Jonathan Thomson Email & Phone Number

Suffolk

With over 30 years' experience of working in the education sector in the UK and abroad, I am able to provide comprehensive training on the use of assessment data to schools and colleges, with a view to ensuring that maximum benefit is gained from the information that the data provides. This includes supporting SEND in schools and academies.I am able to create suitable material to support and deliver workshops and seminars. For businesses supplying the education market I can work with customer-facing staff, both pre- and post-sale to ensure that their customers are provided with accurate and appropriate support.

Chiswick, Uk

My role expanded from looking after the PASS attitudinal survey to encompass all assessments provided by GL. My task has been to design and deliver training workshops to clients, both pre- and post-sales in order to help them understand what the assessments measure, and how the data can be used in schools and academies to enhance the outcomes for all students. I have also been providing assessment training to colleagues within GL, particularly customer-facing staff, to ensure they had the knowledge to provide first-class support to schools and colleges. For the past 7 years I have chaired the BESA Special Needs Group, and served on the BESA Executive Council.

Chiswick, United Kingdom

GL Assessment is a leading independent provider of assessments, stakeholder surveys, self-evaluation systems and professional development services. My role is to manage the newly-acquired attitudinal survey, PASS (Pupil Attitudes to Self and School). Responsibilities include re-branding the survey, ongoing product development (including integration into the GL portfolio), customer and staff training, brand development, and customer liaison (pre- and post-sale). PASS is now well-established as one of GL's key assessments.

TAG Developments is the web development division of BLi Education. As such it is responsible for for developing and maintaining the online presence for the rest of the group. However, TAG Developments is best known for its work with e-portfolios and online assessment. Its main product is MAPS (Managed Assessment and Portfolio System). Within this are modules that can also be used separately from MAPS, including the award-winning Red Pen Tool, where the judges at the e-Learning Awards commented that 'it could be the missing link in the e-portfolio/assessment space and could revolutionise how work is marked and assessed in an online world'. Try it out for free at www.redpenit.com

Educational IT for Special Needs and inclusion. Brand development, web site traffic growth. Developed brand strategy at the same time as expanding the product range.Home Access is a govt sponsored programme to provide internet-connected computers to low-income families with children at KS2 or 3. Achieved the market share that was targetted and in the process doubled the company's turnover.

Brought in to take over this recently acquired SEN brand. Created a new catalogue and web presence, and started to re-establish the brand in the market.

Following Renaissance Learning's acquisition in the US of AlphaSmart Inc., the UK divisions of both companies amalgamated. My role was to continue to look after hardware sales across the EMEA region. I managed to take hardware sales over 10k units for the first time in 2007, with a turnover of £1m.

As sales and marketing manager for the EMEA region, my first task was to develop channel sales in the UK as a secure method of developing sales overall. I also worked with national distributors in Europe and Scandinavia, assisting with localisation, and helping to develop their own channels and overall sales. I produced new marketing collateral and attended many shows, both nationally and internationally, developing sales directly to international schools and indirectly to local markets.

Advisory Matters is a small educational consultancy, working in the UK and the international school market worldwide. My role was mainly to develop the demand for our services from the international school market.

My own company - initially exporting Acorn computers until their untimely demise. Later supplying and supporting Apple & Windows hardware, software, peripherals together with training and support to schools and colleges in the UK, as well as British and US International Schools worldwide

Cambridge

I joined the International Dept initially to manage the Middle East and Asia. Over time, my territory grew to include the Pacific Rim as well as Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. For my last year I was promoted to General Manager of the International Department. One of my early successes was to establish local manufacture of the Acorn BBC B microcomputer in India, in a joint venture with the Indian Government-owned Semi-Conductor Complex Limited (SCL) in Chandigarh. I also established and managed channel sales in the other territories around the world.

Overland expedition leader, taking groups by land from London to Narirobi and Kathmandu (& back, with a separate group). These were camping expeditions of approximately 3 months duration each way in an ex-army four-wheel-drive truck, where I was in sole charge of the group and was the driver, mechanic, tour guide, and did anything else that needed to be done! As well as several return trips to Nairobi and Kathmandu, I completed one London to Sydney overland, where we shipped the truck from Madras to Penang, then took the group by boat from Singapore to Freemantle, and finished by using a hired coach to drive all the way along the south coast of Oz. There was never much money in it, but it was a fantastic experience, and hugely enjoyable.

Hnd Business Studies, Marketing

Activities and Societies: President NRCT Motor Club 1969/70

Education record