Andrew Bury  C.E.O.

Andrew Bury has been C.E.O/Director of IntroTeach/Cyfle Dysgu since July 2007. On completing an honours degree in Education at Trinity St David’s Carmarthen in 2001 he began his teaching career in 2001 as a Primary School teacher; co-ordinating P.E. and ICT in Caerphilly.

Andrew’s passion for education led to him establishing The Introsport Trust in 2010, which is a charity focusing on advancing the education of young people by providing facilities for education in schools- in particular sport.

 

In 2017 Andrew was one of the original team that wrote ‘Llwdda/Thrive’ a successful wellbeing programme for Head Teachers that has now been rolled out to local authorities throughout Wales.

In 2018 Andrew joined the committee of IPDA Cymru (International Professional Development) he currently holds the role as vice chair: https://ipda.org.uk/cymru/

2019 – 2022 Andrew is researching a 3 year Erasmus project with partner countries Romania and Spain looking at wellbeing of Head teachers and staff and management of school funds.

2020 – 2023 Andrew Will be leading an innovative project with Universities in Wales, Poland and Turkey. Where he will support teachers and look at the alarming rate of teachers are leaving the profession.

Julian Jones

Consultant

Julian completed his Cert Ed. and B.Ed at Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education and started teaching in 1975 where he taught at: Llandybie Primary School, Llanarthne Primary School and Llandeilo Primary School. Julian joined Introteach in November 2007. He has served as an executive committee member of N.A.H.T Cymru since 1990 and he is the Chair of the Welsh Medium sector committee for N.A.H.T.

Colin Skinner

Consultant

Colin Skinner retired as Head teacher of Roath Park Primary School in Cardiff in 2018 to join Introteach/Cyfle Dysgu. He began his teaching career in 1980 as a PE and English teacher in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham teaching  to GCSE level.

In 1984, Colin moved into the Primary Sector being both a class teacher and having responsibility for PE. He also joined the Board of Governors and served as a Governor in all of the schools that he taught at until August 2018.

Colin continued his teaching career in London until April 1990, when Colin moved back to Wales and to Kitchener Primary School in Riverside. Whilst at Kitchener he coached the County Under 11 football team and was Chairman of Cardiff Schools Football for three years from 1991 – 1994.

In September 1994 Colin was appointed to the position of Deputy Head teacher at Bryn Celyn Primary School in Pentwyn, Cardiff and two years later, the Governing Body appointed him as substantive Head teacher.

In April, 2004 he was appointed as Head teacher of Roath Park Primary School where he saw the school through three ESTYN inspections before his retirement this year.

Cardiff County Council asked him to take on the dual post of Head teacher at the newly formed Howardian Starter School in Penylan in September 2015 and this school has recently moved very successfully into new premises.

In June, 2015 he was awarded national Primary Head teacher of the year and he is still working to support head teachers in times of difficulty focusing on their wellbeing and in order to help support school improvement.

Colin is a British Council Ambassador and his schools have all been awarded the International School Award from the British Council. He has travelled extensively to set up school to school working with schools all over the world including China, the USA, Spain, Poland, Germany, Finland and Sweden.

He has been invited to speak at national conferences all over the world – the latest being in Cincinnati and San Francisco as another of his interests is the development of family and community engagement in schools.

In 2003 Colin was awarded ESTYN team inspector status and he is an additional Inspector carrying out inspections in South Wales.

Gethin Thomas

Consultant

Gethin trained as a Teacher at Trinity Carmarthen in 1976 and started his teaching Career in Ammanford at Ysgol Parcyrhun. After 5years he moved to Ysgol Gorslas where he was responsible for Science and PE.

Gethin was Head teacher at Ysgol Llangyndeyrn in Carmarthenshire from 1986 to 1989 and was appointed Head teacher at Ysgol Nantgaredig in Carmarthenshire in 1989 and was there until 1998. Whilst Gethin was at the school Ysgol Nantgaredig went through a very successful inspection and the school grew from 125 to 230 pupils.

Gethin was appointed as Primary Adviser for Carmarthenshire in 1998 and remained in post until December 2003. He had responsibility for Curriculum Planning and KS2/ KS3 Transition, he was also responsible for the NQT pool system in the Authority.

Gethin trained and worked as an Inspector for ESTYN .

