Costa is a passionate and driven educator with over 17 years’ experience teaching in London and international schools. With extensive classroom and leadership experience, Costa understands the needs and priorities of today’s schools, not least the necessity for every educationist to take responsibility for their own learning. This is a central theme of the workshops he leads on improving teaching, learning and school leadership, and the implementation and effective management of change. Costa’s strategies to boost student progression and increase student attainment have been formally recognised by Ofsted. He is responsible for developing Veema’s unique four-step CPD model that enables schools to better evaluate the impact of their professional development training. Costa is particularly adept at using collaboration to create the conditions for effective leadership and to encourage the attainment of ambitious educational goals.

An innovator, educator and motivator, Claire’s classroom experience as a teaching and learning consultant and trainer spans 20 years. Through practical strategies she helps pupils in over 100 schools each year achieve higher standards. She introduces teachers to innovative teaching and learning strategies across the curriculum and all phases of education. To move teachers forward faster, she gives them ‘low prep, high impact’ resources they can use to work smarter rather than harder. Her support packages are specifically designed to ensure training achieves maximum traction and translates into real teaching practice. Her ongoing research means she remains at the cutting edge of educational practice. She is also one of the UK’s leading experts on how to assess without levels and has contributed to the Secondary National Strategy and Oxford University Publishing. Her latest book is ‘The Perfect Assessment for Learning (AfL)’.

Lisa believes many schools don’t produce ‘a fully rounded end product’ because they fail to co-ordinate learning across all departments. She has therefore made it her mission to transform how teachers can acquire a more whole school approach to education. Lisa has developed teams of advanced practitioners in Ghana and is now using her strategies to create a culture of continual self-improvement in Nepal. She is passionate about such projects and about using her expertise to develop coaching programmes for schools. In her latest book ‘Manglish’, she considers how English and Maths can be creatively brought together and offers practical ideas and strategies for improving literacy and numeracy throughout the whole school. Her other published books include: ‘There is another way - the second big book of independent thinking’, and ‘Don’t change the light bulbs — a compendium of expertise from the UK’s most switched-on educators’.

Alexandra is a teacher trainer, university lecturer and voice expert. Her expertise is in coaching both new and experienced teachers on how to deliver high quality phonics teaching. She has over ten years’ classroom teaching experience and has worked with the British Dyslexia Association and the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre. To develop the spoken language and imaginations of KS1 and KS2 pupils and enliven her literacy lessons, Alexandra uses drama techniques. To help practitioners to develop stronger and more effective vocal abilities, Alexandra uses a range of exercises and also offers advice on maintaining a healthy voice throughout a teaching career. Her engaging interactive style ensures those who attend her workshops not only acquire a ‘better voice’, but also a wealth of ideas on how to use their most ‘powerful tool’.

Soola Georgiou is a safeguarding consultant and trainer. She has over 23 years’ experience working with children, families and professionals in education. She provides general service development and consultancy at both at strategic and at case level. A qualified barrister, she has the legal experience needed to investigate serious case and multi-agency reviews. Her strategic work includes the development of safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures, as well as providing advice to head teachers, governors and designated safeguarding leads. Soola has over ten years’ experience as an accredited Safer Recruitment trainer making safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children an integral and essential part of creating safe environments. Soola offers safeguarding audits to schools and other education settings on all aspects of safeguarding and child protection, including statutory guidance and best practice, Inspection requirements and the review of safer recruitment procedures. Her work on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children has seen her collaborating with various schools as a school governor, the Chartered College of Teaching, Islington Council and Cambridge Education.

Judith believes every child deserves the very best education possible and that it is the responsibility of teachers and school leaders to deliver this, a philosophy that is very much reflected in her coaching and mentoring methods. So she actively works alongside HMI and OFSTED to support schools as they look to raise their standards during what can sometimes be very difficult self-improvement journeys. Judith’s leadership is defined in large part by her ability to distinguish the truly innovative idea from the educational fad. Her highly successful career has encompassed primary teaching, leadership and management and has taken her from small village school through to some of Britain’s most needy and demanding urban educational environments. Judith has recently become the founding headteacher of an entirely new British international school of some 800 pupils. Under her leadership, the school has already become a vibrant and outstanding example of academic, pastoral and vocational excellence.

