Ruth Swailes
Ruth is the Director of Assure Education and has almosr 30 years’ experience in primary education, over 20 of them in senior leadership roles including primary headship. Ruth has worked as a School Improvement Advisor, Early Years consultant and moderator in several Local Authorities; supporting leaders and teachers to improve outcomes for pupils. Passionate about Primary education, particularly Early Years, Ruth has taught from Nursery to Y6.
In 2014 she trained as an Ofsted inspector, combining this role with a number of other roles in education.
Ruth currently fulfills a range of different education improvement roles. She works part-time as a School Improvement Advisor to several Local Authority schools. Throughout her time in the Local Authority Advisory service, she has a proven track record of improving schools and helping to secure good and outstanding Ofsted outcomes in the schools in which she works, this role also involves performance management for Headteachers and supporting governing bodies with strategic leadership.
Ruth also works with a range of MATS, Teaching Schools Alliances, Academy and LA schools throughout the UK providing training, school improvement advice, appraisal, coaching, mentoring, and practical advice and support.
In 2022-23 Ruth has worked with the following LAs: Barnsley, Birmingham, Bradford, Buckinghamshire, Calderdale, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Coventry, Cumbria, Darlington, Derby, Derbyshire, Devon, Doncaster, Durham, Ealing, Essex, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Kirklees, Lancashire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Milton Keynes, Norfolk, North East Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Reading, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Slough, St Helens, Stoke on Trent, Sutton, Torbay Warwickshire, Wigan, Wirral and Wokingham.
She has worked with the following associations in the last 12 months: Early Education local branches, The Local Government Association, The National Association of Headteachers, The National Association of Small Schools, The National Literacy Trust, Oxford University Press, Oxford International, GEMS schools, British Schools Middle East, Best Practice Network, Learn Sheffield.
Ruth is the lead author, curriculum consultant, and trainer on the Oxford University Press International Early Years curriculum. She has recently completed the OICEY curriculum for 2-3 year olds.
Ruth is passionate about Education, particularly in the 0-7 phase and is a founding member of the “Firm Foundations” grassroots Early Years movement, bringing high-quality training and debate at minimal cost to educators across the country.
Ruth presents the Childhood Chatter show on Teacher Hug Radio – The soundtrack to your teaching career. She has written for The Early Years Blog | Famly, Early Years Educator | Early Years Educator where she serves on the editorial board, Ruth Swailes, Author at Yorkshire Bylines, amongst other publications, and was named Nursery World Trainer of the Year 2021 and a leading International "Edruptor" in 2022 by the ISC.
Ruth has now returned to work following her recent bereavement and is taking bookings for September 2024 onwards with a few available dates remaining in the 2023/24 academic year.