John-Mark is an experienced educator in both primary and higher education settings. He is particularly interested in primary English; teaching children with English as an additional language and supporting the professional learning of early career teachers.
John-Mark studied Spanish and Portuguese at The University of Nottingham and began his career in education as a TEFL teacher. After gaining a PGCE at The University of Cambridge, he has spent the last ten years teaching in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 in a number of middle and senior leadership roles. He has worked as a Leading Teacher for English for Cambridgeshire and is also a Specialist Leader of Education for Primary English, English as an Additional Language and Initial Teacher Training for Cambridge Teaching Schools’ Network.
He is currently employed as an Assistant Headteacher at Cambridge Primary Education Trust, where he is responsible for leading English and Initial Teacher Training. As part of this role, John-Mark leads the Cambridge Teaching Schools’ Network Primary SCITT.
John-Mark is hugely passionate about Primary literacy and, in particular, Primary writing. He is a Regional Representative for the Eastern Region for the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA), a registered charity, which has as its sole object the advancement of education in literacy. Inspired by research into the national writing projects in the UK and USA, John-Mark’s Masters in Primary Education explored how positioning teachers as writers improved their pedagogical practice and pedagogical content knowledge.
John-Mark has been seconded to work at ARU as an affiliated lecturer for the academic year 2017/8. He will teach the Primary Pedagogy 1 Module to first year students taking BA Primary Education Studies.