JAMES NOTTINGHAM
Engaging, thought-provoking and industry-defining are just some of the words used to describe James Nottingham and his stellar contribution to the world of education. As a best-selling author and famed creator of the Learning Pit, a work that has been referenced over 200 million times, he has played a significant role in strengthening learning for students around the world.
With more than 30 years working in schools, he has an extensive background as both a teacher and a leader. Beginning as a teaching assistant in a special school, he then taught in primary schools, was a teaching & learning lead in a high school, a deputy head in a middle school, and director of an award-winning, multi-million-pound social regeneration project. The impact of this initiative made headlines for all the right reasons – supported by independent a evaluations by Sunderland and Newcastle universities – leading to invitations to share his inspiration and practical advice far and wide. So, in 2006, James set up a not-for-profit company, Challenging Learning, growing this to seven companies in seven countries with 30 full-time staff – all supporting schools, colleges and local apprenticeship providers.
When the Covid pandemic hit, James returned to full-time teaching and now balances teaching with his in-school consultancy and leadership support. He is also a sought-after keynote speaker, headlining national and international conferences for teachers and leaders.
Highlights of his career include 30+ conferences with Carol Dweck (Growth Mindset); being awarded the exclusive licence to deliver Visible Learning in the Nordic Countries from 2013-2020 alongside John Hattie; designing and leading the implementation of the Challenging Learning Process, a within-school approach to raising standards shown by independent evaluators (Universities of Oslo, Uppsala, Helsinki and Melbourne Graduate School of Education) to be the best value-for-money approach to significantly improving student achievement (increasing by an average of one grade per student). Oh, and he also created the Learning Pit, one of the most popular illustrations of learning to emerge in the last 20 years, with more than 200 million references online and in academic and teaching journals.
He is the author of 12 books, many of them bestsellers in multiple languages, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and is listed in the ‘Future 500’, a “definitive list of the UK’s most forward-thinking and brightest innovators”.
Lihi Engelsman
Introduction:
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Expert in supporting international schools and families, addressing the unique challenges of gifted students in diverse multilingual environments.
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ECHA Specialist (European Council for High Ability) RITHA Certified (Radboud International Training Centre for High Ability).
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MSc in Gifted Education (Cum Laude) - Radboud University, Netherlands.
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Member of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children.
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With 15+ years of experience across primary and secondary education, I work closely with students, educaors and parents to create meaningful, research-based strategies for gifted learners.
HOW BEYOND IQ STARTED
I didn't expect gifted education to be this complex.
I'm a mother to Lucy and Annabel, Ben's wife, a yoga lover and a Gifted Education Specialist. When I tell people I work with gifted children, the response is usually: 'I didn't even know that was a profession.'
Before I studied gifted education in depth, I didn't fully understand it either. I assumed gifted students would simply do well. The deeper I went, the more I saw how complex their needs can be, and how often they are overlooked. Gifted students don't just need more work. They need the right kind of challenge, support and understanding to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.
After finishing my master's, one gap stood out: expat gifted children who don't speak Dutch were receiving very little support. That is why I founded Beyond IQ, so that gifted international students don't fall between the cracks, in international schools in the Netherlands and beyond.
My goal is simple. I want children to learn at their true level of ability. When a child's potential is higher than what school allows them to show, frustration and low motivation follow quickly. When they finally meet a level of challenge that fits them, something shifts, and you see it instantly: the spark in their eyes.
Chris Wright
Chris Wright has had an extensive and impactful career in education, serving as headteacher at three schools, starting with an international school in the Middle East where he introduced the IB Diploma Programme. He later led two large schools in the UK, focusing on raising academic standards within a holistic education framework. For the past 15 years, Chris has been the Director of Education for a
group of over 40 schools across the UK, supporting heads and leadership teams. He is also a Lead Educator for the International Baccalaureate (IB), authoring workshops for teachers (including their suite of workshops on wellbeing) and training leaders for IB evaluation visits. Passionate about the transformative power of the IB, Chris is dedicated to nurturing young change-makers committed to creating a better, more peaceful world.