Simone has worked in education for over 25 years, including 9 years in primary headship. She is currently Deputy Diocesan Director of Education for the Anglican Diocese of Leeds, with the brief for Church School Effectiveness. She line manages the team of school advisers and represents the Diocesan Education Team across a range of school improvement partnership forums.
Simone has a proven track record of supporting schools through rapid improvement, developing teaching and learning and improving outcomes for pupils. She led her own schools to both Outstanding Ofsted and SIAMS outcomes and was a member of the North Yorkshire Commission for School Improvement, exploring system leadership and models of improvement. She is currently training as a SIAMS inspector and is an ordained member of the Church of England, with permission to officiate across the diocese.
Simone was Headteacher at Christ Church Primary School in Skipton (2009-2016), taking the school from its previous Ofsted judgment of ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’ in the 2011 Ofsted Inspection, however this does not tell the full story. The school had been without a substantive Headteacher prior to Simone’s appointment and had been judged inadequate in the first term, so the journey to Outstanding was exceptional and resulted in the school gaining a further 40 pupils, and becoming an oversubscribed ‘school of choice’ within the community.
Prior to this, Simone was Acting Headteacher from 2007-2009 at Norton Justa Kempsey in Worcestershire, moving the school from Notice to Improve, to Good (with outstanding features) in 14 months.
Skills: School Improvement, Diocesan Expert.