Positive Relationships and Behaviour in Schools Scotland Conference

Gale Macleod is Professor of Interpersonal Relationships in Education in Moray House School of Education and Sport (MHSES) and has worked at the University since 2004. She came to the University after 10 years first as a care-worker and then a teacher in schools and units for young people presenting with disruptive behaviour. Gale’s research focuses on three areas: disruptive behaviour in schools, parental engagement, and student experience in Higher Education. She has supervised over 20 PhD and EdD students. Gale is on the Steering Committee for Edinburgh Academics for Academic Freedom and currently serves as the Rector’s Assessor on University Court.

Tony was first elected to East Renfrewshire Council (ERC) in 2007 and represents Neilston and Newton Mearns North.

He has been part of the administration of ERC since election in 2007 and was Leader of East Renfrewshire Council for the term 2017 – 2022. ERC has an exemplary record for several services. Tony has been a member of the Education committee, an area in which the Council is sector leading.

He has been a member of COSLA Convention since 2007 and COSLA Leaders Group since 2017, and was appointed as COSLA’s Spokesperson for Children and Young People in June 2022

Gordon started teaching Modern Studies and Economics in 1983, became a Principal Teacher in 2001, and then a Depute Head teacher in 2012 with responsibility for behaviour management. He helped develop an approach to Pupil Behaviour Risk Assessment in Aberdeenshire and has since promoted and provided training in Pupil Behaviour Risk Assessment to teachers and others across Scotland.

An active trade unionist, Gordon has represented his colleagues as the Aberdeenshire SSTA District Secretary and, currently, as an elected member of the National Executive.

Gordon has been the SSTA representative on the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools for several years and, through that, has a good knowledge of the trends in behaviour in Scottish schools and has contributed to the development and implementation of the current National Action Plan.

Louise graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2012 and completed her teacher training at the University of Glasgow. Since beginning her teaching career in 2014, she has established herself as both an effective classroom practitioner and an advocate for improved working conditions for teachers. Currently serving as a mathematics teacher, Louise balances her classroom responsibilities with significant leadership commitments as NASUWT Local Secretary.

Louise’s dedication extends well beyond the classroom through her active union involvement. Following her election as Local Secretary for Edinburgh last year, she was appointed to both the NASUWT Scottish Executive Council and Policy Committee, where she has been instrumental in shaping union policy presented to government bodies and local authorities.

As Local Secretary, Louise also sits on her local authority’s Behaviours of Concern Steering Group. During this particularly challenging period in education, she has actively worked on updating processes related to behaviours of concern, particularly around incident reporting. This enables her to contribute valuable classroom teacher perspectives to policy development, focusing on enhanced support mechanisms for colleagues.

Through her leadership positions, Louise ensures practising teachers’ authentic voices are heard in educational discussions and policy-making. Her dual perspective as working teacher and union representative allows her to effectively bridge the gap between policy development and classroom reality.

Stuart is from Paisley and was the first in his family to go to University.  He was a Principal Teacher of Guidance and Depute Head Teacher at Dunoon Grammar School before becoming Head Teacher at Port Glasgow High School, a position he held for four years.  He is now Head Teacher of Mearns Castle High School in East Renfrewshire, which is one of Scotland’s highest attaining secondary schools.  Stuart has placed wellbeing at the centre of his school’s new mission of ‘Be Your Best’ and the establishment of The Hub has been a significant success within this work.

An Associate Assessor for school inspection with Education Scotland and a member of the BOCSH group of Head Teachers, Stuart enjoys ‘looking outwards’ to learn from excellent practice across the country.

Chris’s role focus on managing and delivering a range of participation and engagement focused projects including the Inclusion Ambassadors and the National Suicide Prevention Youth Advisory Group, as well as leading on the implementation of the How Good is Our Third Sector Participation in Children’s Services Planning self evaluation toolkit.

Chris also has a key role in our policy work including supporting the implementation of key manifesto calls.

Chris has a Masters in Health Inequalities and Public Policy from the University of Edinburgh and has previously worked in an after school club setting and with adults with learning disabilities.

Kimberley Roan McVeigh is an accomplished educator with over 16 years of experience in the field of education. Throughout her career, she has developed a strong expertise in de-escalation techniques and restorative approaches, dedicating the past 10 years to specialising in these critical areas. Kimberley is passionate about fostering inclusive educational environments and has a particular focus on supporting students with additional support needs and social, emotional, and behavioural challenges. Her commitment to creating positive learning experiences is evident in her innovative strategies that promote understanding, empathy, and collaboration within the classroom. Kimberley’s work not only emphasizes the importance of tailored support for individual students but also advocates for a holistic approach to education that addresses the emotional and social well-being of all learners. Kimberley has extensive expertise in young people’s mental health and has collaborated on the Mental Health Award for Scottish Qualifications as well as being a fully qualified mental health first aid trainer equipping others with the knowledge and skills to respond and support to those in need. She empowers educators, parents and young people to be proactive advocates for mental wellness in their communities.

