CEO & Founder of Can’t Face School, Speaker on School Refusal, Engagement, and Attendance.
Richard has worked in the field of education for over 25 years. He has worked as a classroom teacher for both mainstream primary, secondary and special schools, to a leader of youth reengagement programs, to being an Assistant Principal, and a Regional School Improvement Manager in the state of Victoria, Australia. He is fortunate to have been part of a generation who continues to work and travel globally and have worked as a leader in schools & universities across Asia, U.K., France, and Australia.
He is also the founder and currently the chief operations officer of the organisation Can’t Face School which through its engagement and attendance program, creates and implements return to school plans for young people all over the world who refuse to go or struggle to engage.
Richard is well aware of the impact of mental health issues school refusal has on young people and have seen first hand the challenges students can face in school, the distractions that can overwhelm them, the high levels of mental health issues it can cause both students and staff, and the difficulties schools and families have in creating success for them to attend again.
Richard advises schools on how to prevent and manage whole school engagement and attendance issues including setting up the right frameworks to best support this at a whole school level including the writing and development of school refusal, engagement, and attendance policy and procedures plans.
He knows what works in education, and has been in school leadership for over 14 years with a solid understanding of how schools work and what they need to do to manage engagement and attendance.
Richard is a scholarship graduate from Melbourne University with a master’s degree in Instructional Leadership and have worked with some of the most influential names in global education.
He is passionate about ensuring that all students have the opportunity to learn, particularly those who have disengaged from school, and leading schools to support this work.
He brings expertise in:
