Our AssociatesCambridge Education Australia brings together a team of outstanding consultants with both International and Australian experience.Peter Brain Peter Brain has worked in a range of senior regional leadership roles in Victorian education over the last 14 years in the areas of professional development, leadership capacity building, school improvement and operations. Peter also worked for 2 years across Eastern Indonesia as a part of an Australian Aide education program in leadership development and school improvement. Peter is a trained coach focusing on school leadership and has 8 years experience as a secondary and P-12 principal.
Noelle Burdekin Noelle has extensive educational leadership experience working in a range of settings and differing roles. She worked as Principal in Regional Victoria for a number of years. Prior to these positions she was a Cluster Educator and a Teaching and Learning coach.
As a cluster educator for DEECD she had extensive experience facilitating and preparing workshops across the network. Through this experience, she has developed a keen understanding of effective models of developing adult learning.
Noelle has had valuable experience as host principal as part of the Principal Intern program. She has a deep and contemporary understanding of DEECD contexts, priorities and future initiatives. Noelle has highly developed skills in coaching and mentoring and a sophisticated understanding of the coaching relationship.
Back to top Martin Culkin Until March 2012, Martin Culkin was Principal of Dandenong High School, a position he had occupied since 2000. Prior to this time Martin had been a Principal in two other secondary schools, one of which was a Technical School. His time as a Principal spanned more than 22 years.
He has spent more than 40 years with the Victorian Department of Education. He worked in many metropolitan and country schools during that time and held most jobs that are available in schools. He also spent time working in two Regional Offices in various consultancy capacities. His key piece of work in recent years was leading the successful merger of Dandenong High School, Cleeland Secondary College and Doveton Secondary College to create the very successful new Dandenong High School. This world-class facility, which was supported with $45m of State and Federal Government funds, has attracted local and international interest due to the innovative and transformational nature of the work. The school has received many awards such as the Garth Boomer Award for Leadership and a number of major architectural awards. Martin has spoken about the work of Dandenong High School in many places in Australia and at two OECD Conferences, Vienna in 2010 and in Paris in 2011. Dr Rita Ellul Dr Rita Ellul has had a 30-year career in education, in school, regional and system roles with the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Rita has wide-ranging experience in professional learning for teachers and school leaders, including online learning. She has led a range of school-based research projects including the innovative use of new and emerging technologies and games-based learning. She has also worked in policy development and has highly developed skills in all facets of project management, including conceptual development, detailed project planning and evaluation. Rita completed her PhD in 2010, focusing on ICT Peer Coaching. This research has contributed strongly to her theoretical understanding of adult learning principles and continuous improvement.
Back to top Ken Follett
Ken Follett has been a Chief Education Officer in NSW Department of Education and Communities where he provided professional support and guidance to regional schools ranging from Kindergarten to Year 12. He has had regional responsibilities for assisting schools to improve student outcomes through targeted intervention programs especially in literacy, numeracy and environmental education. Integral to this role was the development of principals and school executives.
In addition to this Ken was a Quality Assurance team leader in NSW following 30 years in schools as a teacher and school executive. This included 21 years as a principal of schools K-12. He has special skills in mentoring school executive, conducting school reviews and using data to drive continuous improvement.
In recent years Ken has worked as a principal mentor primarily assisting schools to introduce innovative processes to improve school performance. Des Gorman Des Gorman has been Deputy Director-General (Schools) in NSW and prior was the General Manager for Learning and Development for the NSW DET where he was responsible for professional learning for teachers and school leaders, vocational educational, school improvement and measurement, student engagement, and program evaluation. Des has served on the NSW Board of Studies, NSW Quality Teaching Council, the Asia Education Foundation board and Curriculum Corporation board.
Tom Hardy Tom Hardy is an education consultant with experience as a Principal in various schools. As President of the QLD Association of State School Principals, a role that he held for five years, he significantly influenced policies and programs for supporting principals to respond to the increasingly complex challenges of leading a school. Tom has worked in Qatar, assisting the Education Council to develop their NPS for Teachers and School Leaders. Tom is passionate about using technology to assist in providing a more personalised approach to learning and is currently leading the Personalisation by Pieces project in QLD.
