Kenny Frederick
IQM Ambassador
Kenny Frederick retired after 17 years as Principal of a large, mixed, inclusive comprehensive school on the Isle of Dogs in East London which was well known for its inclusive ethos and practice.
Kenny is passionate about inclusion, improving teaching and learning and developing leadership in schools.
She is keen to develop and support teachers and leaders to help them become the best they can be as part of the inclusion agenda.
She has been a governor in a primary school for nearly 20 years.
Since she retired from headship, Kenny has been working as an Education Consultant and has been carrying out research on Teacher Rounds as part of her doctoral studies at Brunel University.
She has worked with Inclusion Quality Mark for the last three years.
Rekha Bhakoo
IQM Ambassador
Rekha Bhakoo has recently left headship after 25 years and has extensive experience in leading and managing schools to achieve rapid school improvement.
She has worked as a National and Local Leader in Education and also as an Executive Headteacher.
Rekha has had experience in mentoring and supporting new Headteachers as a Professional Partner. She has particular expertise in developing senior and middle leaders, inclusion, teaching, learning and assessment.
Rekha was awarded the CBE for her services to education.
Steve Gill
IQM Ambassador
Steve Gill spent 32 years teaching in Runcorn as Assistant Headteacher. During his time there he was the Lead Behaviour Professional within the school, attended regional National Strategy Meetings representing Halton, was a member of the Halton Project Board, and oversaw the Locality Working Pilot Group which brought together external services in key areas of Halton to support vulnerable students and families.
He was a Governor at The Bridge Pupil Referral Unit for many years, and held strategic responsibility for the school SEF and SIP.
Steve was fortunate to have had the responsibility for increasingly challenging areas within school settings – this included developing strategies for and leading inclusion in different settings, developing links with external agencies and businesses that supported students in school to achieve success.
During his 36 years in education Steve believes the most challenging role he has faced is in behaviour management. This allowed him to develop a drive and enthusiasm to improve students’ behaviour, attitudes to learning and hence their life chances. Part of this process was the necessity to change not only the student’s attitudes, but also that of staff.
Steve has always been an enthusiastic, self-confident teacher and this has enabled a rapport to be built effectively with students and colleagues allowing them to engage effectively in their learning. This continues to be the case in his role as an IQM Assessor and Ambassador.
Andrea Atkinson
IQM Ambassador
Andrea has 30 years’ experience in education as a teacher, project manager, Special School Head Teacher and Inclusion Specialist. After five years working as Executive Director for Inclusion and Associate Education Director for a MAT and International school network, she is now Owner and Director of Andrea Atkinson Education Services Ltd. As a development partner, Andrea works with schools and educational networks, providing coaching as required and offering specialist leadership consultancy through guidance and on-going support.
Based on a solid foundation of educational practice in the United Kingdom, Andrea now also works extensively in schools in Sweden, North America and the Middle East. She shares her experience of multi-disciplinary team management, pedagogical development and inclusion policies, showing how to put appropriate skills effectively into practice in areas such as special needs, developmental safeguarding audits and can also provide training and specialist coaching for school leaders and inclusion practitioners alike.
As a development partner, Andrea can work with established schools or start-ups, with trusts, academy groups and education providers, to deliver successful and effective change management and improved outcomes for children at all levels of ability and need.
Andrea is an accredited Visible Learning Plus Consultant (Cognition Education), a Consultant Principal for Kunskapsskolan Education (UK) and an IQM (Inclusion Quality Mark) Assessor.
Roger Leeke
IQM Ambassador
Roger Leeke is a highly experienced Education Consultant. His career has involved working with schools in challenging circumstances and those that are highly successful.
He has delivered training to Governing Bodies, and mentored and coached Senior Leadership Teams, including the appraisal of teachers and Headteachers.
Roger has developed and delivered a range of in-service training including assessment for learning, whole school inclusion, Multiple Intelligences, the Inspection Framework, interpretation of Raiseonline, Growth Mindset and Moving from Good to Outstanding.
He has also led courses for governors focusing on self-evaluation and the role of the governor.
