Author List

Gervase Phinn

Professor Gervase Phinn taught in a range of schools for fourteen years before becoming an education adviser and school inspector. He is now a freelance lecturer, broadcaster, writer, and a consultant for the Open University. He is President of The School Library Association.

Kenny Pieper

Kenny Pieper has been teaching English for fifteen years and still loves every minute of it. He stands shakily on the shoulders of giants in the shape of his amazingly inspiring colleagues. Deep down, he still can't believe his luck that he gets to do this.

Click here to listen in on Kenny's podcast with Pivotal Education on How to get children reading for pleasure'.

Claudette Portelli

Claudette Portelli is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, therapist, researcher and trainer at the Centro di Terapia Strategica in Arezzo, Italy.

Joanna Povall

Joanna Povall is the Principal of Wales International School in Abu Dhabi. With over 30 years in education across the UK, France, and the UAE, she serves as a Lead Improvement Partner for COBIS, accrediting over 20 schools worldwide. Joanna was awarded TES International Principal of the Year in 2024, and her ‘CHASE’ framework of leadership was shortlisted for the TES International School Staff Wellbeing Initiative of the Year in 2025. She champions inclusive, compassionate leadership.

Graham Powell

Graham Powell has over forty years' experience working in education ' holding various posts including head teacher, Ofsted inspector, and local authority adviser ' and has throughout his career maintained a passionate concern for the ways in which young people learn. He has worked with numerous schools, both across the UK and overseas, that have chosen to place the LPA at the heart of their vision for 21^st century learning. Graham is also a distinctive and inspirational trainer and is the co-author of many books including The Learning Powered School and Pathways to Coaching.

Simon Pridham

Simon Pridham has successfully managed and implemented a mobile device learning programme as head teacher of Casllwchwr Primary, which is frequently named as one of the UK's leading schools in using technology. Simon has been Lifelong Intergenerational Furthering Education (LIFE) Programme Manager across Wales and has also worked closely with the country's Education Ministers as a member of the Welsh Government Practitioners Panel and the National Digital Learning Council.

He is co-founder and Director of Aspire 2Be (www.aspire2b.eu) who are a leading Ed Tech company working with schools, local authorities and governments in rolling out technology-led programmes.

Muriel Prince Warren

Muriel P. Warren, DSW, ACSW, is a psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, author and educator engaged in private practice in Rockland County. She is the former Executive Director of the Psychoanalytic Center for Communicative Education and Past President of the International Society for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. She holds degrees from Fordham, Columbia, and Adelphi Universities in Psychology and Social Work, as well as a Certificate in Psychoanalysis from Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. She is a Diplomat at the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and Executive Director and President of the Warren Trauma Center established in May 2004.

Manfred Prior

In his native Germany, Manfred Prior is a popular and well-known trainer in the use of precise language in hypnotherapy and counselling. In his capacity as a psychotherapist, counsellor and coach, he is always trying to find new possibilities, ways to improve and workable solutions. Fundamentally, Manfred Prior is interested in how people can achieve the greatest possible success from the least amount of effort.

Oliver Quinlan

Oliver Quinlan is an educator with experience from Early Years and Primary to Higher Education. His background has involved developing the use of new technologies and pedagogical approaches based on authentic communication with children and new and existing teachers. Since being a school teacher, Oliver has been a Lecturer in Education at Plymouth University and Programme Manager for Digital Education at Nesta, working on innovation projects in Education. He is currently Research Manager at The Raspberry Pi Foundation.

Listen to Oliver's US interview with Mr Dad (the interview starts at around 12.27 mins in).

Click here to read Oliver Quinlan’s blog.

Cynthia R Kalodner

Cynthia R Kalodner PhD is director of the Counseling Psychology program at Towson University and a licensed psychologist. She has written extensively about eating disorders and disturbances and has made presentations across the USA.

Ian R McLaren

Ian R McLaren is a registered INLPTA trainer of NLP with a background in financial and general management. As Investment Controller and Planner with the Canada Life Assurance Company, he has worked in London, New York and Toronto, gaining a wide range of senior management experience. During his varied and successful career, Ian has also worked as a finance director, consultant, author, business coach and trainer.

Peter Radford

Peter Radford is a teacher, trainer, public speaker and coach with a wealth of experience in leadership, management and personal development. He began his career in youth work before entering teaching and working in middle and senior leadership. Peter has also played a lead role in helping two large secondary schools achieve Unicef's Rights Respecting Schools Award.

Click here to read Peter Radford’s blog.

