Early in my career, I reached what felt like a big milestone: becoming Head of Department for Physical Education. Not long into the role, I was observed teaching by a team that included senior staff. The lesson was a complete disaster, and I received the judgement every teacher dreads: unsatisfactory.
It was a real rock-bottom moment. I went through all of it — denial, frustration, disappointment, self-doubt, reflection — and, thankfully, learning.
That experience changed me. It pushed me to look more deeply at my teaching and to ask better questions about what really helps students learn. Along the way, I found incredible educators and writers who helped shape my thinking, especially Paul Ginnis and his brilliant book The Teacher’s Toolkit.
From there, I started exploring more engaging ways to teach. I tried new strategies in my classroom, refined them over time, and worked to align them with what we know from cognitive science and high-impact teaching practice. The more I saw my students enjoying lessons, thinking more deeply, and understanding more clearly, the more passionate I became about sharing these ideas with others.
Untamed Education comes from that journey.
It is built on the belief that teachers should not have to spend endless hours second-guessing whether their resources are hitting the mark. My aim is to create materials that save teachers time by giving them confidence that everything is aligned to the examination board of their choice, meets high expectations for teaching and learning, and supports students to access content through a range of different mediums. The hope is that this makes lessons not only easier to plan, but more engaging, effective and meaningful for the students in front of them.