritising the needs of students. He strongly advocates for research-driven practice, regularly applying this principle to facilitate National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) for Teaching School Hubs across the West Midlands and through the work done with leaders in schools.

Experience and Specialism

I have worked in secondary education for over 20 years, teaching across all year groups and having responsibility for examination groups. I am the Director of Teacher Training for Dudley Academies Trust and have been part of a senior leadership team for the last 13 years. I have responsibility for ensuring that standards of teaching and learning are high across the school, and development needs are responsive to both learners and staff. My passion is to provide the best provision we can for the learners in our care. To ensure that whatever the starting points of those learners, we provide high quality teaching and wider opportunities to improve their life chances.

Experience and Specialism

During her 24 years in Primary education, Pam has taught throughout the Primary phase from Nursery and held a number of leadership roles across 3 local authorities. This has included roles as core subject lead and more strategic leadership across a MAT for Teaching and Learning and Curriculum. As Deputy Head Teacher, Pam became a Thrive Practitioner and Thrive trainer whilst Head Teacher, supporting other schools within the locality. Pam then harnessed such expertise in the application of neuroscience, attachment theory, child development and creativity into classroom practice as the Thrive Relationship Manager for a range of mainstream and specialist settings across the Midlands, providing training, mentoring and bespoke strategic and practical support to understand behaviour and meet children’s social and emotional needs. This need has certainly come to the fore with the pandemic and the responses observed by colleagues across the nation in children’s engagement in learning due to the impact of lockdown, lack of connection and feelings of safety

@pammie112

Experience and Specialism
Tom has a strong track record of success in the classroom over the last nine years as well as leading a department to outstanding results on two separate occasions. He actively engages with a wide range of organisations such as the EEF to keep abreast of the latest news, developments and evidence in education and has a plethora of resources and strategies to share with colleagues across the West Midlands, to ensure colleagues and schools increasingly become truly research-informed. Tom’s areas of specialism include Professional Development and establishing a whole-school culture of action research as well as retrieval practice, vocabulary acquisition and Humanities leadership.

@BithellT

Experience and Specialism
Will Allen is a school leader and curriculum designer committed to creating environments where every pupil feels safe, confident and empowered to learn. As Vice Principal at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School, he leads whole‑school strategy for teaching, curriculum and literacy, with a particular focus on reading development and improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. He is especially interested in how strong transition between and through key stages supports equity and sustained progress.

Will brings leadership experience from both primary and secondary settings, enabling him to design coherent approaches to curriculum and reading development from early foundations through to exam success. His work centres on evidence‑informed practice, trauma‑sensitive routines and high‑leverage systems that strengthen belonging and raise attainment. He has a strong track record in developing leaders and teachers, supporting them to embed research‑aligned approaches that make learning more accessible and impactful for all.

Experience and Specialism

Juliet Stafford is a Deputy Headteacher at Etone College leading on Quality of Education, Personal Development and Staff Wellbeing. She is an Evidence Lead for Staffordshire Research School specialising in assessment and feedback and curriculum transition as well as providing evidence-based training for disciplinary literacy. Juliet is also a member of the extended school improvement team for Matrix Academy Trust leading on staff wellbeing, personal development and supporting Geography across Trust Schools. Having taught Geography for 24 years, she has worked at a senior leadership level since 2001 across schools in a variety of geographical catchments and in a range of circumstances with a track record of securing school improvement and positive outcomes. She has a wide range of experience across a number of leadership roles including curriculum, teaching and learning, quality assurance, personal development, workload and wellbeing and assessment. 

Experience and Specialism
Sue is currently Executive Headteacher at The Talentum Learning Trust in Staffordshire Moorlands. She has worked in education for the last 30 years with experience of a wide range of schools and different settings. Her extensive leadership experience spans 3 highly successful Multi Academy Trusts based across the Midlands. Prior to her current position, Sue was the Founding Headteacher of John Taylor Free School in Staffordshire. It opened in September 2018 with 210 year 7 students and grew each year until it reached capacity with 1350 students in years 7 – 13. With a ​“Good” Ofsted rating, GCSE results which are strong against local and national benchmarks in addition to being awarded the Leeds Beckett Carnegie Centre of Excellence Gold Award for Mental Health in schools, Sue has demonstrated expert leadership combining high academic standards with a sense of positive mental health and well-being.

In other leadership positions, she has established a Teaching School Alliance and School Centre for Initial Teacher Training. She is a qualified L7 Executive Coach and also holds the National Professional Qualification for Executive Leaders. Sue is an experienced leadership coach and regularly supports leaders in other settings – her passion for continual development defines all aspects of her work.

Experience and Specialism

Amanda is an adoptive mother and parent of a child with SEND. She is an experienced school leader with expertise in SEND, trauma-informed practice, and supporting pupils facing disadvantage. A former Headteacher of a specialist school and alternative provision for pupils with SEMH and autism, Amanda has also worked as a Specialist Teacher for Warwickshire Local Authority. She currently serves as SENCO and Pupil Premium Lead for a Warwickshire Multi-Academy Trust. Amanda is undertaking a Doctorate in Education (EdD) at Birmingham City University interested in Knowledge Transformation and Inclusive Practice.

Experience and Specialism

Rachel is an experienced teacher and educational researcher with over 15 years of teaching English and Psychology across mainstream secondary education, youth offending settings, and specialist SEMH provision. She is currently Assistant SENCo at JTHS, where she establishes inclusive, high-quality provision for pupils with complex literacy and SEMH needs. Rachel’s master’s degree and subsequent research has a focus on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the systems needed in schools and communities, to support children and families in reducing risk-taking behaviours. Her research explores how trauma-informed and SEND understanding can help shape behaviour policy, pedagogy, and whole-school approaches to inclusion. She is particularly interested in bridging research and practice to strengthen staff development, improve pupil behaviour and wellbeing, and maintain sustainable, inclusive systems.

