About Us​

Ian is a highly experienced senior manager in higher education with over 30 years of professional practice; starting as President of a Students’ Union and spanning academic roles as Programme Leader and Principal Lecturer in outdoor learning, outdoor and watersports management, sports management and sport coaching, before 8 years as Director of the School of Sport, Tourism and Languages.  Ian then had a further 8 years heading up professional services departments of Quality Management, Corporate Governance, Academic Partnerships, Complaints, Appeals and Misconducts, Assessments, Exams, Ceremonies and Student Registry before branching out into consultancy work.   Ian also has a decade of experience inspecting private higher education and short course providers for the British Accreditation Council.

Ian has worked with over 20 HEIs as an external examiner and member of validation panels across the last 3 decades.  He has presented at numerous conferences, both subject based and on the development of education policy and practice, and written papers in a variety of journals.  As a researcher and consultant Ian has led projects across the spectrum of outdoor education, looking at enhancing markets for local authority activity centres, preparing centres for inspection, enhancing the quality of activity delivery and health and safety across all areas of an operation. 

Ian is also a Leading Practitioner of the Institute for Outdoor Learning, having taught outdoor education, physical education, social and health education and mathematics at secondary schools, whilst also working at a variety of outdoor centres.  Ian has also fulfilled many roles with national organisations including the Institute for Outdoor Learning, and the RYA, where he was the Chair of the Windsurfing committee, as well as a member of the training and sports development committees.   Ian has also undertaken inspections of outdoor providers for the Learning Outside the Classroom and Adventure Mark badges, along with nearly 30 years of inspecting for the British Activity Providers Association, and previously the Royal Yachting Association, giving him an exceptional insight into all areas of operation from pupil learning to customer care and health and safety.   

A copy of Ian’s full CV can be provided on request. 

Karyn has over 30 years teaching experience in primary schools in both the state and independent sectors.  A geographer by training she has taught across all subject areas, specialising in Mathematics and English.  She has been a SATS marker for English at key stage 2 and has provided private tuition ahead of SATS, entrance exams and GCSEs. 

Both Karyn and Ian have clear enhanced DBS checks completed within the last 12 months.