Emma’s career in educational leadership began more than fifteen years ago on the business and administrative side of an international school in Spain. She moved into academic leadership around a decade ago and is now a Head of School. Alongside this role, she works as a Cambridge Assessment Specialist, teaches A-Level Psychology and delivers professional development focused on child development and educational psychology.
Emma’s undergraduate studies in criminal justice and law developed her interest in psychology and the experiences of young people. She subsequently moved into education, completing a PGCE, and later undertook an MA in Educational Leadership. She is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and a member of BERA, the Oxford Research Forum and Cambridge’s The Panel.
She is particularly interested in how an understanding of child development and psychology can inform teaching, educational leadership and relationships between families and schools. Her recent research examined how concise, shared language introduced through professional development can influence teachers’ expectations, professional decision-making and the wider culture of a school.
Her developing research explores how sustained, collaborative learning informed by child development and psychology can strengthen family-school partnerships. Bringing teachers and parents together, this work examines how their complementary knowledge can support shared understanding of children’s behaviour and needs, joint problem-solving and coordinated responses across home and school. It also considers how this learning shapes mutual trust and confidence in their capacity to work together to support children.
