Cathy has spent all her career in primary teaching starting work in central London.  Having taught in several culturally diverse schools, Cathy moved to West Sussex and in 1990 became headteacher at Edward Bryant School in Bognor Regis.  She trained and worked as an Ofsted Inspector and lead Edward Bryant to attain an ‘outstanding’ rating in 2010. Cathy has also worked in other schools in partnership with the local authority as a strategic headteacher before helping establish to Schoolsworks in 2012.  Stay in touch with Renaissance Learning through our official Twitter handle ..read more

Kay Tinsley is an English teacher and the Director of Teaching and Learning at TKAT (The Kemnal Academies Trust). Before joining TKAT she worked in a variety of different contexts, many deprived, to secure school improvement. Kay has over 27 years of experience in teaching and educational leadership and is currently researching for her PhD in Education at Sussex University, focused on the reading and teaching of poetry in schools. She is dedicated to ensuring that all children within the TKAT family possess the super power that is reading.  We invite you to join our close-knit community ..read more

Kay Tinsley is an English teacher and the Director of Teaching and Learning at TKAT (The Kemnal Academies Trust). Before joining TKAT she worked in a variety of different contexts, many deprived, to secure school improvement. Kay has over 27 years of experience in teaching and educational leadership and is currently researching for her PhD in Education at Sussex University, focused on the reading and teaching of poetry in schools. She is dedicated to ensuring that all children within the TKAT family possess the super power that is reading.  We invite you to join our close-knit community ..read more

Join this conversation with Natalie Fountain, Regional Education Director for the WISE Academies Trust. This Multi-Academy Trust serves schools in the Northeast of England and comprises 13 primary schools, including one SEND primary school. Across the trust, there have been many great examples of rapid school improvement where senior leaders, staff, parents and local communities have worked collaboratively to inspire success and excellence. Discover how Natalie and the trust team have used diagnostic assessments to improve achievement and identify and overcome the barriers to growth.  We ..read more

As James D'Souza steps into his 20th year as an educator, his story takes on a new chapter richly embroidered with data. He holds the role of Lead Practitioner and serves as the Head of Psychology, with a history of leading Sixth Form education. He strongly believes in empowering fellow teachers to kindle and sustain their passion for profoundly impacting their students.   We invite you to join our close-knit community by subscribing to "The Renaissance Space" podcast on your preferred platform. Feel free to connect with us on Twitter, sharing your thoughts and sparking conversations usin ..read more

Join this conversation with Ben McGarry, Director of English for the OGAT primary academies, as he shares his experiences pitching and developing their trust-wide reading strategy and curriculum. This consistent approach across the academies allows them to pilot impactful and innovative activities which not only support student learning, but also build engagement in reading – and don’t just take their word for it, Ofsted thinks so too. An informative session for those building and refining reading curriculums and looking for inspiration.  ..read more

Jeffrey Boakye is an author, broadcaster and educator with a particular interest in issues surrounding race, masculinity, education and popular culture. Jeffrey taught English to 11- to 18-year-olds for 15 years and now provides training for schools, universities and businesses on race, identity, masculinity and education. He is also Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Manchester’s Institute for Education. Jeffrey’s published books are: Hold Tight: Black Masculinity, Millennials and the Meaning of Grime, Black Listed: Black British Culture Explored, What is Masculinity? Why Does it Ma ..read more

Bec Richardson is an experienced Primary School teacher at Irchester Primary School – part of  Nene Valley Partnership Trust – 3 primary schools and one secondary.  Her many roles include leading Key Stage 2 and reading across the school, and within her Trust leads on writing and presentation.  At County level she is a lead moderator. Please subscribe to The Renaissance Space podcast on whichever platform you listen to. And, don't forget to leave a comment or start a conversation about any episode on Twitter, using the hashtag #RenaissanceSpace You can follow Renaissance Lear ..read more

Alison Tarrant is the Chief Executive of the School Library Association and is Co-Chair of the Great School Libraries campaign. A school librarian before-hand, she set up a library in a new school, and was on the middle management team and held roles as Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator and a form tutor. She was on the Honour List for the SLA School Librarian of the Year in 2016.  The School Library Association is a charity supporting everyone involved with school libraries, whether TAs, library staff or Heads and Governors. We provide CPD on reading and school libraries, offer library de ..read more

Schoolsworks a MAT of eight primary schools have been using Star Assessments for about 7 years and now use the data to support key teaching and learning decisions across the Trust.    With over 35 years experience in Primary schools, Karen Bolland has a role which ensures that schools are exploiting their data.  Her one day a week equivalent role means that she is able to ensure teachers, Senior Leaders and the children are clear about how they have improved and what they need to do next. Karen’s knowledge and understanding of how impactful assessment can be shines through as s ..read more