Blog12 November 2025
My Day Today
Every day in my role is different, but this morning it kicked off with administration and management tasks. At 10 a.m., we had a visit planned to Queen Mary University. I was in charge of making sure everything ran smoothly for our students and colleagues who were attending.
The visit to QMU was fantastic. The idea was to give students a taste of what studying there might be like, particularly within the computer science and engineering departments. One highlight was a lecture on the basics of Artificial Intelligence by Professor Paolo Rauber. The lecture was inspiring. Paolo even arranged for student ambassadors to give us a tour around the campus.
I’d never visited QMU before, but the experience of being back on a university campus felt surprisingly familiar—almost like returning home—which made me feel a little emotional.
What Keeps Me Going
I don’t have one particular favourite part of the day because it depends on the time of year and what I’m doing. There are moments in every task that I really enjoy. As a senior leader, I love seeing students progress as a result of decisions that I made in my role—that’s the real pleasure of this profession.
I especially enjoy teaching Year 13 A-Level or Further Maths classes, because it’s closer to the end of their journey and things are getting real for the students. They’re more engaged, and you get to apply your pedagogy and see that it’s working.
Turning Things Around and Recognition
Last year was a milestone for me. When I joined Ada, some subjects were really struggling. I focused on turning things around by introducing new teaching and timetable strategies. When my co-teacher resigned, I took on 100% of the teaching timetable to avoid disrupting students’ learning.
By the end of the year, Ada ranked 10th out of more than 2,000 institutions nationally in A-Level Maths. Our value-added score of 1.2 is solid evidence that we have empowered and educated the next generation of digital talent.
For these efforts, I received a Highly Commended in the award for FE Lecturer of the Year. It was a huge honour, and the surprise assembly put together by students and colleagues made it even more special.
I’m also proud to work alongside Mark Campbell, who won silver last year. I hope to keep nominating outstanding colleagues every year so we can build a team of national award winners.