Meet Our Team. 

The team at InnerDrive has been working with students and teachers in schools for over 15 years. During that time we have been blessed to be able to assemble a magic group of people who are really passionate about helping people use Cognitive Science to inform best Teaching & Learning practice. These are the people who make the Teacher CPD Academy the great resource that it is.

Course Presenters

Edward Watson

FOUNDER

Edward is an Oxford graduate who served seven years in the Army, worked in strategy management consultancy, then in the video games industry. He founded InnerDrive in 2006, where he continues to design and deliver teacher CPD workshops throughout the UK and around the world.

Bradley Busch

PSYCHOLOGIST AND DIRECTOR

Bradley is a chartered psychologist and one of the leading experts on applying psychological research to improve how people think, learn and perform. Outside of education, he works with Premiership footballers and was instrumental in helping members of Team GB win medals at London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2021.

Matthew Shaw

CHARTERED PSYCHOLOGIST

After completing his MSc in sport psychology with full honours, Matthew has been working with schools to help improve how students and educators think, learn and perform. Outside of education, he works with elite athletes, including Team GB athletes preparing for Tokyo 2021.

Dr Jo Castelino

Science teacher & author

Dr Castelino is a Biology specialist and Assistant Curriculum Leader of Science at a secondary school based in West Yorkshire. Dr Castelino is involved in teaching and learning and leads on homework school-wide. 

Dr Pippa Busch

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST

Dr Pippa Busch is a Child and Education Psychologist, specialising in working with SEND students. Dr Busch has worked with thousands of teachers from hundreds of schools, helping them translate psychological research into day-to-day strategies that they can use in their classroom.

Tia Prior

PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGIST

Tia holds a Sport and Exercise Psychology Masters with Distinction from Northumbria University. She regularly works with a range of clients in sport and education to help them improve their mindset, perform better under pressure and learn more effectively.

Nikki Sullivan

Deputy Headteacher

Nikki is a Deputy Headteacher at Beckfoot School in Bradford, with experience in both pastoral and academic senior leadership roles in the UK and Malaysia. In addition to her in-school responsibilities, she contributes to her Trust’s central team by developing professional development programmes. 

Kelly Heaton

Deputy Headteacher

Kelly is a Deputy Headteacher in a comprehensive secondary school. She leads initiatives around Retrieval Practice, Metacognition, and independent learning. Kelly has delivered numerous talks at education conferences and has a keen interest in all things Cognitive Science. 

Hanna Gildam-Clark

PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGIST

Hanna is an alumni of InnerDrive. She now works in performance sport psychology after previously working in the Middle East, where she was a whole-school Physical and Health Education teacher, mental skills coach and international rugby player.

Dr Zach Groshell

Primary school teacher

Dr Groshell is a primary school teacher and has taught in the USA, Vietnam, Sudan, and China. Dr Groshell has a PhD in Education with a specialisation in instructional design. You can follow Dr Groshell’s blog here.

Michael Chiles

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Michael is a senior leader and principal examiner. He is an experienced trainer and has delivered training, both nationally and internationally, to support teachers in their approaches to implementing effective assessment practices. Michael is the author of The CRAFT of Assessment, The Feedback Pendulum and The Sweet Spot.

Academy Team

Patrick Ibbotson

HEAD OF ONLINE LEARNING

Patrick oversees the InnerDrive Teacher CPD Academy and works with our team of experts to create Teacher CPD training and provide outstanding customer service. He has an MSc in Psychology with a Distinction and previously worked at Naomi Korn Associates and the Museum of London.

Zahra Mandviwala

UX / UI Designer

Zahra’s passion for UX/UI design was ignited while studying for a BA in Industrial Design and Technology. Her design and education background, having been a DT teacher and TA for students with SEN, gives her a unique perspective to help users of the Teacher CPD Academy.

Tania Thomas

MARKETING MANAGER

Tania is the person behind the Academy's social media and delights in spending her days crafting tweets, emails and more for your reading pleasure. Having switched from a career in fashion in pursuit of a more meaningful role, she loves seeing her work make a difference to others.

Expert Insight Contributors

We have assembled an all-star cast of teachers and researchers. to provide practical and effective applications of Cognitive Science to schools in an accessible format. You can hear Expect Insights from:

Doug Lemov

AUTHOR OF TEACH LIKE A CHAMPION

Craig Barton

Head of Education

Dr Faria Sana

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY

Jade Pearce

Trust Head of Education

Sarah Cottinghatt

ASSOCIATE DEAN

Professor
John Dunlosky

PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY

Professor
John Hattie

EMERITUS LAUREATE PROFESSOR

Cat Scutt

Director of Education & Research

Dr Kripa Sundar

FOUNDER OF EDTECH RECHARGE

Gary Aubin

Director at SENDMattersUK Ltd.

Dr Mustafa Sarkar

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF SPORT AND PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGY

Dr Shana Carpenter

PROFESSOR OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

Yamina Bibi

ASSISTANT HEADTEACHER

Blake Harvard

AP PSYCHOLOGY TEACHER

Dr Zach Groshell

PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER

Dr Jonathan Firth

SENIOR TEACHING FELLOW

Dr Iro Konstantinou

HEAD OF RESEARCH AND IMPACT

Jonnie Noakes

 DIRECTOR OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

Philippa Cordingley

Chief Executive of CUREE

Professor Paul Caldarella

Professor of Counseling Psychology and Special Education

Dr Tino Endres

Doctor of Psychology

Professor Camilla Gilmore

Professor of Mathematical Cognition

Dr Dobromir Rahnev

Professor of Psychology

Dr Abraham Flanigan

Assistant Professor

Dr Alice Latimier

Scientific Consultant

Becky Anderson

Headteacher

Sarah Oberle

Teacher & Team Leader

Dr Kathryn Wissman

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY

Dr Carl Hendrick

CO-AUTHOR OF HOW TEACHING HAPPENS

Jim Heal

CO-AUTHOR OF HOW TEACHING HAPPENS

Professor Gema Zamarro

PROFESSOR IN EDUCATION REFORM AND ECONOMICS

Dr Nick Soderstrom

Assistant Teaching Professor

Dr Lukas Mundelsee

Researcher at the Institute of Education Science

Andrew Watson

President and Founder of Translate the Brain

DR PHIL NEWTON

Neuroscientist

Natalie Packer

Director at NPEC Ltd. 

Amy Baxter

Senior Education Adviser, SEND

Lucy Lowde

Oracy Lead

Rachel Higginson

Creative Education Consultant

AMARBEER SINGH GILL

Teacher Educator

Lucy Crehan

International Education Consultant

Peps McCrea

Director of Education

Mary Myat

Education Adviser

Katie Holmes

ASSISTANT FACULTY LEADER

Claudia Allan

Lead Practitioner

Dr Harris Cooper

Hugo L Blomquist Distinguished Professor

Dr Janine Bempechat

Clinical Professor of Applied Human Development