Roger has a reputation as an experienced Headteacher and Supportive School Improvement Partner.
His achievements were recognised when he attended a garden party in Buckingham Palace and one in Highgrove hosted by Prince Charles in recognition of an Outstanding Ofsted inspection.
Roger has a vision of education which provides quality and breadth to ensure balanced and outstanding learning for all children.
He has completed a MA in Education at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford where he has achieved a distinction.
Roger is a governor of a Chelmsford school and also lectures part-time in primary education at Anglia Ruskin University.
He has been an IQM Assessor for eight years.
Kevin O’Neill
IQM Ambassador
Kevin O’Neill is Principal of St Colman’s Primary School and All Saints Nursery Unit which gained the prestigious IQM Flagship Award in 2017.
Over a 16 year career Kevin has worked in schools in Manchester, Belfast, Dubai, Auckland, Leeds and since 2013 in Annaclone, Northern Ireland.
Kevin is a current ETI Schools Associate Inspector in Northern Ireland and holds a Masters in Catholic Schools Leadership.
Kevin is an eTwinning Ambassador for the British Council and remains heavily involved in ERASMUS+ and connecting international schools through Global Learning projects.
Pat Wood
IQM Ambassador
Pat Wood has 40 years of experience in the teaching profession across schools in London. She has been Headteacher of an outstanding Primary School for the past 14 years, having previously been a Deputy Headteacher and SENCo for 10 years.
She is proud of the inclusive ethos of her school, which is underpinned by values education.
Pat’s school achieved IQM Flagship Status in 2014. It is also the lead school in a Teaching School Alliance, which includes a school for children with autism. The Teaching School trains new teachers and leads a range of CPD.
Pat is a National Leader of Education, with a proven record of supporting schools across London, helping them to secure improvement.
She also shares the role of London Pupil Premium Champion, with a fellow Headteacher. Together they carry out Pupil Premium reviews, deliver training on best practice in Pupil Premium and train Pupil Premium Reviewers from across the country.
Angela Farrell
IQM Ambassador
Angela Farrell is Assistant Head at Barton Hill Academy in Torquay, a committed IQM Flagship school with responsibility for leading inclusion.
Angela is passionate about ensuring every child meets their full potential and has the best opportunities they can have whilst being in school.
Angela is a Senior Leader of Education and has experience in supporting school improvement in all areas of SEND, leading peer-to-peer reviews and mentoring new SENCos.
Angela is also an Ambassador for the British Council and believes every pupil and teacher in education should experience working with other countries to further both experiences and practice.
Ralph Silverman
IQM Ambassador
Ralph Silverman retired from teaching after 39 years. During his career he became a Deputy Headteacher in Upshire Primary School in 1990 and later became Headteacher.
Ralph became head of Honilands Primary School in 2007 and retired in 2017. He saw the school through many changes and helped raise it from Requiring Improvement to Good.
Honilands welcomes many visitors to see its IQM Flagship school. It operates a fully inclusive ‘College’ for its KS2 students every Wednesday afternoon. Parents are invited to see their children graduate at the end of each half term. As the college was so successful a parents’ college was created and a graduation evening is held each term where children are invited to see their parents succeed.
Ralph believes children should be given as many opportunities as possible to succeed in life.
Ralph now lectures for the Forest Independent Primary Collegiate running their Professional Studies Course. He mentors School’s Direct trainees and is delighted to support new teachers at the outset of the careers.
Jane Flynn
IQM Ambassador
Jane Flynn recently retired from full-time work as Senior Vice Principal of an outstanding inner city secondary school.
She has 39 years experience of working in education in both London and the Midlands, 28 years of which has been as part of Senior Leadership Teams.
Jane has led whole school Teaching and Learning, Staff Professional Development and Training, Pastoral, Safeguarding and, in addition, Inclusion across a Multi-Academy Trust.
Stephanie Robinson
IQM Ambassador
Stephanie Robinson is a highly experienced manager and consultant who has led key national projects and staff in a business and education environment.
