While a maths teacher by profession, my academic roots lie in philosophy. I studied Mathematics and Philosophy (joint majors) as an undergraduate at Lancaster University (2013-16), before completing a two-year MPhil in Philosophy at the University of Warwick (2016-18). After working in a library for a few years, I decided to retrain as a maths teacher, embarking upon a PGCE at Warwick (2021-22) and producing a podcast along the way. I soon found a job at Barr’s Hill School in Coventry – my hometown – where I have been happily employed ever since. For my final PGCE assignment, I wrote an essay on character education. That essay brought together my longstanding love of philosophy and my growing passion for education, setting me on my current path.
Over the past three years (2022-25), I have completed a part-time MA in Character Education at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham – generously funded by my school. My research has focused mainly on the role of extrinsic rewards in character education – a controversial topic! You can find my MA work here. On the practical side, I led a shift at my school toward an explicit emphasis on moral virtues: honesty, kindness, respect, gratitude, bravery, and considerateness. I developed a higher attainers programme to encourage independent thinking – work that was later recognised with a formal Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR). I also founded a philosophy of education reading group for staff and have advised two Midlands schools on character education reform, championing moral virtues while cautioning against overreliance on extrinsic rewards. I have also spoken at several conferences.
In October 2025, I started a PhD in Education at the Jubilee Centre, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (UK Research and Innovation). Drawing on Aristotelian virtue ethics and Self-Determination Theory (see Key concepts), my research will explore whether the process of internalising virtues can be accelerated by encouraging students to engage in certain forms of reflection. You can read my research proposal here and PhD updates here.
My overarching mission is to better understand how to empower young people – especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds – to lead flourishing lives. I want to share what I learn along the way – hence the blog – and put it into practice. I also hope to connect with fellow researchers and practitioners in character education – so please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
On the maths side of things, I’ve also begun compiling the narrative-driven questions I use to introduce new topics – part of a growing project called Motivated Maths. It’s an experiment in building intellectual need and deepening mathematical meaning.
You can find a recent copy of my CV here.