optimise leadership solutions
London
As a former primary Head Teacher of three substantive posts and one interim
headship, I now enjoy my role in providing independent consultancy support and
challenge to leaders at all levels in a wide range of context. I am former
School Improvement Partner (SIP) across four Local Authority areas, Ofsted and
Diocesan Inspector. I am an accedited and experienced leadership coach and
employ a coaching approach to much of my work with the school leaders. I have
trained many leaders to become effective coaches and facilitated the
implementation of a coaching culture in a number of schools. I continue to
facilitate and lead the review of Head Teachers’ performance since its
introduction in 2001, across many part of the country. I am tuned into the needs
of governors with regard to this and offer training to governors who are new to
the process. I have assisted the development of governing bodies in many areas
of governance. NICKI BELL Former Head Teacher I first became a Head Teacher in
January 1995 and was substantive Head Teacher of three schools and an interim
Head Teacher of a fourth. Between my last two headships I worked for four years
for a national training company in Cambridge that was, at that time, an
affiliated centre for the National College. I was responsible for rolling out a
number of a national programmes in the East region, including Leading from the
Middle. I retired from headship in 2016. My final school was a three-form entry
Infant and Nursery School in Birmingham judged by Ofsted to be an outstanding
school. We were federated to our adjoining Junior school which was the lead
school in a Teaching School Alliance, (TSA) and I was heavily involved in the
CPD element of this. My career has offered lots of opportunities to do exciting
things. I was a seconded National College Associate for four years supporting
school leadership in the West Midlands. I have been lucky enough to write and
deliver leadership training in many different places, the two most distant being
in the Middle East and China. I now have two roles. I am Director of Primary
Education for a Trust for 40% of my time and the rest of my working life is
freelance, frequently working with Alistair. We write and deliver training for
leaders, at all levels, in primary schools and develop resources to support head
teachers with many of the bureaucratic tasks of headship. Alongside this I do a
lot of 1-1 support of schools, acting as an Improvement Partner, supporting HT
performance management and providing CPD.
