Mike Smith

Curriculum Director of Geography

As Curriculum Director of Geography, Mike oversees the Geography curriculum across all secondary schools within the Trust. In his role, he supports Geography subject leaders and colleagues with teaching, learning, assessment and fieldwork, as well as facilitating subject specific professional development courses and Geography enrichment opportunities for students. Mike is an experienced curriculum leader, have led two Geography Departments to see significant improvements in teacher pedagogy, and student outcomes. Mike completed a BSc at the University of Birmingham, graduating with First Class (Hons) in 2010. His dissertation on ‘Winter precipitation variability across East Anglia, and its affect of River Discharge’ was published in the International Journal of Climatology. After achieving his PGCE, he has also completed his MEd and NPQSL. Furthermore, he is an experienced GCSE examiner and a member of the Assessment and Examinations Special Interest Group (AESIG) for the Geographical Association. Mike is passionate about inspiring the next generation of geographers, who, he believes, have the perfect skill set to tackle many of the biggest challenges both the human race, and the planet face today. He loves working with staff to develop their craft and, linking to his MEd research, is so enthusiastic about giving all students high-quality fieldwork experiences as part of the curriculum. He is also keen to develop the use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) into the learning experience.