Experience and Specialism

Darren Bowley is a Deputy Headteacher at Etone College, in Warwickshire. Leading on Quality of Education, Parental Engagement and Professional Development. During his time in education Darren has held roles across the full spectrum of school life with; attendance, pastoral, outcomes and remote strategy being some of his previous responsibilities. Utilising his experiences in education Darren engages with the highest quality research such as the EEF to ensure strategies and procedures are grounded in evidence and considerate of the context within the application. Within his role he has supported the school to maintain above average outcomes and achieve national recognition for it’s curriculum and environment. As a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, member of the Trust School Improvement Team and facilitator of the NPQ programmes of study his experience traverses single settings to enable him to support across various context and settings.

Experience and Specialism

Helen Jones background is in teaching and Senior Leadership as a Deputy Headteacher within Secondary Education, where she has had the privilege of leading not only Music and the Arts, but also other curriculum areas such as Science, Social Sciences and a large Sixth Form. She has always been passionate about ensuring every child has the opportunity to experience impactful learning across arts subjects. In her current role, she works as an Education Consultant supporting the development of excellent teaching and learning in Music and Performing Arts in primary and secondary schools. Alongside this, she leads an instrumental music school for 4 – 8 year-olds, where she experiences first-hand the impact learning has on a young person’s development and overall confidence in addition to their cognitive and study skills. As an ELE for the Staffordshire Research school she is particularly looking forward to exploring, learning, contributing, collaborating and sharing her expertise with others.

Experience and Specialism

Lee Taylor is a former Headteacher and Multi-Academy Trust Senior Executive Leader with nearly 40 years’ experience in education, including 20 years in senior leadership. An education researcher since 2001, he is recognised for securing rapid school improvement, most notably moving a school from Inadequate to Good with Outstanding for Leadership.

He now works exclusively in leadership development, delivering on all of the NPQ programmes and coaching school leaders nationally and internationally. His work focuses on creativity in education, pupils as leaders, equality of opportunity and co-operative, research-informed leadership. Originally trained in music, Lee is a published author, classical composer and pianist, currently writing on coaching for young people. Above all, he values his role as a father and family member, a perspective that continues to shape his approach to education and leadership.

Experience and Specialism

Sharon is a highly experienced teacher and leader with over 26 years’ experience. She has held many leadership roles including: development education, character education, subject lead, lead practitioner and literacy, reading and numeracy trust lead. She currently works as an Assistant Headteacher within the Teaching and Learning team, with specific responsibility for reading, literacy, ITTECF, and HPA provision. She is passionate about building the necessary culture and curriculum to support the development of literacy and reading, enabling access to the curriculum for all, and in driving super curricular opportunities and high aspirations for our most able learners.

Sharon is passionate about utilising research-informed practice to drive teacher development and – in this capacity – has been a fellow of the chartered college since 2021, and is a qualified advanced coach. She has published many articles, including in ​‘Impact’ (Literacy in the Drama Curriculum); ​‘HWRK’ (ITTECF, Communication for Leadership); ​‘Open Drama’ (Dual Coding for GCSE); ​‘Myatt and Co’ (Subject network); and ​‘National Drama’ (Curriculum and Word Diagrams). Through her career, she has worked extensively with outside agencies, including as a consultant to the BBC, a guest lecturer at Warwick University, and delivering keynotes in The House of Commons and Marlborough College to ensure that best practice is disseminated to all.

Experience and Specialism

Meena Gabbi brings over 25 years of experience in education, with a strong track record of senior leadership across a range of school contexts. She started her career in Coventry as an English teacher and has subsequently held leadership roles including Headteacher and Executive Leader, leading schools through significant improvement and managing complex change at both local and national levels. Her work has consistently focused on improving outcomes for pupils through high‑quality leadership, evidence‑informed practice and strategic development.

Alongside her leadership career, Meena works as an education consultant, supporting schools and multi‑academy trusts with leadership development and school improvement. Her consultancy work includes helping leadership teams to design and deliver robust improvement strategies, providing executive coaching for senior leaders, and supporting organisations through periods of growth and transformation. She holds an ILM Level 7 qualification in Executive Coaching and Mentoring, enabling her to offer tailored, impactful support that builds leadership capacity and resilience. Meena is also committed to effective governance and system leadership. She was appointed as a trustee for Central Schools Trust in February 2026 following several years as a governor. She is driven by a strong moral purpose and a belief that every child deserves access to a high‑quality education.

Experience and Specialism

Amy Stafford is an experienced SEND and Inclusion Consultant and the founder of Inspire Inclusion, established in 2022 to provide expert SEND and inclusion support to academy trusts and schools. She brings over ten years’ experience working in SEND, including senior and strategic leadership roles across Early years and primary settings.
Amy works closely with school and trust leaders to strengthen whole‑school SEND systems, develop effective graduated responses and improve outcomes for pupils with additional needs. Her work spans SEND compliance, provision mapping, leadership development, staff training and direct pupil and family support, giving her a grounded and realistic understanding of how SEND policy and practice operate in day‑to‑day school contexts.
She has extensive experience supporting EHCP processes, Educational Psychology liaison, SEND reviews and inspection readiness, and is known for offering clear, practical and sustainable solutions that reflect the financial and capacity pressures schools face.
Amy is committed to collaborative, evidence‑informed practice and system‑level work that promotes inclusion, equity and positive life chances for all learners.