About Me

Welcome to the profile of John Daniell

Meet the consultant

I gained a BA (Hons) joint degree in French and German at the University of Liverpool and then gained my PGCE at the University of Birmingham. Later I studied for an MA (Educational Management) at UCL and also gained my NPQH at the Institute of Education. I have taught in four schools in England, holding senior leadership positions in two schools in London.

In 2010 I was privileged to gain the position of Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools (HMI) working mainly in the East of England and London regions. I was trained to inspect primary schools, secondary schools and sixth form colleges. During my time as HMI, I inspected both maintained and independent schools, including academies, special schools, hospital schools, pupil referral units and free schools. I also investigated complaints against Ofsted, evaluated schools’ action planning for the DfE and conducted pre-registration visits to independent schools and academies.

Location

St Albans, England.

Telephone

+44 (0) 7958 730662

Email Address

john@verulameducation.co.uk

I was also promoted to the role of National Lead for Modern Foreign Languages and have carried out reviews of the effectiveness of modern languages departments. As
National Lead, I attended Parliament regularly and reported on the position of languages in England to the All-Party Parliamentary Group. I took part in a rapid response survey commissioned by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI) to evaluate the readiness of primary schools when languages teaching became mandatory in key stage 2.

I was also requested to represent Ofsted when the German state of the Rhineland Palatinate was reviewing its inspection framework. I, along with inspectors from other
European countries, observed an inspection in Germany and explained how Ofsted inspects English schools. This served as an excellent opportunity to share good practice and to learn from one another. On another occasion, I was asked to meet with overseas Ministers of Education to explain how Ofsted inspects English schools.

I was also chosen as the inspector to be shadowed by the HMCI (Designate) when I inspected an independent school in Hertfordshire. This was her first observation of any school inspection. Prior to leaving Ofsted I was judged to be in the top band for my inspection performance.

I set up my own school improvement consultancy in 2018 and have provided the services outlined on the website to several schools nationally. I have also worked as a school improvement partner in Hertfordshire schools and chaired headteachers’ performance management meetings. I have also reviewed the curricula in nearly every school in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. I led inspections of overseas schools, mainly in the UAE. I have had enhanced SEN training. I have also undergone an enhanced DBS check and am on the update service.

Testimonials

What They say

"John is an outstanding lead inspector- highly respected, fair and judicious in his evaluation"

"John supported the school in assessing leadership, pedagogy and enrichment in modern foreign languages. He helped us identify areas for improvement and create improvement plans. His knowledge of languages teaching has enabled us to make real improvements in languages"

"We all came away from our meetings with you feeling more confident that we are on the right path to getting the College through our next inspection"

"I contacted John to conduct a thorough review of safeguarding to externally confirm that our school would likely be judged as effective during inspection. John did an outstanding job of putting our minds at ease with his very timely and comprehensive report that followed. The review was conducted in an exceptionally professional manner showcasing John's years of experience of working in education. All those he met spoke very highly of him and the review. I strongly recommend this service if you are considering validating your safeguarding policies and procedures."

"John has been a key source of support and advice during our school's improvement journey. He has brought his tremendous expertise to all aspects of school self-evaluation, review and preparation for inspection. He combines a real understanding of the challenges schools face with a forensic approach to improvement strategy and its implementation. He has built a rapport with the leadership team and other colleagues; they respect him for his attention to detail and helpful balance of support and challenge. I cannot recommend him highly enough."

"John provides us with an excellent service to quality assure our work and make sure our schools remain compliant. In addition to his knowledge of the sector, he provides a great level of support and guidance, balanced with challenge and accountability. This is just what we were looking for to ensure the best education for our young people."

"We have worked with John Daniell for a number of years and the work he has done with our middle and senior leaders has been brilliant. He has allowed our leaders to practise talking about their remits without opening lines of enquiry. His feedback has been insightful and was crucial in our recent inspection where we judged Outstanding in all areas. I know that he has also made a difference in a number of other schools in the area and would have no hesitation in recommending him."