We are delighted to introduce our team of advisers, all of whom have had long and successful careers in education…

Sean O’Toole

Sean O’Toole is the Head of Prospects Improve. His career has included teaching and headship. Sean develops and leads on school and academy improvement and training, especially in leadership and management and leading inspections. He leads the team of advisers in working in approximately 400 schools across all phases. The main focus of this highly successful work is in developing leadership teams and improving teaching and learning in order to raise standards. Sean leads on developing and designing courses and conferences, often with the support of headteachers, to ensure that events are well focused and meet the needs of schools. As a specialist in the Early Years Foundation Stage he works closely with nursery schools and children’s centres.

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Trevor Davies

Trevor Davies has an outstanding track record as the headteacher of primary and secondary schools. His extensive inspection experience has been enhanced through his exceptional knowledge of curriculum development. Trevor also has worked on innovative programmes to support those with learning difficulties, especially autism. He has extensive experience as a trainer and designs and leads a wide range of courses that empower leaders and teachers in contributing to high quality education. He has extensive international experience.

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Vanessa Ward

Vanessa Ward is a very experienced school and academy improvement adviser and trainer who has worked extensively with headteachers, senior staff and teachers to help them accelerate school improvement. Vanessa has many years experience as an Ofsted inspector and frequently uses her up-to-date knowledge of inspection to help schools improve their self-evaluation and prepare effectively for inspection. Vanessa is an accredited trainer with Ofsted and has trained headteachers to become inspectors, as well as tutoring a wide range of training courses, including improving teaching and developing leadership roles. Vanessa has also trained school governors in understanding their roles and responsibilities. Her career in education and experience as both a teacher and headteacher enable her to base the advice and guidance she gives on the realities of school life.

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Hugh Protherough

Hugh Protherough works as a school and academy improvement adviser for primary and Early Years Foundation Stage. He has extensive experience of school inspection since 1994, running his own company as an Ofsted contractor before becoming deputy director of inspection with Prospects 2004-08. Before that he was a headteacher of two schools, worked as a teacher educator and led the National Primary Centre in the Midlands, supporting and publishing classroom based action research. He retains a life-long interest in the arts, theatre and literature and has extensive expertise working in these areas within a wide range of educational settings.

Christopher Gray

Christopher Gray has wide experience as an inspector and trainer.  He has worked in primary and middle schools, with much experience of senior management. He has inspected over 100 primary schools in recent years. His particular areas of expertise are leadership and management, performance management, curriculum, mathematics and ICT.

Judy Dawson

Judy Dawson is a school and academy improvement adviser. Judy is also a registered inspector and has been inspecting schools for many years. She has been a headteacher, a member of the advisory service for schools and an external adviser for headteachers’ performance management. Her particular area of expertise is in school improvement through effective leadership and management, developing teaching skills and the curriculum.

Mick Pye

Mick Pye is an experienced Ofsted inspector and had undertaken approximately 450 inspections of primary, secondary and special schools since 1995. He started his career in education in Slough and worked as Head of Year / Head of History, Politics and Sociology and has senior management experience as Head of Upper School. He is also an experienced trainer, identifying training needs and delivering training to teachers and middle managers in areas such as pupil management techniques, personal and social education delivery, middle management and teaching methods.

Julie Price-Grimshaw

Julie Price-Grimshaw is an school and academy improvement adviser and works as a lead inspector for Ofsted inspections. From 2001 to 2007 she worked a one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors. She has experience of working for the TDA as a quality and inspection specialist and has undertaken consultancy work for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust. Her work in primary, secondary and FE phases has included helping schools with self evaluation, subject reviews in music, dance, drama and ICT and improving teaching and learning.

Nick Austin

Nick works nationally and internationally as a trainer, coach and consultant.  Nick was a primary teacher and head teacher for many years before running his own training and consulting business. Nick has designed and delivered professional development training in the areas of teaching and learning, leadership and management, coaching and training skills and has delivered professional development consultancy for  National College of School Leadership and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. His areas of expertise also include applied psychology for selection, leadership and team development using range of psychometric tools.

Lilian Weatherley

Lilian is an experienced Ofsted team inspector in both the primary and secondary phases having been trained in 1993, inspecting English, SEN, Foundation Stage and Geography as well as RE and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Lilian has worked as a school’s and RE adviser for the Winchester and Portsmouth Diocesan Board of Education where her work involved monitoring the quality of teaching and learning of RE and worship in the 149 Diocesan schools and leading on SIAS inspections.  She has extensive experience as a trainer and adviser, working with newly qualified headteachers and middle managers and schools in special measures.