School Improvement Adviser

Gary Wallis-Clarke has considerable and varied experience in educational leadership. His 28 year career has included teaching in six schools in four Local Authorities, two headships, advisory work for Newcastle and South Tyneside and as a National Leader of Education support with school leaders across the North of England. Highlights of his career include:

• Achieving an outstanding OFSTED judgement at West Jesmond Primary School
• Leading the Quayside Teaching Alliance 
• Board member and school improvement lead for the Ouseburn Learning Trust
• Chairing the Newcastle Schools Forum
• Supporting schools in the Cumbria Education Trust
• Leading two delegations of school leaders to partner schools in China
• Member of the Northern Powerhouse Education Group
• School Improvement Partner for fifteen schools in Newcastle in role of advisor for the Local Authority
• Assistant Head of Service for South Tyneside LA with responsibility for primary schools

Support to schools can be as bespoke as you would like - a specific piece of work or a much longer collaboration. The Concerto Package, a year-long support programme is detailed below:

To find out more please get in touch

The Concerto Package

A quality package tailored to the needs of individual leaders and their schools. Typically it could consist of:

AUTUMN TERM (2 visits minimum)

• Headteacher wellbeing support
• Data review
• Priority forming
• Headteacher Performance Management

SPRING TERM (1 visit minimum)

• Headteacher wellbeing support
• Supporting school leaders to evaluate the quality of teaching including subject review, lesson observations, book scrutinies
• Financial support and advice
• Governor monitoring workshops
• Individual teacher support

SUMMER TERM (2 visits minimum)

• Headteacher wellbeing support
• Review of progress against objectives
• Staffing review
• Emerging priorities for the following year
• Report to the Governing Body

Additionally specific support will be given during Ofsted inspections and specific staffing issues. Ongoing email and telephone support between visits.

Annual cost: £3,000

Feedback from school leaders that Gary has worked with this year:

• Gary is our guru - he makes us feel like we are his most important clients which I’m sure everyone else he works with feels like
• Gary listens and then gives a measured response and he is always extremely fair in all his opinions.  
• Gary's support to myself and our school as a whole as been so valuable this year. He not only has a wealth of experience and knowledge to draw on but also a wonderful, caring manner which means advice is delivered in a respectful and supportive way.
• The reports that Gary provides are really helpful - the use of photos makes them governor friendly too