With over 30 years of experience in education — as a teacher, leader, headteacher, and consultant — and more than a decade in academia researching leadership and professional development, Sarah brings a wealth of expertise that exemplifies true educational praxis: combining research and practice to create innovative solutions for school leaders.

​

Her expertise includes:

​

• Applying research methodologies to enhance teachers’ and leaders’ professional practice — whether through inquiry into their own work or by using research approaches as school improvement tools, with a particular focus on Lesson Study;

• Fostering innovation cultures within schools, including the use of design thinking methodologies, the development of school environments where innovation can flourish, and the application of implementation science and change management theories;

• Knowledge mobilisation, especially making research accessible to practitioners, and codifying learning by supporting teachers and leaders to publish their findings in practical, accessible formats for use in other schools;

• Supporting creative and effective pedagogies, including social construction and oracy, problem-solving and metacognition, play-based learning, project-based learning, and real-world learning;

• Impact evaluation, with particular emphasis on mixed-methods and participatory approaches.

 

Sarah also conducts and publishes research focusing on the challenges of implementation — especially the difficulties of adapting professional development approaches such as Japanese Lesson Study across different cultural contexts.

​

Currently, she divides her time between several roles: working part-time as a freelance consultant, serving as Associate Headteacher at School 360, an experimental school pushing the boundaries of education, and acting as Strategic Lead for Learning and Development at Big Education, where she oversees the Rethinking School project — a network of schools dedicated to innovation within the education system.