About me
Liz is a school and system leader, passionate about asking bigger questions about what school can or should be about and working with others to make that a reality. Liz began her headship back in 2006, and leads from a clear vision of education which acknowledges the reality of children as ‘whole beings’ with multifaceted needs and capabilities, who live within families and communities. She has worked throughout her career to design school practices which embrace this truth and avoid simplistic or reductive assumptions and approaches.
Liz is the co-founder and CEO of Big Education, a Multi-academy Trust running schools in underserved communities in inner London. Liz and the team are seeking to act as change makers in the wider system by modelling practices which embody ‘a big education’ - an education of the ‘heart, head, and hand’. They run a number of projects and programmes, including Rethinking Assessment, Rethinking Leadership, the ‘Rethinking School’ project and the Big Education Leadership Programme, to facilitate innovation, build capacity in others and advocate for change. Liz is part of the Bell childcare review for the Labour party.
Liz has a particular interest in developing values-led leadership, and has worked extensively as a speaker, trainer and coach. As mum to two young girls, Ella and Alys, Liz works flexibly to manage her roles. She’s also made lots of mistakes in her career and tries to model being a learner and avoid the trappings of ‘superhero’ leadership.
