Our Staff
Seb Thorpe
Programme Manager
Seb is a qualified teacher who has taught in mainstream primary schools and Further Education institutions. He has also worked on developing and delivering a range of programmes and curricula alongside various organisations. Seb has wide ranging knowledge of the education sector having regionally managed an Educational Charity, with experience in sales, marketing and management. As part of the Transition to Teach team, Seb works closely with the Programme Manager and the recruitment and marketing teams to support career changers making the move into teaching.
Nigel Bowen
Lead Guidance and Development Adviser
Nigel has 18 years of Secondary STEM teaching experience, teaching up to A level, with 16 of those years in leadership roles, including Head of Physics, Head of Science and Executive Head. He also has leadership experience as a Chair of Governors of a Primary school; has been an Examiner; and has trained and mentored trainee teachers and NQTs. Nigel leads the Guidance and Development Adviser team, while also supporting his own cohort of participants throughout both their training and NQT years.
Carolyn Walker-Sharp
Guidance and Development Adviser
Carolyn is a widely experienced Primary teacher with over 30 years in education, having enjoyed teaching in a variety of schools across all age ranges. She has substantial experience in leadership and management, as a senior teacher and assistant headteacher with English, KS1 and Early Years as specialisms. An experienced mentor and coach, she has had the privilege of nurturing students and NQT’s. Carolyn is delighted to be encouraging and supporting Transition to Teach participants to make a real difference to the lives and learning of pupils.
Stephen Henry
Guidance and Development Adviser
Stephen has over 25 years’ experience in education including senior roles across several schools in the north west of England. He has worked in maintained schools and an academy that serve diverse populations including some of the most deprived areas of the country. Stephen has extensive experience of coaching and developing middle and senior leaders and supporting trainee and early career teachers. Stephen has more recently moved into higher education working on ITT programmes and education undergraduate programmes. Stephen is delighted to be part of the Transition to Teach team and to help support the next generation of teachers.
Executive Panel
Emma Hollis
Programme Adviser
After gaining a First Class degree in Psychology and training as a primary teacher, she traded her class of Year 6 children for cohorts of adult learners when she became Head of ITT for a SCITT provider in Milton Keynes. She sees teacher education as a continuum and, whilst her heart will always be very close to the initial stages of a teacher’s development, she is also dedicated to ensuring teachers are given access to high quality professional development throughout their careers. Emma took up the role of Executive Director Designate of NASBTT in April 2017 and has been in the post of Executive Director since September 2017.
James Noble-Rogers
Programme Adviser
James Noble-Rogers is Executive Director of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET), a membership organisation for universities involved in teacher education and education research. Prior to taking up this position in 2004, he was Head of Governance at the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) for four years. Before that he was, from 1987 to 2000, a civil servant in the Education Department (in its various guises) and the Teacher Training Agency. James has an Honours degree in Humanities from Hatfield Polytechnic, a Master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Nottingham and a Postgraduate Diploma with distinction from City University, London. He is an Honorary Fellow of Wolverhampton University and in 2015 was awarded an honorary master’s degree in Education from the University of Hertfordshire.
Julie Bostock
Programme Adviser
Julie is currently Director of Teaching School and SCITT at Ripley Teaching School, part of the Bay Learning Trust. She has led School Direct, SCITT and university PGCE programmes in the past 12 years. Before working on school-led programmes, she led secondary ITT at Edge Hill University. Julie’s degree is in Psychology and she taught A level Psychology and KS3 Science previously. She is also now the Mental Health Leader for her multi-academy trust, perfectly combining her two passions, Psychology and Education.