I’m Rachel Howell-James, a seasoned primary school teacher with over a decade of experience in primary education. From my early days as a classroom teacher, to my current role as Deputy Headteacher at Much Wenlock Primary School and Nursery, my journey has been fuelled by a deep-seated passion for empowering students and educators.

One cornerstone of my approach is tapping into colleague’s strengths to cultivate a team of instructional coaches within a school community. I firmly believe that each educator possesses unique talents and insights that can benefit their peers. By identifying these strengths, and providing targeted training and support such as constructive feedback; facilitating reflective practice; and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, I wish to empower teachers to become effective instructional coaches themselves.

Additionally, my experience as head of curriculum and teaching and learning lead at my current and previous school, with expertise in subject leadership across all core and many foundation subjects, further enhances my ability to support teachers in delivering a well-rounded education. Whether it’s mathematics, English, science or the humanities, I bring a deep understanding of curriculum design and subject-specific pedagogy to my work. By working closely with subject leaders and classroom teachers, I ensure curriculum plans are aligned with academic standards, promote cross-curricular connections and cultural capital, and meet the diverse needs of our students. Through collaborative curriculum development processes, my aim is to empower educators to create engaging and rigorous learning experience that inspire curiosity and foster a lifelong love of learning.