About Us

Claire is a co-founder and Director of CooperDaly Solutions and Support LLP.

Claire is a qualified teacher with a BA (Hons) Humanities degree and has taught for over 20 years. Before developing and co-running the Autism Outreach Service for a Local Authority, she was the Head of Year at a large Medway secondary school. She began her teaching career at a secondary school in Kent as a Humanities teacher.

She has also been a foster carer for young people with disabilities and special needs. She continues to offer respite care to parents.

Claire became a Trustee on 22.05.2017 and is currently Chair of Trustees

Jennifer is a co-founder and Director of CooperDaly Solutions and Support LLP.

After a rewarding and successful career in mainstream education her passion to learn more about how to better manage pupils with ‘challenging behaviour,’ led her to teach vulnerable pupil in a pupil referral unit. She quickly learned the value of close collaborative team work and to listen to the children she worked with. As an experienced SENCO it confirmed her belief that accurate assessment and appropriate ‘labels’ enabled her to better support and plan more effectively for individual pupils to learn.

Jennifer became a Trustee on 22.05.2017

After many different careers, Chris started working for the London Underground as a Station Foreman and then progressed through many different roles including Signalling Centre Manager, Service Control Manager for the Bakerloo Line, Traffic Manager at Docklands Light Railway, Project Manager and Senior Project Manager on the Jubilee Line.

Chris finally retired from London Underground in 2011 to support his family. Chris' oldest grandson is Autistic and the family have been supporters of the charity since 2006. 

Chris became a Trustee on 22.05.17

I have been in education for nearly 30 years and have a wealth of experience on which to draw.  Originally qualified in Secondary Education I have taught and held leadership roles in HE, FE, Secondary and Primary.  Specialising in working with schools and children who have challenging behaviour and high levels of SEND and SEMH, I have gained recognition for my work in these settings receiving a Butler Trust Award for my innovative curriculum design.

Over the last 10 years my work has focused on school improvement and I have worked as an Ofsted Inspector as well as working as a School Improvement Consultant for an Education Trust - working in secondary schools with large SEN provision .  Alongside this I have been a chair of Governors at a Secondary Free school helping to move it from RI to Good with Outstanding features and also a Governor of a large successful secondary school in South London.  I have also spent many years as Chair of Trustees of a London based music Charity working specifically with disadvantaged young people and those needing extra support both in their educational setting and within the community.

Currently I have just taken a large primary school in Reading from Special Measures to Good and Outstanding with particular emphasis on Pastoral provision being outstanding and am working alongside other schools in my Trust to deliver school improvement.

I am Head of Primary Education for the Skills for Life Trust, leading three primary schools in a Multi-Academy Trust. Previous to this I had six successful years as Headteacher at Hilltop Primary School, where we managed to retain KS2 attainment data above the national average and have an Ofsted grade of Good with an Outstanding EYFS.

My experience before this was as a school leader in Kent. I spent many years, in many different roles at Manor Community Primary in Swanscombe, finishing as Head of School and was fortunate enough to be chosen for a secondment to become an Interim Headteacher for the Local Authority. This gave me the opportunity to work in many schools in the Dartford and Gravesham districts in schools in challenging circumstances, and usually beginning with the school in a Special Measures category with Ofsted.

These experiences gave me the understanding that Leadership is the most vital part of school life, and I was honoured to be asked to be part of the MAGIC Advisory Board, to hopefully support the leadership team to make the school a success.

  My teaching career started almost 30 years ago and I can honestly say I have enjoyed every moment. I have always had a special interest in education for those students with additional needs and firmly uphold the view that education is for all which means you may need to think outside the box.

I have worked in a range of schools and locations in different posts including SENCO and for the past 14 years I have been the headteacher at a successful,  local large primary school. I have also visited  a number of schools in different capacities to work alongside leadership teams which has been an honour. More recently I have stepped away from my full time position to focus on my voluntary work including becoming a trustee of the school. 

I feel really privileged to join the Board of Trustees at The City Of Rochester School. I can offer experience, knowledge, support and challenge. I fully champion our values and  commitment to build confidence. resilience and success in each  and everyone of our students. The school shows care towards the students who attend with dedicated staff and leaders working tirelessly  to put in place individual programmes to prepare young people for the world inside and outside education. It is an exciting future for the school and those who attend.