Following her work as a Head Teacher in the Primary sector, she moved into teacher training (PGCE and GTP) and became Head of Early Years.
She was invited to become Senior Project Lead for a company leading EYPS National Moderation and QA before working as an Independent Consultant.
Stephanie is passionate about the importance of inclusion and seeks to promote an inclusive approach in all settings.
She is a skilled communicator who establishes positive and constructive relationships with stakeholders at all levels, she recognises the importance of parent partnership in the learning process.
Max Kelly
IQM Ambassador
Max Kelly is an Executive Headteacher who works in the Isle of Man, he currently heads up two schools, one in a thriving tourist location and the other is a small rural school. He has also worked in a wide variety of settings of all shapes and sizes, including primary schools, junior schools, infant schools and children’s centres.
Max currently serves as a member on the Isle of Man Fostering Panel and is also the President of the National Association of Headteachers branch in the Isle of Man.
One of Max’s schools is a member of the IQM family, and holds Centre of Excellence status, the other has just started on that journey.
Max’s work as a director at a children’s residential home, contact centre, adoption and fostering service and nursery has given him a wide experience of working with children and families and has shaped his views of inclusion and why it’s so vital we get this right in our educational settings.
Sandra Sefer
IQM Ambassador
Sandra Sefer has been supporting children and families with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities within Enfield Local Authority for almost 30 years.
She is passionate about inclusion and takes great pleasure working with professionals constantly striving towards best possible outcomes for all children.
Sandra currently works as SENCo / LAC coordinator and Designated Safeguarding Lead at an outstanding Primary School which holds the Flagship IQM award and Initial Teacher Training Status.
For the last three years Sandra has also worked as a SEND consultant within the Local Authority supporting professionals embedding the SEND reforms.
This takes her into a range of settings including pre-schools, PVIs, mainstream schools, special schools, academies and colleges.
Sandra also delivers bespoke training in inclusive practice, policy and legislation through an outstanding National Teaching School.
Pauline Roberts
IQM Ambassador
Pauline Roberts worked throughout her career in schools in deprived areas of inner London and did extensive work to promote inclusion at senior level in large secondary schools with diverse pupil populations.
In particular, Pauline developed language strategies for monolingual and bilingual learners in multilingual schools and has expertise in modern foreign languages teaching. She has also worked very closely with primary schools to share inclusive strategies across clusters of schools.
Following her years in schools, Pauline worked for two local authorities, Tower Hamlets in East London and Leicester, to lead on one-to-one tuition for children at KS2, 3 and 4. Also in Tower Hamlets, she led a very successful local authority academic English project to improve the essay writing skills of sixth form students.
Pauline has been working for IQM for several years both as an Assessor and an Ambassador.
Sandie Isherwood
IQM Ambassador
Sandie Isherwood has been a Headteacher in Cheshire East since 2001, and in 2014 converted her current school into a Multi-Academy Trust of which she is the current Executive Principal.
Sandie believes every school leader has the opportunity to drive their school to be fully inclusive and celebrate every child for the creative individual that they are. Her school was the first in Cheshire to achieve IQM status in 2003, and has been recognised as IQM Flagship status for a number of years now.
Sandie has worked regularly with the British Council visiting Sweden, Spain, Australia, Ukraine, Cuba and Germany to research education practice and bring the best bits back to England.
She continues to undertake consultancy work for a number of organisations and holds a number of active positions linked to education such as a Trustee for Love Music Trust, Strategic Board Member for SEND within Cheshire East and Director of the Congleton Education Community Partnership.
David Bowden
IQM Ambassador
David Bowden is a former headteacher of a Flagship IQM primary school. With over 15 years of experience in primary, secondary and outdoor education, David understands the importance of inclusive practice to achieve outstanding outcomes for all.
He currently works with the Open University, managing and developing curriculum resources, alongside his role as the founder of Word Guerrilla, an organisation that delivers poetry performances, writing workshops and training opportunities to schools and other organisations with a key focus on developing creativity, engagement, productivity and well-being for all through writing practice.