Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
Twenty years in UK schools taught me one unavoidable truth: the system is not broken for the children who need it most. It was never designed for them. I have been an Assistant Head, Vice Principal, and Executive Headteacher across academy trusts in the West Midlands. I have sat in exclusion reviews, watched schools off-roll 14-year-olds, and seen the SEND support crisis not from a policy paper — but from inside a headteacher's office. Recognised by Ofsted for determined leadership in some of Birmingham's most challenging schools. In 2025, 126,000 children in England were being home educated. That number has doubled in four years. As someone who spent two decades inside the system, I can tell you exactly why — and what those families actually need. After leaving executive leadership, I had a choice: return to headship, or stay close to the children the system fails most. I chose the latter. Four years in Alternative Provision, SEND classrooms, and in-school provision settings across Birmingham — teaching, designing AP programmes, and asking the same question every day: what would I build if I could do this properly? Latitude is the answer. Latitude Learning Platform is built on a simple conviction: academic qualifications and real-world capabilities are not in competition — they belong together. Preparing young people for today's world, not yesterday's, requires both. GCSE pathways in the core subjects — Maths, English Language, English Literature, and Combined Science — with further subjects launching throughout 2026. Specialist-reviewed, evidence-based, and mastery-gated, with AI embedded in the curriculum structure. Alongside them, a Wider World life skills curriculum addressing what employers consistently flag: young people arriving without the financial, emotional, and practical skills that adult life actually requires. Families choose the subjects and courses that fit their child. For AP providers: curriculum compliance and continuity without the staffing gap. For Local Authorities: a cost-effective provision route for unplaced and EHCP students, backed by a parental dashboard that gives you the evidence base you need. If you work in AP, home education, SEND, or EdTech — or if you are thinking about what flexible, rigorous education actually looks like in 2026 — I would like to connect. latitudelearningplatform.co.uk
Building a full replacement GCSE curriculum for home-educated children, Alternative Provision providers, and Local Authorities with unplaced students. Latitude offers mastery-based, specialist-reviewed, AI-supported learning across Maths, English Language, English Literature, and Double Science — structured on Rosenshine's Principles of Direct Instruction with mastery-gated progression. Subscription model (B2C: £35/month) with institutional licensing for AP providers and Local Authorities (B2B/B2G). Launching 2026. EHE families, AP heads, and LA commissioners: connect or message to follow progress.
Executive Headteacher with responsibility for school improvement across multiple academies within CORE Education Trust, Birmingham. Led rapid improvement in two of the West Midlands' most challenging secondary schools. Recognised by Ofsted for determined leadership in challenging contexts. Responsible for curriculum design, staff development, behaviour policy, and data-informed school improvement.
Headteacher of Central Academy, a secondary school within CORE Education Trust in Birmingham. Inherited a school in significant difficulty and led a sustained improvement programme — rebuilding staff culture, raising expectations, and delivering curriculum improvements across the school. Worked closely across the Trust on wider school improvement and strategic planning.