In the heady days of Lockdown 1, I quit my job at the punchily titled UCLIOECEL (University College London Institute of Education Centre for Educational Leadership) and went freelance as an education consultant.

Looking back, it was possibly a reckless move: I’m terrible at businessy stuff and spend inordinate amounts of time doing unpaid things like making podcasts and rock musicals. But somehow I’ve managed to keep the wolf from the door, and I really like not having a boss, so long may it last.

Working from home doesn’t suit everyone, but I love it - mainly because I get to spend lots of time with this guy:

Anyway. A few weeks ago, I had a thought.

As well as supporting schools with implementation and improvement science - which I love doing, and has been going down an absolute storm - I realised there’s an opportunity to work with brilliant people I respect and admire, applying implementation know-how to a range of things that really matter for young people.

Because bright ideas are rarely the problem in education. Implementing them is.

So far, this has led to three new 6-part programmes:

1. Implementing Oracy

With my amazing colleagues at Oracy Cambridge. For leaders and teachers who want to implement oracy with clarity and confidence, and make talk a purposeful, inclusive part of everyday learning. Starts January.

2. Improving Behaviour

With the wonderful and super-talented Tara Elie. This is about creating a culture of care, consistency and mattering - strengthening relationships, building clarity, and implementing behaviour systems in a way that genuinely works for staff and students. Starts March.

3. Implementing Botheredness

With the inimitable and reliably life-enhancing Hywel Roberts. This is about bringing imagination, connection and story together with smart implementation - so that the curriculum feels warmed up, learning feels alive, and everyone gets properly stuck in. Starts May.

If you’ve got any questions, or if you’re wondering which programme might best fit your school, please feel free to drop me a line. Always happy to chat.