Staff members in discussion in a meeting room.

Meet our directors

NITE’s senior team brings extensive experience from across the education sector. Together with their teams, they ensure we deliver high-quality, relevant, accessible and affordable professional development for teachers and school leaders at all stages of their careers.

Professor Geraint Jones

Chief Executive Officer & Associate-Pro-Vice-Chancellor

CEO.NITE@coventry.ac.uk

Geraint’s breadth of leadership spans across the educational landscape. He has led within higher, secondary and primary sectors in both state-maintained and independent institutions in the UK and internationally.

Formerly, he was Chief Education Officer at Cognita Schools, one of the world’s largest school groups. He was also Dean of Education at the University of Buckingham, an Ofsted Inspector and Head Teacher.

Geraint writes and speaks on educational matters in the national media in the UK and is a columnist for the Times Educational Supplement (TES).

Geraint won an international education award for pioneering a new school day structure. He also wrote Wake ’n Shake, a globally successful physical activity programme for school children, which he gave to schools for free.

He was involved in implementing the education strategy for London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, and he represented UK schools at the announcement ceremony in Singapore.

He has advised government education ministries in the UK, South East Asia and the UAE.

Claire Hawtin

Director of ITT (Initial Teacher Training)

claire.hawtin@coventry.ac.uk

Claire gained her first degree in English Literature with Physical Education and Sports Science from Loughborough University, before training as a teacher and enjoying a successful career in primary education. She continued her passion for sport and physical education in her role as PE subject leader and as part of the School Sport Co-ordinator (SSCo) Programme.

Claire held leadership positions in schools as a member of Senior Leadership Teams, an Advanced Skills Teacher and a Mentoring Lead. Claire was also part of the inaugural Mathematics Specialist Teacher (MaST) programme, in which she gained accreditation as a teacher of Mathematics.

In 2012, Claire began her career in teacher training within Nottingham University’s School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) Programme, before moving to Pilgrim Partnership SCITT and the University of Hertfordshire. In her roles she gained extensive experience in Initial Teacher Education, leading on the delivery, support and assessment of a variety of routes into teaching.

Claire joined NITE in 2020, becoming its Director of ITT in 2022.

Dr Becky Geeson

Director of Programmes

becky.geeson@coventry.ac.uk

After qualifying, Becky taught in primary schools in the East Midlands. She became a senior leader and Advanced Skills Teacher predominantly teaching in Key Stage 2, specialising in Mathematics and Art.

After eleven years teaching in schools, Becky moved into Higher Education and Initial Teacher Training.

As Programme Leader for two undergraduate teacher training degree programmes at Bishop Grosseteste University, she successfully led student journey, curriculum design, and recruitment and admissions for multiple cohorts. Becky also took on the role of Head of Programmes, overseeing all undergraduate and postgraduate primary ITT provision.

In 2017 Becky was awarded a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Association (SFHEA) and in 2021 she completed her doctoral studies at the University of Nottingham. Her research focused on professional identity development of teaching assistants who train to become teachers in a community of practice.

Becky leads NITE’s international development, including the iPGCE with iQTS programmes, supporting schools around the world to upskill their teaching staff and supporting teachers in their continuing professional development.

Louise Jakes

Director of Business Implementation

louise.jakes@coventry.ac.uk

After graduating with a degree in motorsport management, Louise began her career in conference and event management. She was responsible for delivering multiple large-scale events, partnering with businesses around the world.

Louise then joined the University of Buckingham’s School of Education and became its Director of Operations, overseeing the operational function of all postgraduate degrees within the School.

In 2019 Louise joined NITE as one of its founding Directors and led the establishment of professional and operational functions within the Institute. These included student recruitment and selection processes, course management functions and quality assurance systems for school placements.

As Director of Business Implementation, Louise now oversees the entirety of NITE’s pre-enrolment processes for students and ensures the effectiveness and efficiency of internal systems to enable the smooth running of the Institute.