Dr Janet GoodallJanet is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Education, at the University of Warwick. Her focus is on School Leadership and Management. Janet has engaged in research on teacher’s CPD, federations of schools, workforce reform and more recently, high performing leadership teams. With Professor Alma Harris, Janet has worked in the area of parental engagement in children’s learning, leading to the publication of “Do Parents Know They Matter?” (DCSF and with Kirstie Andrew-Power, a book through Continuum Press), and “Helping families to support their children’s achievement” (Save the Children).
At the moment, Janet is researching the effects of parental beliefs (religious/faith beliefs) on their engagement with children’s learning; there is more information about this research here
Jane Melbourne, HMI.
Jane is a qualified primary school teacher and former company director. She trained as a nursery education inspector, inspecting a full range of pre-school provision. Jane became a specialist early years advisor in the City of Westminster, where she held responsibility for the implementation of the curriculum in six day nurseries. Following this she joined Leicester Education Action Zone (LEAZ) as a Parent link Advisor, enabling schools in areas of significant deprivation to work more closely with parents and carers. She disseminated her knowledge locally and nationally.
Following the cessation of the LEAZ, she rejoined Ofsted in June 2003 as a Team Manager for Ofsted Early Years. She managed the Leicester City team of childcare and education inspectors, was a member of Ofsted’s National Training Team, and eventually became a Quality and Training Team Manager, developing inspection and report quality across the Midlands Region.
Jane became an HMI in January 2006. She shared a Lead Managing Inspector role for Derbyshire with an HMI colleague. She leads primary, secondary and early years’ inspections in the maintained and independent sectors. She is a National Adviser for Parents and Carers within Ofsted.
Jane is a member of the National Home School Development Group which is a voluntary group of professionals working and researching in the field of parental involvement. In 2006 – 2007 she jointly managed an Ofsted survey entitled Parents, Carers and Schools which was commissioned by the DCSF and studied the effectiveness of parental involvement in primary, secondary and special schools. Her findings were discussed in the summer of 2007 in the House of Lords. During 2009 -2010 she advised on the follow up Ofsted survey Schools and Parents which was published in April 2011. She is the author of the recently published Ofsted survey report Children in Service families.
Professor Sonia Blandford
Sonia is currently Professor of Educational Leadership and Innovation (University of Warwick); National Director Achievement for All (DfE/ National College); Adviser to CEO (Teach First), prior to which she Director of Research and Development at Teach First, this follows almost six years as Pro-Vice Chancellor and Dean of Education at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Sonia began her career as a music teacher, founding two community arts charities, which celebrate 30 years in March 2011. Appointed to the Senior Leadership team of two comprehensive schools with academic and pastoral responsibilities, Sonia led school improvement and arts initiatives at school and national level. On completion of two Masters (music and education), Sonia was among in the first cohort to complete the UK inaugural Doctor of Education (EdD) programme at the University of Bristol.
A move into higher education led to the appointment of Deputy Head of the Westminster Institute of Education followed by almost six years as Pro-Vice Chancellor and Dean of Education at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Sonia has authored over 50 articles and books focusing on professional development, education leadership and management, special educational needs and music education.
Sonia is a member of various European and international committees, government adviser and conference speaker. She is a Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Education, Oxford University and a visiting professor at the Institute of Education (London). Sonia is also founder and musical director of a community music charity.
Workshop Leaders
Andy Giles
Andy has worked with children and families for over 9 years, working more specifically with dads and male carers in the last 4 years. He developed the activ-dads project in North Solihull, West Midlands and is currently working for the Campaign for Learning managing family learning and parental engagement projects which aim to engage over 500 dads and male carers and their children. Andy has an early years background, originally training as a nursery nurse, he now has a BA Hons in Education Studies and is working towards DTLLS qualification. He is a specialist is parental engagement and developing innovate family learning courses and materials which can be found on www.dadoodle.net Andy also has a daughter of 2, Amelia who takes up all his spare time and more!
Kirsty Tonks
Kirsty is the strategic lead for e-learning at the Collegiate Academy Trust in the West Midlands and with a team that supports Shireland Collegiate Academy to fulfill the expectations of the Harnessing Technology framework. She draws on over 15 years of teaching and leadership experience both in the Primary and Secondary sector and is the strategic lead with key partners such as Microsoft, Capita and the e-Learning Foundation whilst developing work with other partners such as the Open University, LPPA and CDI Europe (Apps for Good).
She has recently developed a comprehensive e-safety strategy that involves staff, students and families and is both a qualified CEOP Ambassador and e-safety assessor for SWGfL 360 Degree Safe programme. She was also instrumental in enabling over 350 families in the last 2 years to have access to a device through the e-learning foundation equity programme.
The Shireland Learning Gateway has been cited by Microsoft as one of the most developed examples of a Learning Platform and she been responsible for advising and guiding the academy and other schools in their adoption of Learning Platform technologies and practices both nationally and internationally over the last 5 years. It’s used to engage not only students but families, has seen the Family Portal become the main means of communication, consistently seeing 300 families using it on a monthly basis, increasing the number of positive responses with regards to family satisfaction surveys.
The use of technology was highlighted and commended throughout the most recent OfSTED report at Shireland Collegiate Academy in Smethwick, West Midlands.
“Modern technology is used exceptionally well to support the learning and well-being of students.
Technology is used very well in lesson planning and delivery, and the use of assessment is an outstanding feature of teaching and learning.” (December 2010)
In a recent visit to Shireland by Christine Gilbert (ex HMCI) commented as to how much she was impressed she was by what she saw in terms of embedded and effective use of technology to enable deep learning and that it clearly played a “central role” in the Academy’s success.
Sue Collins
Sue worked for the Department for Education for fifteen years before setting up her own consultancy company. She undertook a range of posts which culminated in managing and leading DfE study support policy and developing quality programmes. She is currently a National Critical Friend for Quality in Study Support and Extended Services. Sue also develops and delivers training and facilitated support for strategic development, policy interpretation, collaborative working, programme set-up and/or review, evaluation and quality assurance. She works with a range of audiences from Local Authority officers, School Leadership Teams and Delivery Teams across the public, private and voluntary sectors to achieve outcomes for children and young people.�
Rachel Adams
Rachel has worked for Worcestershire County Council for 5 years. Throughout this time she has worked in schools, supporting them and advising them in how to engage children, young people and parents and carers. In the last three years she has focused on empowering parents and carers in making their voices heard in the development of their local communities and Children’s Services. Worcestershire has been working with Prospects to support their schools using the Leading Parent Partnership Award to develop parental engagement.
