Meet the Team

Mark Clutterbuck

Mark is currently an adviser for Wandsworth LEA, having previously held a number of different roles in the education sector, including a Head of English, a Deputy Head at a secondary school and, most recently, the Headteacher at Coombe Hill Junior School in Kingston. 

He has a long standing interest in writing for young people and in developing children's enthusiasm for reading.

Debbie Thomas

Debbie is a Lecturer in Reading for Pleasure for the Open University, leading their Reading Schools Programme to develop RfP pedagogy and research across the country, but she has been a local authority English advisor, a primary teacher, leader and inspector in a variety of different settings. 

Debbie loved working as a Regional Associate for CLPE, which is where her love of children's literature is nurtured. She now works as an independent consultant with a range of organisations in relation to primary English. She has always enjoyed reading and is now privileged to have a job where she has to read children's books all the time! 

Patrick Held

Patrick has been the Assistant Headteacher at Coombe Hill Junior School for the last 5 years and an upper Key Stage 2 teacher for the 6 before that. He is their IT Manager, video editor and all-round technology enthusiast! He also takes an interest in nature and using outdoor spaces for learning.

Matt Brown

Matt is currently the Lead School Performance Adviser at Achieving for Children, who provide children's services on behalf of Kingston and Richmond local authorities.

He has worked in a number of different roles in the organisation over the last 10 years, supporting both schools and the LA. 

Rebecca Rouillard

Rebecca has worked as a children’s/school librarian for the past five years and is currently working for the Kingston Educational Trust which includes a primary and secondary library. She also reviews books on her blog, on TikTok, Goodreads and NetGalley. Her favourite question to be asked is: ‘Can you recommend a book to me…’ The answer is always yes. 

In the past she has also worked as a graphic designer, editor and copywriter - skills that are all useful in the school library.

Scott Griffin

Scott has taught at Barnes Primary School since 2007. At the moment, he leads Upper KS2 and has recently been appointed to the role of English Lead. Having worked there for quite a while, Scott regularly sees the effect a well-chosen text can have on young minds. Children's literature inspires creativity, develops emotional intelligence and helps children to understand the world they live in. He is so excited to be part of this award and can't wait to immerse himself in lots more high quality children's literature.

Buzz

Part book-worm, part bee, Buzz is always on the lookout for the latest and greatest books. He helps us with a whole range of different things, including our pupil competitions and even has an annual magazine named after him. At the end of the day, he just wants everyone to be as buzzed about books as he is.