James Nottingham

James is an award-winning leader and author, a renowned speaker and founder of 7 educational companies worldwide. The Swedish School Union describes him as one of the most talked about names in education, and the Observer newspaper listed him as one of the UK’s most forward-thinking and brightest innovators.

He is the author of several best-selling books including Challenging Learning, Encouraging Learning, and the Learning Challenge. He is also creator of the well-known Learning Pit. Do a search online for ‘The Learning Pit’ and you are sure to find thousands of applications of his work.

In his early days, James tried his hand at pig farming and chemical analysis before doing some voluntary work in South Africa and the USA. Returning to the UK, he worked as a teaching assistant in a school for deaf children. He was then a teacher and leader in schools across the 3-18 age range before co-founding a multi-million pound, award-winning social regeneration project that supported schools and businesses in the lower socio-economic areas of North East England.

Today, James and his team of 30 support schools with challenge, feedback, dialogue, leadership, Growth Mindset and Visible Learning. Working closely with researchers such as Carol Dweck and John Hattie, they show the best ways to translate up-to-date evidence into proven strategies for teaching and learning.