Marlene Rattigan

Marlene Rattigan is an Early Childhood teacher, a teacher of English as a Second Language, and from 1987-2000 was a nationally accredited fitness leader. Her background is in music education. A keen interest in motor development in children led to the creation of Kidz-Fiz-Biz which she taught successfully for 13 years. Marlene also conducts workshops for children, teachers and parents at schools, in the community and at festivals. These books are an extension of her Kidz-Fiz-Biz' programme.

Click here to read Marlene Rattigan’s blog.

Judy Rees

X-Ray Listener Judy Rees is a journalist and author, entrepreneur and marketer who loves connecting people and ideas.

She is an expert in applying Clean Language - originally a therapy technique - in business contexts. She uses this precise approach to listening, questioning and metaphor to reveal people's tacit knowledge and to help them develop businesses, make personal changes, and create systems, products and services which fit their customers perfectly.

Click here to visit Judy's X-Ray Listening website.

Julie Rees (Formerly Duckworth)

Julie Rees has been teaching in the primary sector for 20 years. As Headteacher of a primary school experiencing all the challenges of a deprived rural area she introduced the Values Education approach which radically transformed the quality of life for both children and staff. Julie is currently Headteacher of Ledbury Primary School.

Meg Reid

Meg Reid is the UK`s leading specialist at coaching with women who want to bridge a gap in their lives. She works with American women re-locating to England, women in mid-life and women in supportive organisational roles in Universities. Meg co-founded the UK Coaching Partnership Ltd with Lynette with the express purpose of training ethical and responsible coaches. Meg wrote the first coaching book for the Arabic world.

Larry Reynolds

Larry is the principal consultant at 21st Century Leader and has twenty years' experience of developing leaders and trainers in a wide range of organisations. He believes in creating organisations where people love to work.

Nia Richards

Nia Richards has been designing and supporting professional learning in creativity since 2015, firstly, as Regional Lead for a national programme in Wales and currently as Programme Manager for Creativity, Culture and Education. She was a classroom teacher for 13 years in secondary and further education, she also has an MA in Practitioner Research

Madeleine Richeport-Haley

Madeleine Richeport-Haley is a noted anthropologist film-maker who studied with Erickson.

Justin Robbins

Justin Robbins co-founded Fit2Communicate in 2015 and is an experienced communication expert, a Fellow of the Institute of Internal Communications and a certified DISC personality profile practitioner. Prior to 2015, Justin spent 15 years working in corporate communications around the globe – and he is passionate about making a difference for future generations, primarily through helping schools to communicate. Justin is also a British Triathlon level 3 coach and lives in Wiltshire with his wife, two children and chocolate Labrador.

Click here to read Justin Robbins' blog.

Adam Robbins

Adam Robbins is a science teacher and lead practitioner in charge of whole school CPD. He supports middle leaders in all subjects to develop their teams. Adam is also the managing editor at CogSciSci, a grassroots organisation aimed at bringing the findings of cognitive science to the classroom, and is often invited to speak at international events on issues of teaching, learning and pastoral matters.

Click here to read Adam Robbins' blog.

Jim Roberson

Jim Roberson, former American football player, has been working on the Disciplined Approach for over 20 years as a teacher, trainer, coach and parent. He is an independent education consultant and works with parents, teachers and students.

Read a feature on Jim's approach to discipline in an article for the Independent - September 2012.

Jim and The Discipline Coach book had an Honourable Mention in the San Francisco Book Festival 2013.

Hywel Roberts

Hywel Roberts has taught in secondary, primary and special settings for almost 30 years. He contributes to university education programmes and writes regularly for TES as the ‘travelling teacher’. A true Northerner, Hywel deals in botheredness, creative practice, curriculum development and imagineering. He was recently described as ‘a world leader in enthusiasm’ and his first book, Oops! Helping Children Learn Accidentally, is a favourite among teachers. Hywel is a much sought-after educational speaker, an Independent Thinking Associate and has contributed to events worldwide. He also contributes fiction to prison-based literacy reading programmes developed by The Shannon Trust and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Click here to listen in on Hywel's podcast with Pivotal Education - 'teaching hooks and exercising imagination'.

Click here to watch a video interview with Hywel as part of The Education Foundation's series of Education Britain Conversations.

Hywel Roberts in the Time Out Room ' PP174 Podcast on Pivotal Education.

Martin Roberts

Martin Roberts PhD is a retired management consultant with extensive experience of Change Management in practice. He has worked at the highest level with many of the UK top one hundred companies and also has extensive experience in working with US corporations. Over the last thirty years he has developed an enviable reputation for solving problems seen by others as insoluble. He attributes this to being able to adapt and apply to business problems techniques derived from the field of psychology, including Gestalt Therapy, Behavioural Modification and Transactional Analysis.