Author list

Delyth Lynch has over 25 years’ experience of teaching and senior leadership in education and is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading experts in safeguarding, particularly in the independent sector. She speaks regularly about the issue of culture within schools and the work that she has pioneered at Wellington College around values, behaviours and attitudes. Her work has been cited by IICSA, and she has been recognised on the national stage by being awarded the Safeguarding and Child Protection Association’s ‘Outstanding initiative award’ for 2 consecutive years. She is co-author of the Farrer & Co guides, Developing and implementing a low-level concerns policy: a guide for organisations which work with children and Addressing child-on-child abuse: a resource for schools and colleges. Delyth is also an independent expert for Words Matter, an active member of the NADSL, Vice Chair of Governors at an independent school in Wokingham and is on the Executive Board of SACPA (Safeguarding and Child Protection Association). She is an NSPCC accredited trainer and trained in supervision and in the delivery of Safer Recruitment Training.

Rachel Macfarlane is the Director of Education Services at Herts for Learning having previously been head teacher at three contrasting schools over a 16-year period. Between 2009 and 2018 Rachel was project director of the London Leadership Strategy's Going for Great (G4G) programme, which involved working with leaders of outstanding schools to share great practice and produce case studies for dissemination to London schools.

Terry Mahony is head of Hampshire’s Professional Development & Training Service and a trainer on the Leading From the Middle programme of the National College for School Leadership. He has twenty years’ experience as a leadership trainer and coach and is an accredited mediator with the Portsmouth Mediation Service, working to resolve conflicts in the community and the workplace in that city. A member of Robert Dilt’s NLP Global Training and Consulting Community, he writes on the applications of Neuro-Linguistic Programming in education, personal professional development and in mediation.

Michael Mallows was a management trainer and consultant and a psychotherapist with a background in transactional analysis, co-counselling, neuro-linguistic programming and enneagram analysis. He also recorded a series of relaxation audiotapes and designed typecasting workshops for anyone involved in creating fictional characters.

Dr James Mannion is the Director of Rethinking Education, a teacher training organisation dedicated to improving educational outcomes through self-regulated learning, implementation science, and practitioner research. He has a Masters in Person-Centred Education from the University of Sussex, and a PhD in Self-Regulated Learning from the University of Cambridge. Previously, James taught in secondary schools for 12 years.  

Richie Manu is an award-winning lecturer, designer and creative mentor who in 2017 won the University of the Arts London Teaching Excellence Award, which recognises curriculum innovation and the making of a positive and significant difference to students' learning journeys. With a background in design, branding and communications, Richie specialises in personal, professional and business development, working with individuals and organisations from all over the world to achieve their targets. 

He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and has taught at the London College of Fashion and on the International Design Camp Programme in Hong Kong. He also holds several senior lecturing posts at Central Saint Martins, a world-leading centre for art and design in London. Richie combines his experience of both creative practice and academic teaching to empower individuals and businesses with effective strategies and approaches for differentiating themselves and standing out in competitive environments.

Richie Manu is an award-winning lecturer, designer and creative mentor. With a background in design, branding and communications, he specialises in personal, professional and business development, working with individuals and organisations from all over the world to achieve targets and develop. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has taught at the London College of Fashion, on the International Design Camp Programme in Hong Kong, as well as holding several senior lecturing posts at Central Saint Martins, a world leading centre for art and design in London. Richie combines his experience of both creative practice and academic teaching to empower individuals and businesses to achieve goals with effective strategies and approaches for differentiating themselves and standing out in competitive environments.

As entrepreneur, author, and creative resource, Nancy's clients are as diverse as the Clinton White House and Cabinet, the Dalai Lama, and scores of Fortune 500 companies including Intel, Boeing, and Xerox. She is well known for her development of Mindscaping, the visual mapping of complex concepts.

Her most recent books are short fiction, Short Shorts: Sudden Fiction and Animal Husband published by Mel C Thompson.

Lindsey Marsh's career in fundraising began in 2005 and she has since raised thousands of pounds for local schools and charities in Shropshire. Lindsey has also previously run her own business, and won recognition and funding for two enterprise start-up projects during her media and business management studies.

