I graduated from the University of Central England in 1998 with a BA(Hons) Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status and was a KS1 and KS2 class teacher for 17 years until 2015 when I became a Deputy Headteacher. During that time, I also held the voluntary role of Chair of the South Solihull Schools' Sports' Council between 2010 and 2016. As well as Deputy Headteacher, I'm also Inclusion Lead which has allowed me to deepen my experience and understanding of this area, hence the focus of my research project, 'Working in partnership with disadvantaged pupils and their families'.