Shane has over 16 years’ experience of teaching in a variety of educational settings including Comprehensive, Upper, Academy, and Primary schools. He has had a range of successful leadership roles including Primary Headship, Assistant Headteacher in two challenging schools, and Assistant Principal with line management responsibilities for science, work related learning, business studies and technology.
In every leadership role, he has contributed to improvements in academic progress – moving from inadequate to outstanding educational provision, and from special measures to good and outstanding in overall school judgements. More recently as a School Improvement Adviser, Shane took on a role acting as interim Headteacher, supporting a school in a category of concern. He is a strong believer in continuous educational development, and has self-funded several further qualifications, including at diploma and masters level, to ensure his skills and expertise remain current.
Over the last 8 years, as a consultant and Adviser, Shane has developed and applied his expertise in the education sector providing rigorous support, advice and guidance in science, curriculum development, leadership and management, assessment, school governance and whole school improvement. He is happy to roll his sleeves up, working alongside school-based colleagues, to drive change and improvement.
Prior to his career in education Shane studied and trained at Sandhurst and served as an engineering Officer in the British Army, leading and managing diverse and talented groups to achieve organisational excellence in challenging conditions and environments. From the Arctic to the desert and from UN observer to active service, his military experiences underpin his personal ethos, “carpe diem” (seize the day) and the opportunity, happy to go outside of his comfort zone to broaden insight and experience.
Shane has recently been with the Buckinghamshire Learning Trust since its establishment as a School Improvement Adviser. He is currently establishing a new educational company Thames Valley Science Network (TVSN) to support the development of science education across the Thames region as well as developing an ‘alternative’ education curriculum.