Carolyn has been a primary teacher for 27 years and a headteacher for 12 years, working for the London Borough of Havering throughout her career.
She progressed from class teaching to middle and senior management after 5 years in the profession and was appointed as a Deputy Headteacher in 2006 before being promoted to the Headship of Rise Park Infant School in 2010.
In 2014 Carolyn was asked by the Department of Education to take on the role of Executive Headteacher of the Rise Park Infant and Junior Schools, which involved the Infant School being approved as a DfE sponsor of the Junior School, the academisation of both schools and the establishment of a Multi Academy Trust (RPAT) of which Carolyn was the CEO for 7 years.
During this period both schools were inspected in May 2017 with the Infant School judged as continuing to be Good with some Outstanding features, and the Junior School being upgraded to Good in all aspects of its provision. This judgement has recently been upheld with Rise Park Junior School being judged as continuing to be Good in November 2022.
Carolyn qualified as a Primary Ofsted Inspector in 2016 and inspected schools in the London Region from 2016 -2018. She was also a member of the national DfE Teacher Workload Solutions Marking Group in 2016, working on the formulation of national policy in this area.
In September 2021 the Rise Park Academies joined SFAET, a local secondary trust, at which time Carolyn was appointed as the Executive Headteacher of its inaugural Primary Wing.
Carolyn is looking forward to serving on the Education Committee of the LIFE Trust and actively contributing to the development of LIFE’s flourishing primary sector.