Our Mission
NACE exists solely to support the daily work of teachers providing for pupils with high abilities whilst enabling all pupils to flourish.
What we do
Develop and exchange strategies for effective practice and further the professional development of our members.
Provide professional responses to issues affecting education of able, gifted and talented children and advice to government agencies.
Undertake development projects with partner organisations, local education authorities and groups of schools.
Provide professional expertise, advice, training and consultancy services, conferences, events, publications and resources.
Everything we do is driven by our commitment to help teachers improve the education of able, gifted and talented pupils.
Our Clients
Hundreds of schools, cluster groups, many local authorities and individual teachers have used our services and return for further support as their work develops.
Our History
The Association is a Company limited by Guarantee and a Registered Charity. It was established in 1984 by members of the Schools Council Gifted Child Project to bring together and support all those with an interest in the education of able, gifted and talented children.
Who we are
We are a large network of educators passionate about enabling able pupils to fulfil their potential within inclusive school communities. Our members are teachers, leading teachers, head teachers, advisers, inspectors, psychologists, researchers, writers, independent consultants, student teachers and school governors. They include people who are new to teaching able pupils and the leading national and international practitioners in the field - a wealth of experience used to benefit teachers and their pupils.
Our Trustees
The Board of Trustees constitutionally consists of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Company Secretary and six committee members plus the immediate Past President, a UK delegate to the World Council for Gifted Children and a delegate to the European Council for High Ability.
Vice Chair and President – Hilary Lowe
Hilary is Assistant Dean at the Westminster Institute of Education, Oxford Brookes University. She was the Project Director for the National Training Programme for Gifted and Talented Co-ordinators for the government's Excellence in Cities initiative. She has been a member of a number of national consultative and advisory groups on gifted and talented education, including the National Strategy Group developing the Leading Teachers programme and the DCSF group advising on Quality Standards. Hilary has written and presented widely on the education of able children and on the professional development of teachers and educational leadership. She is currently working with the Oxford Academy advising on curriculum and professional development. Hilary has served on NACE National Committee for 5 years.
Chair and immediate Past President –
Sue Mordecai
Sue is Head of Learning and Achievement in a large London Local Authority. She is the immediate Past President of NACE and currently the Chair of Trustees . Sue has served on a number of national advisory groups connected with the education of the more able. She was an associate tutor for Oxford Brookes University. Sue is a consultant to the publishers Rising Stars and a guest editor for the academic journal Gifted Education International. Sue has written a number of articles and developed resources aimed at the more able – most recently the ‘Wonderwall’ posters published by Rising Stars. She has delivered keynote speeches and training both nationally and internationally. Sue is an education adviser to the international Charles Darwin Trust and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Mary Fitzpatrick
Mary has been a Vice Principal in a large secondary school in Oxfordshire. She has many years teaching experience in secondary schools in both the inner city and the provinces. For a short period she held a research fellowship in the Westminster Institute of Education, Oxford Brookes University. She is especially interested in the kind of able individual, who does not conform to the traditional stereotype of high ability, who will not necessarily go on to higher education, eg, able entrepreneurs or students with autistic spectrum disorders. She has been involved in a number of mentoring projects to provide support for able students.
Jan Beet
Steve Clarke
Trustee and ECHA (European Council for High Ability) – Johanna Raffan
Johanna has had many years teaching experience and was a Headteacher for 25 years in Nursery, Primary and Middle schools. She was a founder member of NACE and is a past President. She is Consultant on More Able & Talented to the Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales (ACCACC). She is an Executive Member of the European Council for High Ability and is a UK delegate for the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children. She is a Council member of the College of Teachers, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Education Adviser on Able Children to the Government of Madeira.
Linda Prestidge
Linda is currently dividing her time between working independently as a consultant working with and advising schools on developing their provision for able learners and as a Learning Support Teacher at Dr Challoner’s High School, Buckinghamshire. Before working independently she was the Consultant for Gifted and Talented provision for Luton, Bedfordshire. Linda has also been chairperson of the Eastern Region Gifted and Talented Partnership, Excellence East, a member of a DfE Steering Group and Associate Tutor for Oxford Brookes University. She has delivered inset to teachers in England and Europe, as well as presenting workshops at the 2009 World G&T Conference. She has worked with organisations like the National Archives and regional museums to develop programmes to challenge able leaners. She is passionate about supporting able young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with dual exceptionality.
Past President – Belle Wallace
Belle is immediate past President of NACE and currently Director of TASC International (A Curriculum Framework for developing Problem-solving and Thinking Skills); she was formerly Co-Director of the Curriculum Development Unit (University of Natal, SA) with the brief for developing Assessment Strategies and Curriculum Extension for very able, disadvantaged learners, and training Curriculum Planners; she designed and was senior author of a whole school series of 48 language and thinking skills texts to redress cognitive underdevelopment in pupils from 6 to 17+ years. Belle has been the Editor of the tri-annual Journal Gifted Education International since 1981. She currently works as a consultant on Problem-solving and Thinking Skills both nationally and internationally, and continues to write extensively for teachers and pupils.
Company Secretary – Julie Graham
Julie been involved with NACE since it first began in 1983. As a retired Headteacher, her interests have remained with more able pupils and she is currently a part-time Consultant for Gifted and Talented Education to Bracknell Forest Local Authority. Her work in this field has included training and writing materials to support teachers in the classroom.
Our Patrons
Professor Guy Claxton
Professor Deborah Eyre
Baroness Shreela Flather
Professor Joan Freeman
David Fulton
Professor Diane Montgomery
Yvonne Perret
Sir Michael Tomlinson
Belle Wallace
Professor John West-Burnham
Dr Chris Yapp
Chief Executive – Rowena Gaston
Rowena has moved to NACE from a Chief Executive role with another Educational Charity. Her experience has been wide and varied but largely focused around educational settings. She has a wealth of enthusiasm for Education and considerable respect for those who work with children. She has empathy for teachers and their role and significant experience in leading and managing in the education field. She enjoys guiding and developing projects to improve the education of pupils. Rowena has twin boys who are very involved in sport and drama. In her spare time, she follows her passion for dance and choreography.
