David has been helping and developing Young peoples' life skills for over 20 years. He spent most of his career as a Retail Manager, not only in the U.K, but also within Europe for some of the leading high street stores.
He qualified as a Training Manager in 1980 and trained retail Managers, Supervisors and staff until 2001. After setting up Connexions Direct, a Young person's helpline, he qualified in basic counselling skills and went on to train as a Life Coach with the Coaching Academy and New Insights. He is an Associate member and registered Life Coach with the International Institute of Coaching and abides by their Code of Ethics. David is currently mentoring clients in America, Africa, Israel, Canada and the U.K
David is married with three children. He has a teenage son, a daughter who has recently graduated and his eldest son has just become a father. His wife is a qualified and volunteer bereavment counsellor for CRUSE.
Phil Snelders M.Ed., Ac.Dip.Ed., A.C.P., Cert.Ed.
Phil Snelders has been teaching for fifty years. He taught in London, Essex and Northampton in Primary and Secondary schools, some as Head of Department, before entering Teacher Training at Borough Road College, and then at the Leicester College of Education, where eventually he became Tutor in charge of the B.Ed. degree, Head of Education Studies, and finally Deputy Head of the School of Education at De Montfort University. He was also a lecturer for the Open University.
He was made redundant on the closure of many teacher training establishment, lectured on extended courses at the Universities of Warwick, Birmingham and Leicester and finally became a Supply Teacher in both Primary and Secondary schools, and Training Manager for a Midlands Supply Agency.
He still goes in to teach each week at a small Primary School because he misses children and schools. In his retirement Phil has researched and written a book about his own village, and gives talks to historical and other groups about it. Phil is a book editor and author, and has written papers and articles in Philosophy of Education and in Curriculum for learned journals.
He is a Foundation Member of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain, and is an Honorary Vice President of the Philosophy for Educational Renewal Group.
Steve Goodman M.A, B.A(hons),PGCE Before becoming a teacher, I had spent ten years working for the Employment Service as a counsellor to people who had been unemployed for over two years. This involved addressing the diverse issues which prevent people from finding work.
Since 1998 I have worked as a teacher in a range of primary and middle schools. Much of my time has been spent constructing individual education plans for pupils with differing needs and managing classes where pupil behaviour had impeded learning. As the member of a school improvement team, my main role was to demonstrate good practice in partner schools.
My Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership involved identification of specific problems regarding teaching and learning in addition to suggesting relevant solutions. I was particularly interested in raising standards by tackling the barriers to education.
Pinewood Literacy was founded five years ago to support pupils by providing high quality, individual tuition at a low cost. Originally specialising in the two key areas of Mathematics and English, we have now expanded to include other areas of the National Curriculum.
Most teachers will realise that classroom disruption occurs either because pupils have difficulty accessing the curriculum or because a small group of individuals are not in a fit frame of mind for learning. Identifying the problem is easy; implementing the solution is far more complicated. For several years I have found that an alternative curriculum, incorporating different learning styles has been the most effective approach to classroom management. There are also occasions when relocation of pupils to a more suitable educational environment is essential.
In the current political climate local authority schools face divisive competition from academies and free schools who have greater control over their admissions policies. Routes to success and Pinewood Literacy offer differentiated, individual plans which will provide students with the required academic skills and prepare them for life beyond the classroom. Our solution will enhance the learning environment within your school through the delivery of a cost-effective alternative curriculum.