Few in education have the breathtaking grasp of Nina ‘Ninja’ Jackson about what makes classrooms, and those in them, tick. Winner of the IPDA International Prize for Education, the TES has described her as an ‘inspirational, evangelical preacher of education’. Nina’s particular gift is in working with SEN, the Gifted and Talented and engaging disaffected learners. As an international education consultant she has worked with the Ministry of Education, UNESCO and UNICEF in Chile, Ghana, India, China, the Middle East and Europe. In her first book she shared her research on how music improves classroom learning and motivation. Her latest, the bestselling ‘Of Teaching, Learning and Sherbet Lemons: A Compendium of Careful Advice for Teachers’, has helped thousands of teachers put the ‘fizz’ back into their classrooms.

Janev has extensive knowledge of school leadership in often challenging schools. She has worked with different UK local authorities on improvement strategies for primary and secondary schools, while supporting others internationally through coaching, improvement projects and inspection programmes. Now, as a lead inspector and experienced reviewer of primary, secondary and special schools, she ensures children and young people enjoy the best educational outcomes, building rapport and empathy by modelling positive and productive behaviours. Through clear and sensitive training and coaching, Janev helps teachers better understand what ‘good learning’ means and acquire the skills needed for sustainable improvement long-term.

An education consultant with over 30 years’ experience, Chris helps schools, colleges and teachers translate insightful, inspiring ideas on teaching and learning into effective classroom practice. A teacher himself for 18 years, he offers interactive training and consultancy on all aspects of teaching, learning and leadership. With a focus on school improvement, particularly at Key Stages 3, 4 and 5, Chris has been a member of teams that have taken schools out of unfavourable categories to secure good judgments in inspections. Through his research and evidence-based approach, Chris has helped create better exam results and more effective teaching in nearly 300 schools throughout the UK.

With 20 years’ experience in education, working initially as a teacher of maths before progressing to senior leadership roles, Karen has worked in the UK and abroad on developmental projects where inclusion and assessment were key, and possesses a deep personal knowledge and expertise in both areas. She has led on inclusion at senior leadership level in two schools, achieving SLE status for her specialism. Having helped take schools out of special measures and been a key leader in another rated outstanding in all areas, including post 16, she can confidently prepare any school for a successful Ofsted inspection. She has also written and had accredited a full suite of safeguarding workshops.

Sioban is an international education consultant who helps teachers develop confidence and capability in the classroom. She is also involved in the development of national curricula and supporting materials. Her mission is to improve the quality of education for all students by creating the most effective learning environment in the classroom. She strongly believes in challenging others to achieve their potential, while providing the in-depth support they need for effective professional growth and personal development. Sioban has nearly 30 years’ teaching and management experience, working in a range of UK and international schools at primary and secondary levels in both state and independent sectors. She has a degree in languages and linguistics from the University of Salford and a PGCE in primary and secondary education from the University of Reading.

An author and consultant, David’s unique blend of educational pedagogy and the latest neuroscience research enables teachers, students and school leaders to identify and capitalise on their natural strengths. His practical strategies for improving behaviour, confidence, resilience, as well as classroom and exam performance, help teachers and students alike to make faster, better progress. Using interactive sessions, David shares the secrets of great learning and rethinks how learning, memory and revision can be woven into the classroom experience. He covers topics such as the three key things all great learners do, and considers how best to apply the latest brain research and psychology of learning, retention, motivation and metacognition. David’s published books include The Buzz, The Brainbox, Personality in the Classroom and The Little Book of Inspirational Teaching Activities.

