Jim started teaching in East London and has been working in mainstream secondaries, special schools, colleges and Pupil Referral Units for 29 years, the last 20 of which have been in PRUs. OfSTED commented about Jim and his school “...he is a working PRU Headteacher, behaviour is excellent with good discipline achieved apparently effortlessly." His PRU was rated as Outstanding across all five SEF categories. The report also mentioned that his institution was “outstandingly effective in transforming the lives of its students” and “the key factor in the Centre’s success lies in the visionary leadership of the headteacher.”

Jim was invited to join the Government’s Practitioners’ Group advising officials and ministers on drafting the Guidance on Out of School Learning and his centre was also recently visited by the Cabinet Office Delivery Unit researching good practice for the white paper. He was also was awarded a ‘Plato’ in the National Teaching Awards - as Special Needs Teacher of the Year for the West of England. The judges said they were “in awe of his work … to watch him working with his students was a privilege. He sets a shining example in motivating disaffected young people.”