NAPCE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Education
Dr Max Biddulph is an Associate Professor of Education and Counselling based in the School of Education at The University of Nottingham. In first part of his career, Max worked for thirty years in a number of secondary schools teaching Personal Social Health Education, and some strong themes that weave through this phase of his career are performance, community, and empowerment. In the 1980s, following a visit to Lawrence Kohlberg's ‘Just Community' project in New York, he experimented with curriculum, pupil voice and empowerment in a local community school setting. A particular interest that Max has developed is in the field of Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) being extensively involved at a national level in this field undertaking research and delivering professional development. Max's also has a strong interest in activism and LGBT+ politics and in 1997 he was one of the founder members of SWAN - the National Association of Assertiveness Trainers of Gay/Bisexual Men. In 2017 he was awarded a Vice Chancellors medal for outstanding achievement in his work as Chair of the UoN LGBTQ staff network.
Job Titles:
- Acting Editor - Pastoral Care in Education Journal
- Journal Editor
Director of Research and Scholarship and Head of Education Studies at Stranmillis University College, where he is also Director of CREU (the Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement) . He is the Acting editor of NAPCE's academic journal Pastoral Care in Education - An International Journal of Personal, Social and Emotional Development.
33 years in Secondary Education, my interest in Pastoral work began within the first year of teaching as I became aware of the variety of needs amongst my tutor group. My commitment to supporting all students, but especially those in my care, has remained with me ever since. From Tutor to Head of Year, AHT and DHT, my responsibilities have encompassed all aspects of student and staff welfare and development, along with significant curriculum projects.
I have worked with Heads, local authority staff, multi-agency teams and Government agencies on a number of projects and staff training. Within my own schools I have broadened the traditional pastoral staffing to include a range of non-teaching support staff who are engaged as much in supporting teachers and parents as the students.
I joined NAPCE Anglian region in the 80's and the National Executive in the 90's, offering support and training to local members and schools, organising NAPCE local and national conferences and serving as Treasurer, Vice Chair and Chair for the National Executive.
Job Titles:
- Secretary
- Secretary for Pastoral Care in Education
I have been a member of NAPCE for nearly thirty years and have served on County and Regional committees and as a member of the national executive for over twenty years. I have held the posts of Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Chair and Chair.
Job Titles:
- Member of NAPCE Executive Committee
I have been a member of NAPCE executive committee for three years and in September 2016 I was elected as Vice Chair. My career thus far has allowed me opportunity to view education in a wide range of settings/contexts and through a large number of roles including those of teacher, middle leader, governor, senior leader, adviser and, most recently, as operations director of a teaching school alliance. In all of these roles I have considered the care and well-being of students to be the number one priority. I am grateful for the many colleges and friends in NAPCE that have helped me in delivering conferences and creating training programmes in order to share effective practice and quality assure the work we undertake through best-practice research.
I currently work in an international boarding/day school in Switzerland as the Student Wellbeing and Pastoral Care Co-ordinator. My work extends across health, academics and boarding to promote the principles of a caring and holistic whole school approach to the pastoral care of all members of our school community. I am originally from England and I have a passionate interest in the state maintained, national systems of education. I am concerned with the pervasive rationale of performance measures and the trend towards high stakes testing that, I believe, dehumanises the process of education. I volunteered for the National Executive Committee as I am keen to work with colleagues who believe in the value of social and emotional learning in education and would like to contribute towards forming a global network of like-minded professionals.
Luke Ramsden is an award-winning senior deputy headmaster and senior safeguarding lead at St Benedict's School in Ealing. He started his teaching career at Tonbridge School where he was Head of History and was then a Housemaster at Ampleforth College before moving to Ealing. In his role as Senior Deputy Head he is responsible for the day-to-day running of the school, as well as the pastoral oversight of all the students and overseeing the school's PSHE programme (among a number of other roles) In his time at St Benedict's the school has become a flagship school for safeguarding and pastoral care, with the happiness of every student placed firmly at the heart of all the school does. This led to the award of Pastoral Leader of the Year 2021-22 by the NACPE (National Association for Child Protection in Education). Luke regularly talks at educational conferences, and also writes on safeguarding, pastoral care, and in particular the use of data to inform excellence in both these areas. Among other positions Luke holds outside St Benedict's he is chair of the Independent Safeguarding Advisory board for The Safeguarding Company, is a trustee of the School's Consent Project charity, and has recently joined the National Executive Committee for the NAPCE.
Matt Silver is a Headteacher of a secondary SEN school in Harrow and has been a part of NAPCE for over four years. His current Education Doctorate is based on Positive Psychology, in particular Self-Determination Theory, looking to promote education systems that facilitates independence and psychological need satisfaction. He has lectured across Europe, the IOE, NAPCE's conferences and teacher training programs on pastoral care and SEND, particularly around behaviour. He currently co-ordinates NAPCE's social media.
Mike has been involved with NAPCE for many years submitting and reviewing articles, conducting research and contributing to conferences and working on the NEC. His background is teaching and lecturing in Universities and his particular areas of interest are pastoral care/PSE and citizenship. His new role at York St John University involves social innovation and, essentially, the work involves identifying, promoting and celebrating the work that the University does for the public good.
Phil has been an active member of NAPCE both regionally and nationally, since his first year in teaching. He the current Chairperson of the National Executive Committee and a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal. Phil has written articles for publication on pastoral issues and is a peer reviewer for the Journal. He is an experienced school leader in secondary schools, with other roles including Deputy Headteacher and Headteacher- and now a Specialist Leader of Education specialising in pastoral care, behaviour and improving attendance. A role that supports primary and secondary schools in both the state and independent sector and provides training for teachers and intervention programmes to raise the achievement of learners and help them to overcome barriers to learning. He has also been working as a governor in both primary and secondary schools for over thirty years. Having recently retired from leadership roles in schools to work as an educational consultant, he has now moved to Worcestershire to be closer to his great passion in life, Aston Villa Football Club.