"School fundraisers ' 10 tips to running a successful event" read the full article here. 

Curly Martin is the trail blazing author of the international ground-breaking bestseller The Life Coaching Handbook, a world first life coaching book written specifically for life coaches on how to build a life coaching business. This means that she is the pioneer for Life Coach Training. She has written The Business Coaching Handbook and The Personal Success Handbook which complete this handbook series.

She has also written or co-written over 30 books and articles on coaching. Curly is a Fellow member of The International Authority of Professional Coaching and Mentoring, which means she has met their highest robust criteria. Curly Martin 'an inspirational trainer, an un-equalled coach and one of the most impressive human beings I've ever met.' - Simon Cheung LCH Dip. Curly is the forerunner of life coach training, a pioneer and ground breaking author, top ten life coach (Observer Magazine) and one of the top 5% most viewed LinkedIn profiles.

She founded Achievement Specialists Limited, an internationally accredited life coach training company in 1997 (incorporated 2004) using her 25+ years experience as a business coach, mentor and trainer.

Click here to read Curly Martin’s blog.

With over two decades' worth of experience as a history teacher, Robert Massey has for the past six years led the Scholars' Programme at Bristol Grammar School. He has a particular interest in supporting his colleagues in the provision of stretch and challenge opportunities for high-attaining students. He regularly speaks at education conferences.

How to help your students become Expert Learners' - click here to read Robert's blog post on NACE.

Click here to read Robert Massey’s blog.

Peter Mattock has been teaching and leading maths for over 15 years. He is the Secondary Maths National Thought Leader with Twinkl publishing and is a specialist leader of education (SLE) and an accredited secondary maths professional development lead who regularly presents at conferences across the country. Peter also develops teaching for mastery in the secondary school classroom, having been part of the first cohort of specialists trained in mastery approaches by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM).

Read Peter's features in TES:

Why our SLT need to be as accountable to us as we are to them'

The government and Ofsted have cost more people their careers than I can count'

Four ways to make sure maths teachers stay happy (and stay put)'

Take it from the task-master: easy ways to get pupils thinking'

Ten steps to surviving as a new head of department'

Five ways maths teachers can persuade secondary colleagues to embed numeracy'

How to grade questions in the new GCSE system'

Click here to read Peter Mattock’s blog.

An MFL teacher with twenty years' classroom experience, James A. Maxwell is principal of Carrickfergus Grammar School and winner of the London German Embassy's 2005 UK German Teacher Award. He has worked with the BBC on the development of their educational resources and has presented at various regional conferences, including on the use of digital media assets in modern languages education.

Having worked as an English and special educational needs teacher for twenty-five years, Jon Mayhew is now in demand on the school event circuit ' delivering writing workshops to students from Key Stage 2 to sixth form. He is also a Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow, helping students to improve their academic writing at Chester University. Jon is the author of the Monster Odyssey series and the multi-award-winning Mortlock.

Duncan McColl was a member of the International Association of Precision Therapists and the International Society for Professional Hypnosis (USA) and was a biofeedback, behavioural and management science consultant. He served as a pilot in the RAF during the Second World War. He later qualified as a chartered accountant and worked as a senior financial and marketing executive in leading British and American companies whilst spending thirty-five years abroad, mainly in the United States, Canada, Australia, Mexico and Spain. He successfully applied ancient and modern teachings, many of them not available in English, to health and business problems, to stress management, creative thinking, psychometric interviewing, and to staff motivation and development. He had an especially delightful and infectious sense of humour.

Julie McCracken is a primary school teacher, whose passion for children and effective learning has led her to become a certified Clean Language facilitator and NLP Master Practitioner in addition to her busy day job. She believes in the simple but essential solutions this training provides in allowing her to ensure that her students are part of an inclusive, interactive and happy learning environment.