In 2004 Gethin was appointed as head teacher of Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant in Llanelli a Welsh medium Primary school with 465 pupils.

Gethin  retired in 2016 after 37 years in the Teaching Profession to join the Introteach/Cyfle Dysgu team.

He is the National Chairman of CYDAG , the Welsh schools forum for Welsh medium Education and an External Mentor for Newly Qualified Teachers .

Gethin has also undertaken work for Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol , Prifysgol Y Drindod Dewi Sant/ Trinity St David’s as well as for Welsh Assembly Government.

Geoff Cresswell

Consultant, Director of Thrive

Having spent 16 years combining substantive Primary Headship with leading inspections, Geoff found the next three years of his career very fulfilling as an interim head teacher guiding schools that have significant challenges.

This role gave Geoff the opportunity to apply his expertise and experience of successful leadership in circumstances that make a significant difference to the lives of pupils, staff and the community around a school.

Geoff is very motivated by the idea of using his knowledge and experience of successful change management to equip and support the current and next generation of school leaders. Geoff feels it is a fundamental need and is the Director of Introteach/Cyfle Dysgu’s successful Thrive programme, focusing on the wellbeing of school leaders.

Geoff was head teacher at Hawthorn Primary and interim head teacher at Grangetown Primary and Bryn Hafod Primary in Cardiff. Geoff has been an additional inspector for OFSTED and Estyn since 1996.

Roy James

Consultant

Roy graduated with an Honours Degree from Trinity College in 1989,  and started his career as a teacher in Ammanford Junior school, where he was responsible for leading mathematics, physical education and outdoor education.

He was promoted as deputy headteacher to Ysgol Gymraeg Parc y Tywyn in 2001 before moving on to his first headship in 2004 at Pwll CP School, Llanelli.

In 2007 he was appointed headteacher at Ysgol Gymraeg Teilo Sant in Llandeilo, a post that he successfully held for nine years. During this time he worked for Carmarthenshire LA as a Challenge Advisor as well as being an Executive Headteacher – leading and managing two primary schools within the county.

During his time at Teilo Sant he established many links with schools in Europe & Asia, visiting Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Bangladesh. Roy’s passion for developing people through a coaching approach ensured that a number of his staff gained promotion and recognition for their outstanding commitment to primary education.

As well as being a peer inspector with Estyn, Roy took a leading role in supporting and promoting INCERTS, by sharing good practice and developing networks with other schools.  He has presented at many local training events for teachers, headteachers and governors, as well as presenting in an INCERTS conference for national school leaders in 2012.

Teilo Sant was inspected in 2016 and Estyn noted many Excellent features, including leadership and aspects of its standards and its provision.

Roy moved on from Teilo Sant in 2016 to become Head of Leadership with ERW, before completing his school leadership career in 2020 as headteacher of Ysgol Y Bedol,  a large community primary school near Ammanford.

Over the years, Roy has served as Chair of governors in a local primary school, as well as being a Community governor in a secondary school.  He is an experienced sports coach and manager of national rugby teams, and he is extremely passionate about improving wellbeing for both pupils and school staff.

Roy currently combines his spare time studying for a Stress Management Coaching and Consultancy Professional course, whilst also preparing for Ironman Wales triathlon in September 2021.

Chris Potter

Consultant

Chris has worked in Primary Education since graduating from Trinity Saint David in1994.  In addition to being an experienced Curriculum Leader for Music and ICT, He spent 8 years as a Deputy Headteacher and Four years in Headship.
Since leaving head teaching he has set up CP Creative Music and has worked to promote creative learning through his twin passions of Music and ICT. He has also worked as a trainer and Mentor for primary teachers via an outstanding teaching programme.
He has kept busy during the COVID-19 crisis helping organisations such as Ty Cerdd, Welsh National Opera and The Dynamic Harps Global Ensemble produce socially distanced performances and online teaching materials.
In his ‘spare’ time, he is a composer, singer, conductor, French Horn player and self-confessed addict of everything to do with computers and gadgets. He is currently the Musical Director of Carmarthen Symphonic Wind Band.

Annie Hovey

Consultant

Annie Hovey has extensive experience of the education system and its services. She has held senior positions on both sides of the system as a leader and representative.

