NEW Moving forward with CfW: one year to go!

LEADERSHIP and MANAGEMENT/ ASSESSMENT for LEARNING - Gareth Coombes is an Educational Consultant, he has 17 years’ advisory experience. Previously he has worked as a Challenge Adviser, a Lead Adviser in Newport LA, with a key responsibility for leadership and teaching and learning across the city's 54 primary schools. Prior to that Gareth worked in Torfaen and in an earlier life was a very successful primary headteacher. Gareth Coombes is an Estyn Inspector of both Key Stage 2 and Foundation Phase. He is experienced in international working, particularly in the Far East, most recently in Dubai and Myanmar. In his INSET, he will outline successful strategies, citing the many instances of excellent and good practices that he observes on his travels. His Inset is underpinned by up-to-date educational research. He believes in supporting schools with the 'how to do it' as opposed to the 'what to do'. His style is engaging and varied! He tells it as it is! He has presented at range of conferences. Gareth’s fields of expertise are all aspects of leadership and effective teaching and learning. He has created a series of supportive educational products, particularly Leadership Continua, Middle Leaders Continua, Continua for LSAs, Continua for Kids and materials to support effective self-evaluation and work scrutiny! Most recently he is supporting schools in writing high-quality and much shorter SERs! In partnership, he has re-launched Teaching Continua, currently used in over 500 schools, as an on-line developmental self-evaluation tool for teachers and school development. Gareth Coombes is currently working on materials to support schools in developing Successful Futures. Search for Courses

SCIENCE and OUTDOOR LEARNING - Karen Mills is passionate about Science and Outdoor Learning. She was the Curriculum Improvement Advisor for Science and ESDGC for Newport CC, as well as the regional coordinator for ESDGC Schools Networks. She has an M.A. in Early Years Education. Karen was a member of the working party for DCELLS Science Curriculum 2008. She was co-author of Module 6 for the Foundation Phase and was a member of the WAG working group that developed ESDGC 'A Common Understanding for Schools’. Search for courses