
Sue has spent all her life in education - as a student, teacher, researcher, academic - and always as a learner. She studied geography, education and mathematics in Cambridge at what was then Homerton College of Education, where she was also sabbatical president of the student union. After qualifying as a teacher with a Certificate of Education and a BEd Sue taught in state schools for ten years (both primary and secondary phase), including a year on exchange in Australia. Involvement in the national pilot of an initiative to celebrate pupils’ full range of achievements and to support them in recording and planning their personal development led to a decade of working as an adviser in two very different local authorities. Sue led professional development programmes, worked closely with headteachers to improve the quality of education in a wide variety of schools, and was involved in university-school research projects.
In 2000 Sue was appointed to the Faculty of Education as a Lecturer for educational leadership and school improvement, researching in these areas and teaching predominantly on masters, doctoral and continuing professional learning programmes with both full and part-time students. Having completed two masters degrees and her PhD while also working full-time Sue is keenly aware of the demands of part-time graduate study.
She is a past president and honorary life member of the Association for Achievement and Improvement through Assessment (AAIA), Associate Editor of the journal ‘Professional Development in Education’, and on the editorial advisory board of ‘Assessment in Education: principles, policy and practice’. Sue was a Syndic of Cambridge University Press and Assessment for nine years, a role that with her approaching retirement she has recently relinquished.