Annie Hovey was Regional Officer for Wales for the NAHT for 24 years.

Prior to that, she was the acting chief executive of the integrated sector of education (NICIE) in NI and prior to that was a senior manager in that same sector. She represented the integrated education sector in Europe working closely with the Belgian government on bias and prejudice. She was the lead author of the Anti-Bias Curriculum.

Annie was previously Director of national government funded training programmes for school governing bodies in England.

She was also a teacher for some years in what was then the largest comprehensive school in England and Wales. She joined the advisory team in Hampshire to work on PSHE development and INSET.

Annie trained as an investigator whilst working for an international company.

Annie’s qualifications include MaEd in Educational Management and LLM. 

Being a school governor in both a primary and secondary school has been one of the most enjoyable activities Annie has undertaken and she has been a chair of governors and chair of both pupil and staff disciplinary committees.

Annie has worked closely with media and related organisations and has worked extensively on television and radio, over the years. 

As an invited visiting lecturer, Annie has also taught post graduate modules on employment law and practice as part of the LLM course in university in South Wales. 

Annie is delighted to be one of the team of consultants working with Introteach.

 

Rhiannon Wynn Jenkins

Consultant

Rhiannon has considerable experience in various roles in the Welsh medium sector.  She has worked throughout Wales as an independent trainer and consultant.  Since 2010, she has been “the external subject expert for Welsh first language at Key Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5”

for the Welsh Government.  Rhiannon has held positions as a deputy head, advisory teacher (Welsh and English) and a university lecturer in all aspects of literacy.

Within the Welsh Government, Rhiannon was a key player in the Welsh medium provision of the Pisa Intervention Project that disseminated quality teaching practice across Wales.  She was also instrumental in developing the elements and aspects of the Literacy and Numeracy Framework in Welsh.

Rhiannon also commissions and monitors Welsh medium resources for schools for the Welsh Government.  In addition, Rhiannon has been an independent External Mentor for Newly Qualified Teachers (primary and secondary) and is an Associate and consultant for NACE (National Association for Able Children in Education) in Wales.

Throughout her years as a trainer, with expertise in reading, writing and thinking skills, Rhiannon has prided herself not only in the theory of the subjects, but has the ability to work within a classroom situation showing teachers and support staff how to implement the most recent and relevant practices.

Mae Rhiannon yn brofiadol iawn yn y sector cyfrwng Cymraeg, gan weithio ledled Cymru fel hyfforddwr ac ymgynghorydd annibynnol. Ers 2010, hi yw’r “arbenigwr pwnc ar gyfer Cymraeg fel iaith gyntaf yng Nghyfnodau Allweddol 2, 3, 4 a 5” i Lywodraeth Cymru.  Mae hi wedi bod yn ddirprwy bennaeth, athrawes ymgynghorol (Cymraeg a Saesneg) a darlithydd prifysgol ym mhob agwedd ar lythrennedd.

O fewn Llywodraeth Cymru, chwaraeodd Rhiannon ran allweddol yn narpariaeth cyfrwng Cymraeg y Prosiect Ymyrraeth Pisa, fu’n gyfrifol am ledaenu arfer dda mewn addysgu ledled Cymru. Roedd hi hefyd yn allweddol yn natblygiad yr elfennau ac agweddau o fewn y Fframwaith Llythrennedd a Rhifedd cyfrwng Cymraeg.

Hefyd, mae’n comisiynu ac yn monitro adnoddau cyfrwng Cymraeg ar gyfer ysgolion i Lywodraeth Cymru. Yn ychwnaegol, mae hi wedi bod yn Fentor Allanol i Athrawon Newydd Gymhwyso (cynradd ac uwchradd) a nawr yn ymgynghorydd a’r cynrychiolydd cyntaf i NACE (National Association for Able Children in Education) yng Nghymru.

Drwy gydol ei chyfnod fel hyfforddwr, gydag arbenigedd mewn sgiliau darllen, ysgrifennu a meddwl, mae Rhiannon wedi ymfalchïo yn ei gwybodaeth nid yn unig o theori’r pynicau hyn ond hefyd yn ei gallu i weithio o fewn y sefyllfa ddosbarth gan ddangos i athrawon a staff cynorthwyo sut i weithredu’r arfer mwyaf diweddar a pherthnasol.