School Inspections Scotland Conference

Kenneth Muir is Honorary Professor at the University of the West of Scotland. He retired in March 2021 from his post as Chief Executive and Registrar of the General Teaching Council for Scotland. Prior to that, he was Chief Inspector of Education with responsibility for inspections.  In August 2021, he was commissioned as independent Advisor to the Scottish Government to produce his report, Putting Learners at the Centre: Towards a Future Vision for Scottish Education, published in February 2022.  He has a particular interest in the Finnish education system where he has worked with Helsinki University and the Finnish National Agency for Education.  Kenneth is the Vice-Chair of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and a Trustee of the Children’s Parliament.  He is a Fellow of RSGS, the Educational Institute for Scotland and the Royal Society of Arts.  In 2021, he was awarded a CBE for his services to Scottish education.

Graham is General Secretary of School Leaders Scotland, the professional association for leaders in schools and colleges in Scotland.  He took up this post on 1 September 2023. Graham was previously President of the Association in 2019/20 and had been on the Presidential Team since 2017.  Before taking up this post, Graham was Head Teacher of Grove Academy in Dundee from 2011 till his retiral in August 2023.  Prior to that he was Head Teacher at Dumbarton Academy from 2008-11.  Graham had a teaching career of 41 years in schools in London, Perthshire, Ontario, Dundee and Dumbarton. He trained as a linguist at Glasgow University, gaining MA (Hons) in German.  His degree includes French, English and Swedish. He subsequently trained at Moray House College of Education in Edinburgh as a modern languages teacher.

Graham was born and bred in Glasgow. He is married and has two children. Graham enjoys travelling, hillwalking, especially in the Yorkshire Dales, reading biographies, listening to music, gardening, and jigsaws.

Gavin Yates is Connect’s Executive Director with overall responsibility for strategy and operations. An experienced Third Sector leader and journalist, with a background in politics and policy, Gavin is the dad of three teenage boys, including a set of twins. Gavin strongly believes that the voices of parents need to be listened to in order to get the high quality education that every child deserves.

Greg Dempster is the General Secretary of AHDS, a union for school leaders in Scotland’s primary, ELC and ASN schools, a role he has been in for twenty years having previously served in a range of policy roles with Scottish Government. AHDS represents promoted teachers, PT and beyond, and has 80% of head teachers in membership from the sectors it represents.

Siobhan is a graduate of the University of Glasgow having completed a postgraduate certificate and a master’s degree in education. In 2016 she graduated from Strathclyde University with a postgraduate diploma in School Leadership and Management as part of the Scottish Qualification for Headship.

She started her career as a Primary School Teacher in 2002 and since then has had a variety of roles within education including Chartered Teacher, School Development Officer for South Lanarkshire Council, Associate Tutor for Glasgow University and Depute Head Teacher in Carluke Primary.

Siobhan has been the Headteacher of St Louise Primary since 2017 and supported and lead the school through a very positive inspection in September 2023. She is also a representative of the AHDS National Council for South Lanarkshire Council, supporting senior management colleagues in educational developments.

Jonathan Graham was raised and educated in Glasgow taking a BSc in Chemistry from Strathclyde University. He began his teaching career in Leeds in 2000, before returning to Scotland in 2004. He has held leadership roles in several schools and local authorities and moved to Glasgow as Faculty Head of Science in 2006. Since 2019 he has been Head Teacher of Eastbank Academy, a school of over 1000 pupils in the east end of Glasgow. Eastbank was inspected in 2023, with the report highlighting “The highly effective leadership of the headteacher” as a strength of the school. Jonathan completed his MEd in Educational Leadership with a Merit award at the University of Glasgow in 2023; his research centred on curriculum architecture and the BGE-SP interface.

Liz White is Headteacher of Calderglen High School. Known for her focus on curriculum innovation, equity, and inclusion, Liz has been an HMIE Associate Assessor since 2001, supporting school improvement across Scotland. Under her leadership, Calderglen High has gained national recognition for curriculum design, contributed to European policy on achievement and inclusion, and joined the OECD Schools Plus global network, co-leading a group on formative assessment. As Head Teacher, Liz is passionate about ensuring a dynamic, flexible curriculum, responsive to new and emerging needs, fit for the times and challenges young people will face. She is driven in her decision-making to ensure equity of opportunity and is committed to the holistic development of every child.

In 2023, Liz completed the Excellence in Headship Stretch programme and in 2024 undertook international study visits to explore systems with highly positive outcomes for all young people, supporting both inclusion, creativity and innovation. Liz also represents Scottish education on the International Council of Education Advisers (ICEA).

Laura Horn has been teaching since 2000 and has been a Head Teacher in South Lanarkshire for 8 years.  Last year, she led her staff team through a successful inspection and has since been sharing her experience with other senior leaders across her authority and beyond.  Laura has a keen interest in continuous improvement and building capacity amongst school staff.  In addition to her Head Teacher post, Laura has recently taken on a Strategic Lead Officer role in her local authority.  She supports Head Teachers and Senior Leadership Teams with school improvement and is a regular facilitator at authority-wide CPD events.   In her role on the AHDS National Council, Laura is experienced in supporting senior leaders through challenging situations. Outside of work Laura is dedicated supporter of Motherwell FC, she also enjoys sewing and teaches both adults and children how to quilt.

Kenneth Muir is Honorary Professor at the University of the West of Scotland. He retired in March 2021 from his post as Chief Executive and Registrar of the General Teaching Council for Scotland. Prior to that, he was Chief Inspector of Education with responsibility for inspections.  In August 2021, he was commissioned as independent Advisor to the Scottish Government to produce his report, Putting Learners at the Centre: Towards a Future Vision for Scottish Education, published in February 2022.  He has a particular interest in the Finnish education system where he has worked with Helsinki University and the Finnish National Agency for Education.  Kenneth is the Vice-Chair of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and a Trustee of the Children’s Parliament.  He is a Fellow of RSGS, the Educational Institute for Scotland and the Royal Society of Arts.  In 2021, he was awarded a CBE for his services to Scottish education.