About Braythorpe
I spent years explaining schools to parents. Then I became a parent.
It turns out knowing how the system works and experiencing it from the outside are very different things.
It turns out knowing how the system works and experiencing it from the outside are very different things.
Who holds which decision. What certain phrases mean. When something is routine and when it matters. Which question unlocks a useful conversation and which one sends everyone into defence mode.
I spent more than 13 years teaching and leading in primary education, including as a Deputy Headteacher. I know the pressures schools are working under, how decisions get made and why something that sounds simple from outside often is not.
Then I experienced school from the family side. The language, processes and unwritten rules I had taken for granted suddenly looked very different. I could see how much parents are expected to work out for themselves.
That is the gap Braythorpe works in: helping families navigate school with more confidence, helping schools understand what may sit underneath behaviour and respond more effectively, and helping the wider sector turn specialist knowledge into practice that works in real schools.
Braythorpe isn't here to excuse behaviour, blame families or tell schools they are getting it wrong. It's here to help people see more of the picture and make the next decision better.
I have been a teacher, senior leader and Deputy Headteacher, worked across schools on teaching and learning, and supported leaders and staff with improvement and professional development. I am also an adoptive parent navigating education from the other side of the gate.
That combination is what Braythorpe is built on: not taking sides, but understanding enough of both to help people work out what to do next.
