I am Jon Gore, an ex-management consultant with 13 years commercial experience, now making the massive career into primary teaching.

Since starting a family in 2007 I have been working freelance and part-time, to balance work with childcare.  During mid/late 2012 I spent a total of 6 weeks volunteering in various schools, balancing this with my consulting work.  I was working with directors of large international organisations one day, and the following day with 8 year olds who struggled to add up.  It was invaluable to have this head to head comparison, and it became clear I wanted to work with the 8 year olds any day!

I currently work as a part-time teaching assistant at Summerhill academy in Bristol, providing maths interventions in year 5 and 6.  In September 2014, when my youngest child starts school, I will be starting a Schools Direct PGCE at The Mead primary school in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

My management consultancy background is in financial modelling and large scale data analysis – using maths to support business decisions.  An example: do we open new stores, refurbish existing stores, develop a transactional website or sort out our internal IT systems?  Another example: do we deliver newspapers using wholesalers, direct to the shops or direct to your door?  Probably the most exciting example: should we continue sponsoring a major global sports competition, and a major tennis star?  So I have a particular interest in maths teaching, and embedding it across the curriculum and across real-life projects.

My other main interest is music.  For 20 years I have played keyboards, arranged music, been musical director in various bands and musicals.  Over the last couple of years I have worked with several junior school bands, and at Summerhill I have got involved with a wide range of music – school band, ukulele group and the times table project.  Summerhill have given me the freedom to work with the children on whatever crazy musical ideas I have, and being part of the Cabot Learning Federation gives us an easy way to collaborate across a wide range of schools.