Lee Smith Consulting

My route into teaching was far from straightforward. I left school at 16 feeling uninspired and unsure about what I wanted to do. My first job was as an Audit Clerk for Wirral Borough Council, where I mainly checked mileage claims. Although much of the work was repetitive, I was given the opportunity to study for a BTEC National in Business Studies, which I thoroughly enjoyed. That qualification led me to a degree in Government and Politics at Newcastle Polytechnic—something I had never believed was within my reach. Even after graduating, I still did not know what career I wanted to pursue. The one thing I was certain of, however, was that I did not want to return to office work.

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Instead, I worked in warehouses, drove a fork-lift truck rather badly, and was slightly more competent behind the wheel of a delivery van. In time, I realised—or was encouraged to realise—that this kind of work was not for me, so I became a care worker in a residential home for adults with significant learning difficulties. I found the role deeply rewarding and believed I had found my vocation. After a couple of years, however, I felt ready for a new challenge and began to think that perhaps teaching might be the right path for me.

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My first teaching post was in an urban primary school serving a highly diverse community. I loved the role and remained there for five years. I then moved into deputy headship, a position I held in two challenging yet rewarding primary schools, where I worked alongside two very different but equally inspiring headteachers.

An Educational Psychologist friend suggested that I apply for the headship of a local maintained SEMH special school, joking that it would be “a piece of piss” (his words). It was anything but. The first two years were the most demanding of my professional career. The school was in transition: there was no curriculum, policies were outdated, staff were exhausted and overwhelmed, and pupils did not feel safe.

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Through hard work, determination, and many lessons learned from mistakes, the school gradually improved and gained external recognition from organisations including Investors in People, the Basic Skills Agency, the National Autistic Society, Nurture UK, and, of course, OFSTED. The school was judged consistently good for more than 15 years, up until my early retirement in 2024.

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Throughout my career, I was supported by many exceptional colleagues—within the schools where I worked, across the local authority, and through the wider special school networks I joined. Access to external challenge and perspective was always valuable, even when it was difficult to hear. That is why I became a Local Leader of Education and, more recently, an accredited School Improvement Partner. I wanted to offer others the same support and encouragement that had been so important to me throughout my own career.

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After stepping down from headship, I was invited by a local authority to lead a newly established behaviour support team, a role I held for two years. The team focused on strengthening school capacity, building staff confidence, and deepening understanding of challenging behaviour through practical support informed by both evidence-based research and my years of teaching experience. I placed strong emphasis on listening to teachers and using open professional dialogue to develop a shared understanding of the challenges and agree the most effective next steps.

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I am now looking to offer that same school-led support as an independent School Improvement Partner, and I look forward to visiting your school soon.