I am a teacher, educator and writer based in south London, and Director of the STEP Ahead Teaching School Hub. This involves delivering CPD and ITT to teachers and leaders in schools across the south east.

My Churchill Fellowship was focused on teacher development. I travelled to New York and Boston to research the support that is provided for novice teachers in high-performing school networks and other organisations in the United States.

The quality of initial training and induction received by novice teachers is one of the largest determinants of their later success, and one of the key levers that can be used to drive recruitment and retention. As a teacher educator, I wanted to identify the best ways to train and support novice teachers, ensuring that they feel successful, are motivated to stay in the profession, and do the best job of teaching their pupils that they can.

I have used much of what I learned on my Fellowship travels in my role as teacher educator, and hope to spread my key messages to others who work in teacher development, whether they be mentors, senior leaders, system leaders and policy-makers.