Decades of experience
turning complexity
into clarity.
About Will
I work with small maintained schools and nurseries navigating complexity — where educational vision and financial reality must align.
My career has been shaped by one consistent theme — stepping into situations where clarity is needed, systems need strengthening, and schools require steady leadership to regain stability.
Today, through Mapleleaf Vision, I bring together decades of leadership experience as a former headteacher, Advanced Skills Teacher and strategic school leader to support governing bodies and school leaders in making confident, sustainable decisions.
Strategic Leadership Experience
Across my career I have worked in a wide range of educational settings — from nursery to university level — deliberately choosing roles that offered insight into different phases of education and leadership contexts.
This breadth of experience has shaped a leadership style grounded in:
- strategic clarity
- governance understanding
- financial realism
- calm decision-making under pressure
I have led through significant periods of instability, including organisational restructuring, deficit recovery work, and the operational challenges of the global pandemic — experiences that strengthened my ability to lead without a blueprint and maintains focus on what truly matters for children and communities.
A Career Built Around Turning Complexity into Clarity
Throughout my leadership journey, I have often stepped into challenging environments:
- schools emerging from Ofsted categories
- settings facing significant behavioural or cultural challenges
- leadership roles requiring rapid improvement and strategic direction
As an Advanced Skills Teacher and later senior leader, I supported multiple schools to improve teaching and learning, develop sustainable systems and raise expectations across staff teams.
This work evolved into executive-level responsibilities, shaping strategy across whole-school and multi-phase contexts.
Headship further deepened this experience — rebuilding governance structures, strengthening safeguarding, stabilising organisational systems and creating a clear ethos during periods of uncertainty.
Over time, this experience shaped a clear philosophy about how complex schools regain stability.
How I work
My approach is grounded in two fundamentals:
educational impact and financial sustainability.
I believe complex decisions become clearer when leaders step back from immediate pressures and focus on evidence rather than noise.
Rather than offering quick fixes, I work alongside leaders to:
- clarify risk
- strengthen governance thinking
- create realistic strategic pathways
This approach reflects my belief that sustainable change comes from clarity, not urgency.
Beyond Consultancy
Alongside strategic consultancy, I continue to offer career coaching and professional CV services for educators navigating change in their own professional journey.
These services sit alongside — rather than at the centre of — my work today, reflecting a long-standing commitment to supporting people as well as organisations.
A Personal Note
Will is a British-Canadian citizen with a lifelong passion for travel and a spirit of adventure. He finds balance and perspective in the wild freedom of the great outdoors, and still feels most at home in the mountains — a space that continues to shape his outlook on leadership, resilience and clarity.
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Professional
I first worked with Will whilst I was a junior member of a teaching team. I worked closely with him for around three years and he became a true mentor to me. During this time Will helped encourage me to discover my own leadership style and he mapped out what it takes to be successful. I highly recommend Will for leadership and career coaching.
Will is a professional, natural leader who manages to make you feel at ease. He manages to be both emphatic and encouraging, whilst also managing to challenge you to find your own answers. Will’s approach is totally non-judgmental and the sessions are really focused on you and on what you want to achieve. Working with Will has allowed me to address challenges I was facing and he brought a wealth of resources and practical tools to help me set goals, clarify my values, and explore avenues right away. Even though I left teaching 5 years ago, I still seek out Will for his help and guidance and I appreciate his versatility as a thought partner, ally, and coach. Our sessions are always productive and efficiently run, which is perfect for someone who is juggling many priorities! Will brings great communication, professionalism and quality to his work and I highly recommend him as a leadership/business coach.
~ Jamie T (Leadership Coaching)
right decision
Thank you again for your help with the next step on my journey – it’s quite a scary journey as I step outside my comfort zone but I know I have made the right decision and am pleased to have found a professional who is there to help me along the way.”
~ Emma R (CV Writing Services)
Highly recommended
Will at Mapleleaf Vision fitted me in for a last minute decision-making session that I needed to make ASAP regarding a job offer / career change. He was friendly, professional, and really knew his stuff! He unpicked things that I could never have done on my own. I’m so grateful to him and will be highly recommending him to everyone! Where there is a ‘Will’, there’s a way! Thank you, Will. You truly have a gift.
~ Cat K (Career Coaching)