Until the end of August 2019 I am continuing to work  part time as a  Senior Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University. During my time at the University I have taught  on the MA in Education programme and the National Award for SEN Coordination course and was the Course Director for the Post Graduate Certificate in Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties. I also contributed regularly to a range of the University's initial teacher education programmes providing input on SEN, responding effectively to challenging behaviour and behaviour for learning.  Over the past 9 years I have taught on the National Award for SEN Coordination programme I have supported over 250 SENCOs to achieve this mandatory qualification. Through this work I have a good understanding of what is expected of a modern SENCO

Working with Professor Janet Tod I have developed the practical application of the Behaviour for Learning conceptual framework that emerged from the EPPI review A Systematic Review of How Theories Explain Learning Behaviour in School Contexts (Powell and Tod 2004). This work is presented in the Routledge publications Behaviour for Learning: Proactive Approaches to Behaviour Management (Ellis and Tod 2009) and Promoting Behaviour for Learning in the classroom: Effective Strategies, Personal Style and Professionalism (Ellis and Tod 2015).  In 2018 we published the second edition of the first book with the revised title of Behaviour for Learning: Promoting Positive Relationships in the classroom (Ellis and Tod 2018).  Behaviour for Learning is now used by a number of universities and other providers of initial teacher training in the UK as the basis for their work on behaviour management. It has also been recognised in Recommendation 2 from the recently published Education Endowment Foundation report Improving Behaviour in Schools (EEF 2019).

In 2015 I completed my PhD. This focused on 'The development of beginning and early career teachers' thinking and practice in relation to managing pupil behaviour'.   A copy is available here.

Prior to my role as a university lecturer I worked as a Key Stage 3 National Strategy Behaviour and Attendance Consultant and a Local Authority Behaviour Support Service specialist teacher and manager. I originally trained and taught as a primary teacher and also have experience of working as a special educational needs coordinator