Through her extensive experience and specialised knowledge, Kimberley continues to make a significant impact on the lives of young people, educators, and the broader educational community, empowering those around her to embrace restorative practices and effective de-escalation methods.

Billy Burke joined SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health) in October 2023 to lead the charity’s work on improving mental health for children and young people in Scotland. He worked in education for the previous 25 years, most recently as head teacher of Renfrew High School, and is Past President of School Leaders Scotland.

Having worked with local and national government on areas of education reform, such as the Muir Report, Billy is passionate about achieving systems change to improve learning and wellbeing for all. He co-hosts the podcast Changing Conversations and can be found on X @William_j_burke

Susan Quinn has been a teacher in Glasgow for over 35 years, currently undertaking the role of Headteacher at St. Cuthbert’s Primary School. Until 2023 she was in post as the Local Association Secretary for Glasgow and continues to serve as Convener of the EIS Education Committee and as a member of EIS Council and Executive Committee. Susan is an avid football fan and enjoys music and crafting.

Tara Woods is the Head Teacher at Moffat Academy in Dumfries and Galloway, a 2 to 18 all-through school. She is committed to creating a safe, inclusive school environment where all children and young people can thrive.

Tara is passionate about empowering teachers to lead change and promoting professional development that supports staff to recognise, prevent, and respond to gender-based violence in schools.

At this conference, Tara will speak about the role of school leadership in tackling gender-based violence. Her session will explore how a motivated and well-supported school staff can help build a culture of respect and safety. Attendees will gain practical strategies for embedding positive relationships into school life and ensuring that every learner feels safe, heard, and valued.

Kirstin Candlish is the Depute Head Teacher responsible for Pupil Support at Moffat Academy, with 22 years of experience dedicated to supporting young people and removing barriers to learning.

She is passionate about building confidence and success in young people, emphasising the importance of strong relationships in creating safe and inclusive school environments.

Kirstin is committed to tackling gender-based violence in schools by promoting awareness, prevention, and support for all learners. She is the lead member of staff coordinating the various initiatives linked to improvement work in this area.

Lorraine Glass is the Director of respectme, Scotland’s Anti-Bullying Service.  Following a 30-year career in economic development, Lorraine joined the respectme team in 2008, bringing key skills in policy development, project management, marketing and stakeholder engagement.   Lorraine is also a qualified psychotherapist.  

Lorraine has worked with all of Scotland’s Local Authorities together with a range of other national and local organisations to drive forward implementation of the Scottish Government’s anti-bullying guidance, Respect for All.  Lorraine is a member of SAGRABIS, and contributes across other relevant education policy strands including race equality, hate crime, LGBT inclusive education, gender-based violence, children’s rights and child protection.  

Lorraine won the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation ‘Individual of the Year’ award in 2020 for her anti-bullying work, followed in 2021 by the StandUp Best Schools Programme for the development of the ‘respectme reward’, Scotland’s first validated self-assessment tool to measure the impact of anti-bullying policy and practice at school/setting level.  In 2023, Lorraine received the Scottish Public Service Award for Leadership 

Lorraine leads the small team at respectme to deliver nationally across anti-bullying policy, practice, training and campaigning, where they consistently deliver excellent results which work towards making the lives of Scotland’s children and young people safer and happier.  

In her free time, Lorraine likes to cook, walk, spend time with family and watch TV.  

Paula Harris is the Head Teacher at Cowie Primary School – Cowie is an ex-mining community within a semi-rural setting, in the east of Stirling.

She is passionate in ensuring that the school’s values driven, relational ethos is the foundation of all that they do. This ethos underpins all relationships, practices, and protocols, creating an environment where every child and adult feels valued, respected, and safe.

Central to this is Paula’s relentless commitment to developing and maintaining strong, positive relationships across the entire school community. The school has developed a ‘high structure, high nurture’ approach, which fosters strong relationships with a sense of connectedness for all learners, within a predictable school environment with regular routines, consistent boundaries and expectations, which enables children to know what to expect and feel secure.

At the conference, Paula will discuss how relational approaches have been instrumental in significantly reducing incidents of bullying, aggression, and violence within the school.

In her free time, Paula enjoys unwinding by reading, mountain-biking, and gardening.