Nicola is the head of primary initial teacher training (ITT), including oversight of the SEND ITT programme, and head of mentoring at Best Practice Network, where she leads primary ITT programme development and mentoring strategy across ITT and Early Years ITT.

With more than a decade of experience as an assistant headteacher, she has led teaching and learning, literacy, and pastoral provision, with a strong focus on teacher development and pupil outcomes. She has also supported hundreds of school leaders as a leadership performance coach and associate programme lead across NPQ programmes. She is passionate about mentoring and developing the next generation of teachers and leaders.