What is your vision for the school’s ICT and how will it positively impact both parents and students? 
Our vision is to create the best secure digital experience of any independent school in the UK, for our students, parents and staff, and to empower teachers to provide an exceptional, digitally enhanced learning experience.
I really believe that we are currently preparing young people for a world of jobs that will all be hugely influenced by Digital, Technology and Data in some way or another, and it is our ambition that every one of them has the opportunity to learn how to navigate and succeed in this environment.
I also see these capabilities bringing immense value and streamlining the School’s operations and administration.
AI is a hot topic in education right now – how do you see AI transforming teaching and learning in the years to come? 
AI is a hot topic in general right now! The reality is that AI is not new, but access to it through natural language, availability of data and processing power has made it consumable to everybody and a very powerful tool.  I truly believe that AI will not replace jobs but it will change all jobs in some respect. It is our role to teach our students how to work with these tools, but at the same time know their risks and limitations.
There are vast opportunities for AI in teaching and learning, from support for administrative tasks, support for class preparation, and finally, and probably most excitingly, student support. This is the riskiest so we must ensure these risks are considered and therefore these tools are used appropriately.
What are some potential risks of integrating AI into the classroom, and how is the school ensuring we stay ahead of these risks? 
It is very much an evolving topic, and we are in the process of generating a school AI policy with input from all parts of the School.  Any tool that risks degrading the learning process must be kept in check.  Key to this policy will be considerations around plagiarism, bias, data exposure and even AI hallucinations.
Having said this, there are definitely a number of brilliant AI enabled learning tools out that are prompts based that enable learning, rather than simply providing the answer.
Smartphones are everywhere, and we are learning more and more about the impact they are having on students inside and outside the classroom. We’ve heard about some schools introducing new ideas like magnetic pouches for smartphones. Can you share your thoughts on this or any other innovative strategies the school might adopt to manage phone use in the future? 
As referred to in the Principal’s recent podcast – a difficult topic indeed!  At ESMS we have had a ‘no phones out’ policy for a number of years and other schools are on a journey to catch up. Over this time the risk of these phones has evolved, with social media tools creating ever more sophisticated algorithms to drive addiction. A new impenetrable, social vernacular has also developed and this is particularly concerning at an adolescent age when a child’s neural pathways are being developed and social interaction is developing.
Personally, I don’t see a complete ban or removal of phones coming in to the school ever working in practice (whether that’s using pouches or any other method) as there will always be sophisticated work arounds found. There is some great discussion at the moment around delaying the provision of phones until later years – which I agree with but ultimately this is a decision for parents to make. Our role as a school is to put the right policies and guard rails in place with solid enforcement and to work closely with our parents and students, giving them the knowledge and tools they need to understand the risks and how best to mitigate them.
We know you’re spearheading the move to a new MIS system – how will this simplify things for parents, especially with the number of platforms currently in use? 
We are a large school, and we need robust internal systems to run the day-to-day operations of the school. We’ve taken on board feedback from parents, and we are in the process of updating some of the ways in which we communicate with students and parents. Once this new system is in place, our next focus will be the extra-curricular management systems and communication tools – which is really exciting – watch this space!
What excites you most about working at our school? 
I have come from industry and started ESMS only about 8 months ago (is that all??).  What I am finding really refreshing is the absolute laser focus on driving the very best education for our students.
How do you stay on top of emerging trends in education and technology? 
I have managed to set up a great network across the independent schools in Scotland, and I am very grateful that they have welcomed me with open arms.  It is a fantastic way to stay on top of innovation.  As well as this I continue to stay in touch with my previous industry network, so believe I am in a great position to bring innovation to bear through this channel as well.
When you’re not immersed in Digital, Data or Technology, what hobbies or interests do you enjoy? 
I have three boys – one who’s 13 and a pair of 11-year-old twins – and honestly, most of my spare time is spent as their personal taxi driver! Whenever there is a spare moment however, I love playing squash, brewing beer, cooking in my outdoor kitchen and I have recently started guitar lessons with one of my kids!
