I started teaching history in secondary schools in 1989, having completed my PGCE at Reading University. In total I spent 15 years in schools teaching. Much of that time was spent as Head of Department and Head of Humanities. In addition, whilst working in the unitary authority of West Berkshire, I was employed as teacher consultant for history, giving me responsibility for providing in-service training in history. I still continue to be involved in the delivery of in-service training. The last three years of my career in school was divided between teaching part time and setting up and running the history PGCE course at the University of Southampton. I finally was offered a full time post at Southampton in 2004. My interest in helping others become history teachers grew partly out of my time as a mentor in the Gloucestershire ITT scheme, but also the feeling that I had something worthwhile to share with others following my Masters degree.

Studying at Westminster College, Oxford, I undertook an action research project to improve the quality of essay writing with my A level students. Not only did this help in improving the examination grades of my students, it transformed my understanding of history teaching and gave me new insights into teaching. Since then I have become more closely involved in the history education community primarily through the Historical Association where I currently sit on the secondary executive committee. This has led to involvement in organising events such as the Past Forward conference of 2002, and more recently overseeing the History Initial Teacher Training project, funded by the Teacher Training Agency and in conjunction with other universities. Out of this project has grown a website that provides training materials for people new to teacher training. Recently I have been involved in the QCA review of the KS3 history curriculum and I have also been asked to Chair the Historical Association's Secondary Committee from 2008.

My research interests have covered 6th form history, particularly improving essay writing, the place of empathy in history, various aspects of history initial teacher training, pupil perceptions of KS3 history, the current status of history in the curriculum (my PhD work is focusing on teaching diversity through history) and the promotion of socio-scientific issues through combined science and humanities work.