With her critically acclaimed Pimp Your Lesson!, Talkless Teaching and her new Best of the Best practical classroom guides series, Isabella is a leading light in educational reform and teacher improvement. She focuses on improving the quality of teaching and learner progression and delivers sessions that are highly interactive and relevant to teaching in the real classroom. Isabella has extensive experience as both a teacher and leader, and the accessibility of her highly sought-after training reflects this. She has worked closely with education authorities to develop literacy teaching provision, and to set up, manage and monitor staff coaching systems in schools. Thanks to her charisma, enthusiasm and knowledge of what works best, Isabella has delivered training across four different continents and is one of the most prolific education consultants working in the UK today.

Hywel is a teacher with over 25 years’ experience in Special, Primary and Secondary settings. He specialises in the ‘liberation of the art of teaching’ and works with schools in the UK and internationally. A keynote conference speaker, he adds to the education conversation at events such as The Sunday Telegraph Festival of Education. A TES columnist and well-respected author, his award-winning book ‘Oops! Getting Children to Learn Accidentally’ is on the reading list of many university teacher training courses. Hywel’s latest title, ‘Uncharted Territories’, was published in 2018. He also contributes to the Masters programme in Drama and Creative Writing at Leeds Beckett University and heads up the PGCE programme in Drama at Huddersfield University. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, he was recently described as ‘… a world leader in enthusiasm’.

A qualified mental health practitioner, Sam has worked as a SENCo and mental health specialist across a wide range of educational settings from primary to post 16, so, she understands life ‘at the coal face’ and the real challenges education faces daily. She passionately believes in the significant difference SEN and effective mental health support can make to the lives and wellbeing of our young people. She also believes that implementing a successful mental health strategy for students doesn’t have to be complicated or onerous. As a speaker, Sam is well-known for her ability to entertain through the insightful and humorous perspective she brings when relating her experiences in education. She has written a mental health programme that is used in schools nationally and internationally, and regularly writes for education magazines. Her next book will be published soon.

Phil has worked in international education for nearly 20 years. In that time, he has been the principal at three international schools. Currently based in Egypt, he has lived in Europe, Asia, America and Africa. A passionate and dynamic educator, Phil motivates both staff and students through his engaging presentations that always bring a rich dimension to his training. For two start-up schools, he has been the lead consultant, providing each with the guidance they needed, from developing the most appropriate curriculum for their specific educational marketplace through to recruiting staff and promoting the school to new students. Given such a breadth of experience, Phil is able to quickly identify key areas for improvement within schools and then to create and communicate effective strategies for achieving change. He is a qualified inspector for British Overseas schools.

Crista has taught in a range of secondary schools during a career of 20 years, 19 of which have been spent in leadership roles. A pedagogy and pastoral champion, Crista has worked in the UK, China and Ghana developing teaching, learning, relationships and behaviour programmes with students, teachers and school leaders. An MFL specialist, Crista is well-known for seeking out innovative teaching and learning strategies. The engaging, relevant and memorable deep learning experiences she creates helps turn her students into confident, inquisitive, happy and successful lifelong learners equipped to successfully navigate their way through challenges of school and beyond. She also has also some different and interesting perspectives to share on ‘assessment’. Her work has been published widely in educational books, publications and newspapers. Crista is also an active blogger and National Council Member for The Association for Language Learning

John is a specialist in developing leadership cultures through values- driven change and improvement. During 30 years’ as a teacher, he’s led schools at all levels through his headship and as the director of a multi-academy trust. John believes teachers are the most important professionals in any school, which requires us to invest in their development through high- quality learning. As a qualified coach himself, John uses coaching to achieve sustainable improvement, focusing on performance improvement and collaborative learning. He has created and presented many professional development courses for teachers and leaders – his online course on raising expectations and challenge in the classroom is a must for many UK teachers. Committed to driving global best practice, John’s been involved in international research projects in Europe and America. His work on character education saw him advising MPs in 2018.