Following her degree in politics and history at Newcastle University, Emma travelled in South America and then joined the Civil Service. She worked in various positions at OFSTED, and at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, working on a bill team and writing speeches for ministers.
During this period, she volunteered as an adult literacy teacher and was a reading mentor in an inner-city primary school. These posts, together with a love of language, piqued her interest in the processes involved in learning to read, and how to remediate literacy difficulties.
After having children, Emma worked as a clerk to governors in 3 local schools. She then gained the Level 5 Diploma in Teaching Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) at the Helen Arkell Centre in Farnham, Surrey. Emma has worked as a Learning Support Teacher in both a local preparatory school and a state secondary school.
Her main interests include theatre, yoga, cycling and travelling.