Back to top Dr Judy Larsen
Dr. Judy Larsen has extensive experience in education across all sectors, including teaching at primary, secondary and university levels in both the UK and Australia. She has worked as a primary and secondary teacher, school principal of a large, innovative secondary school in Western Australia, curriculum developer (wrote and led First Steps & Stepping Out), education consultant and researcher. As Commonwealth Relations Trust Scholar, Judy completed her PhD from the Institute of Education, University of London on change and innovation in secondary schools.
Over the last 15 years Judy has undertaken a broad range of research and consultancy in the UK and Europe including with the Department for Education (London), local authorities and schools. Her work has ranged from undertaking high level research projects of national significance including longitudinal reviews of the Academies Programme and Building Schools for the Future to working with schools on school improvement projects. Judy currently combines working with the National College for Leadership (UK) developing future school leaders across London with similar work in Australia. She provides personal career coaching and mentoring to aspirant school and corporate leaders, including supporting leaders in schools in challenging circumstances. Sarah Long Sarah Long is a consultant with significant experience in a variety of educational contexts including teaching in both secondary schooling and tertiary levels in English, Assessment and Reporting practices, Teaching Pedagogy and Mentoring. She is a Fellow of the Australian College of Educators, has been awarded National Outstanding Teacher Leader and National Excellence in Teaching awards, and coordinated professional learning for teachers and schools in curriculum innovation, student engagement, and vocational education and literacy. Sarah is an internationally published author, has presented at conferences in Chicago, London and Germany, and undertaken research on second language learners in mainstream schooling, gender in school, and predictors for student academic achievement in schools. Her PhD studies focus on accounting for student success in schooling systems and she is an expert in critical discourse analysis. She has previously been involved in Beginning Teacher coaching and mentoring and has worked on funding grant projects for literacy and numeracy, student to workplace transitions and whole-school literacy initiatives. Sarah is passionate about teaching, developing teachers as leaders, and school improvement.
Glen Pearsall Glen Pearsall is a highly experienced classroom teacher. He is the author of Work Right, the best-selling And Gladly Teach, and co-author of Literature for Life. He has delivered a wide array of acclaimed professional development workshops throughout Australia and specialises in school leadership, instructional practice and career renewal. Glen has a particular interest in the developing Graduate Teachers and has worked as a Research Fellow and Seminar leader for the Australian Centre for Youth Research. He is also a board member of the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority.
Back to top Denise Skidmore Denise is Business Development Manager for Cambridge Education in Australia. She has undertaken a diverse range of education leadership roles in Australia, the UK and the US, which has provided her with the opportunity to gain an international perspective in transforming services for children and young people. Earlier in her career she worked extensively on curriculum development, assessment and improving pedagogy in the area of mathematics education, supporting schools throughout the geographically vast state of WA. Denise has also been the foundation principal of a rapidly-growing primary school that became the centre of a young community.
For the past ten years Denise has worked in London where she has held senior management roles in large and complex inner-London local education authorities. In addition to supporting schools with low achievement, Denise was responsible for leading a number of key government reforms in Southwark and other London boroughs, many of which were aimed at the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people. As the inaugural Deputy Chairperson of Young Southwark, she was jointly responsible for bringing together health, social care and education services under one management structure. She also led major reviews of: special schools and inclusion strategies; government and non-government services for pre-school children and programmes for excluded and vulnerable students. Denise has also worked in the US, where she has assisted State education authorities to implement and review accountability processes. Her work was particularly focused on evaluating the impact of key initiatives and the value that was added through district support services. Grame Valler Graeme Valler has been a School Education Director in NSW Department of Education and Communities. He has had state and regional responsibilities for Professional Learning and Leadership of principals, teachers and support staff, school improvement and accountability, performance management, vocational educational, asset management and Aboriginal Education. Graeme has written and delivered many successful professional development courses for school leaders and has also worked with NSW Institute of Teachers and AITSL on projects in supporting principals and middle managers in leading the development teacher accreditation and registration.
In addition Graeme has developed leaders and managers in the implementation of change management systems, leading professional learning, financial management, ICT and school evaluations. Graeme has been a CEO School Accountability and a Quality Assurance team leader in NSW following a significant career spanning 25 years in schools as a teacher, a deputy principal and principal. Back to top Dr Rashmi Watson Rashmi Watson has worked in a range of educational contexts and in various educational support roles working with students from Kindergarten to Higher Education and in recent years with adult learners and professionals. Her interests are in actively engaging participants with practical support to improve teaching, learning and assessment skills and knowledge in diverse settings.
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