Emma McCrea is a senior lecturer at the University of Brighton, specialising in the design and delivery of evidence-informed teacher training for both trainee and experienced teachers. She has led professional development training for organisations such as the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI) and the Maths Hubs. She is currently studying for a Fellowship in Education and is the founding director of an edtech start-up. Having started her career as a maths teacher at an innovative secondary school in East Sussex, Emma has since worked as a head of maths, qualified as an advanced skills teacher and led on teaching and learning and teacher professional development.

Ian McDermott specialises in giving people the skills to innovate their own collaborative leadership solutions. Much of his time is spent advising senior leaders worldwide and coaching the next generation to be innovative leaders.

Ian is an Honorary Fellow of Exeter University Business School where his focus is on leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship. He is Dean of Innovation & Learning for the Purposeful Planning Institute in the US and his work is featured in the Open University's MBA course Creativity, Innovation and Change'. Ian is External Faculty at Henley Business School where he helped create the MSc. in Coaching and Behavioral Change. He is also a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

Ian McDermott has pioneered Leadership and Innovation Coaching, has trained a generation of coaches, is a member of the Association for Coaching's Global Advisory Panel and is AC Global Ambassador for Innovation and Collaboration.

Based in the UK and the US, he is an acknowledged thought leader. A published authority, he has authored and co-authored fifteen books on systems thinking, NLP and coaching. Titles include The Art of Systems Thinking, Principles of NLP and The Coaching Bible.

Ian's primary focus is on delivering practical how-tos' to ensure that learning in leadership and change, innovation and collaboration really happen. That's why he set up International Teaching Seminars (ITS).

25+ years on ITS continues to pioneer the application of practical techniques which are grounded in sound neuroscience for individuals, teams and organizations.



For details of consultancy, coaching and training: www.itsnlp.com

Avril McDonald is the bestselling, award-winning author of the Feel Brave series of books and founder of Feel Brave, a company with a vision to give all children access to tools that help them manage tough emotions and reach their potential. Avril has a Diploma of Education from Wellington College of Education, New Zealand, where she trained as a primary school teacher majoring in music and dance. She then had a varied career in digital entertainment before launching Feel Brave to give teachers and parents simple and practical strategies to help children with their emotional well-being. Her free ‘1 Dose/Day’ emotional well-being programme for children is now used in more than 350 schools across ten countries. Avril is an official partner of the New Zealand Life Education Trust and Patron of Westminster Children’s University.

Click here to read a feature on Avril's Feel Brave series on New Zealand's Stuff' website.

Click here to listen to UKEdChats podcast with Avril McDonald.

'Emotional tools for kids taught through books and songs.'

'Teaching children empathy.'

'Empowering kids to feel brave and tackle tough emotions'

Dr Matthew McFall is an education consultant and practitioner with an interest in puzzles, games, mazes, labyrinths and escape rooms.

His work focuses on the uses of wonderment for learning and engagement within both formal and non-formal educational environments. His second doctorate explores the heritage of wonder and considers how ' and why ' it remains relevant to pupils, families and communities. Matthew believes that at the heart of valuable learning is curiosity and positivity, which leads to a lifelong love of finding out more about the universe.

He has championed the venerable tradition of the Cabinet of Curiosities as a boon for schools, helping to establish dedicated wonder spaces both in mainstream schools and in specialist settings for pupils with learning difficulties. He also collaborates with museums to help create spaces that are stimulating, nurturing and surprising.

His book The Little Book of Awe and Wonder: A cabinet of curiosities is a portable cornucopia of the weird and the wonderful, celebrating the joys of discovery, exploration and sharing. Between the covers is an entire world of brilliant strangeness: riddles and illusions; jokes and wisdoms; wasp eyes and kidney crystals. Open the book at random and be transported, delighted and enlightened.

Matthew as featured in The Guardian, 2011: A Wonder Room - every school should have one.

Ormond McGill was known as The Dean of American Hypnotists. He was a magician and hypnotist of international renown, and toured many parts of the world with his exciting stage shows: East Indian Miracles, The Seance of Wonders, Real Mental Magic, South Sea Island Magic and The Concert of Hypnotism, to name but a few. Ormond McGill was also a naturalist of prominence, his contributions to entomology and conchology being well known in those fields.