Ritchie Cunningham Email & Phone Number

Highlands

Another diversion from retirement - offering some short-term management support while the council re-organise support staffing to accommodate budget cuts.

• Develop collegiate working across the group of subject professionals and primary colleagues• Promote specific advice and support on assessment• Liaise with SQA nominees and team leaders • Promote effective transition at all stages• Contribute to subject specific pages on GLOW • Organise meetings and in-service events

Highland

I've been enticed out of retirement for a part-time post supporting the implementation of a Curriculum for Excellence, in particular the new Geography Higher. It'll be good to work on some curriculum development - especially since I'm one of those weird people that really like this sort of work.

As a Director of Inverness and Nairn Enterprise (Local Enterprise Company) 1998-2004, with an interest in Community and Skills development, Board Member of Inverness College 2004-2010 serving on HR and Education Quality Assurance committees and Governor of UHI Millennium Institute 2003-05 I have a wide range of experience in serving on public bodies . While at INE I was involved in the decision making which brought Lifescan (the Highland’s largest private employer) to the region and steered development of the vocational education programme at Inverness College for 15 year olds. I’ve been involved in the build up to the University of the Highlands and Islands University serving both as a Governor of UHI and Board Member of its largest college member. My involvement in decision making regarding support for inward investment and critical developments for the Highlands has been a large part of my working life over the last 20 years. I was involved closely in the planning and decision making for the new Inverness College UHI campus presently under construction in Inverness. As a board member of the public bodies mentioned above and several other directorships I have held I am well aware of the responsibilities of directors in regard to governance and ensuring best value is achieved. Strong corporate governance is required to ensure boards scrutinise and ensure that their organisation is being led in the right direction over the long term. Boards must encourage transparency, accountability and long-term stability; which is required to maintain public trust.I have been a director of a limited company, Community Interest Company and two charities. These in addition to serving on public bodies give me a wide range of board experience.

Inverness, United Kingdom

As a Headteacher of nearly 23 years I manage a budget of circa £3m and a staff of 60 + as well as contractors and interagency staff. In that time I have had involvement in a range of national and local bodies. I’ve led a school in a deprived area through a range of educational changes. In my time as headteacher we were the first school in the country to introduce a positive behaviour management scheme, which has been exported to hundreds of schools in Scotland – I was awarded a National Training Award in 1996 for the staff development associated with this scheme’s introduction. It promotes positive behaviour through praise and reward and discourages negative behaviour by working closely with parents. I established the first school college partnership for promoting Vocational education in 2001. This development was in opposition to the conventional education pattern at the time and although there was some opposition to the development it is now held up as a model example of cross-sector co-operation. I totally restructured the management of the school and we were the first school in Highland to complete this process in 2003. We now have a slimmer management team where teamworking is key to progressing our objectives . In 2003 I began establishing a charity and community interest company to serve the school and its catchment, this wider approach to school and community was rewarded by being chosen to launch the Governments School of Ambition programme in 2005. The development of a charity and community interest company is unique in Scottish schools and has had many positive benefits for the school including an injection of an additional £1m of additional funding. This work was rewarded in 2008 with a Royal visit from TRH the Duke (Prince Charles) and Duchess of Rothesay.The main lessons I’ve learnt in the last 23 years is be clear in laying your vision for any change, gather ideas and persuade those that sit on the fence. Plan and implement with vigour.

Served on the National Joint Working Party for Higher and C.S.Y.S. Geography, writing the revised syllabi and examinations, as an SCCC nominee 1990-92Provided in-service training at a national level and also to several Local Authorities over the years. Written/co-written over 25 publications including:"Diagnostic Assessment - A teachers view" in Programmed Learning and Educational Technology; Journal of AETT -Co-author of "Core Themes in Geography"- two books for Higher Grade Geography.-Co-author of Core Topics in Geography - four copymaster sets for senior school geography-Co-author of Credit Geography - a textbook for Standard Grade-Co-author of People and Place - a textbook for 5-14 GeographyAlso three Radiovision programmes for BBC Radio Scotland.

Led the development of Standard Grade Geography, training teachers throughout Scotland, preparing courses and leading working groups.

Ma Hons, Geography And Economics

Activities and Societies: University Field Hockey 1971- 1973 Geographical Society 1972 1976

Geology