Who We Are

Northern Sky Education was founded by Mel Riding, an educational leader with over 20 years’ experience. 

Mel has been a Specialist Leader of Education, Advanced Skills Teacher, Teacher Training Mentor, Head of English, GCSE examiner, teacher and tutor. 

Mel now works as a School Improvement Consultant with national Multi-Academy Trusts and is also Director of Studies for Stonyhurst Summer School.

Mel has a wealth of experience working with students from primary years to adult learners and a passion for the transformative power of education. She specialises in GCSE and A Level English.

Wendy is our SEN specialist, having spent more than 30 years in education and leadership. She has teaching experience in all key stages, undergraduate and postgraduate levels with expertise in learning, learning difference and other specialist needs including dyslexia and ADD. Wendy has been in teacher training roles in motivational improvement, coaching and, county wide, in enterprise; approaching subjects in innovative ways.

Wendy has delivered nationally to head teachers around communication and effective use of emotional intelligence and positive psychology in a learning setting. More importantly, Wendy has a genuine understanding of how SEN can impact a student's needs and a passion for unlocking potential.

Wendy specialises in Primary English, maths and science and all aspects of SEN.

Steve recently retired from his post as Headteacher of a successful school in Pendle,  following 36 years of committed and rewarding service in secondary education and 14 years of Headship. He describes his role as Headteacher as an "honour, privilege and pleasure".

Steve came into the profession as a maths teacher and was Head of Mathematics for 11 years before going into senior leadership. Even in senior leadership, his passion for teaching maths led him to continue to teach maths wherever and whenever his leadership role permitted him to! Steve specialises in primary and GCSE maths.

Steve says: 'Working for Northern Sky is enabling me to go back to my first love and passion of maths teaching where, experience tells me, individual or group tuition can make a huge difference and impact leading to rapid improvements in confidence, process and learning.'

 Colin started out as a dyslexia tutor in the early 1990s, teaching over 100 children to read and write, while campaigning with phonics pioneers to improve literacy in schools. He then spent 16 years as a secondary science teacher, with roles including Lead Intervention Teacher, Head of Chemistry and Curriculum Leader for Science. He has published research papers on maths education and testing, and is co-author of the Fast Maths intervention programme. Colin’s business, Sound Foundations Books, has provided reading, writing and spelling resources to over 2000 UK schools and to home educators around the world. He remains passionate about providing the best possible life chances for young people. 

Phoebe has ten year's experience teaching both English Language and English Literature at GCSE level. She has an excellent knowledge of both the WJEC Eduqas and AQA exam specifications and can help pupils effectively achieve their exam goals.

Phoebe has also taught KS3 (year 7-9) English too, focusing on building the foundation skills necessary for GCSE: punctuation, vocabulary, sentence structure and how to adapt writing styles to suit different text types.

'I love to build positive relationships with students, based on trust and humour, to get great results! ' 

Claire has 30 years of experience of teaching young people and adults. She has taught English at all levels from basic literacy to A Level English language and writing and research skills for University study.

For the past 15 years she has coordinated specialist teams in local further education colleges to support learners with a range of additional needs. She has specialist qualifications in teaching and assessing students with dyslexia and other literacy difficulties as well as a doctorate and research interests in literacy and language development.

Claire has wide experience of supporting young people with autism, ADHD and mental health needs to develop confidence in themselves as learners and explore the strategies that work best for them. She is committed to working alongside young people to uncover and nourish their love of learning.

I have taught Primary aged children for over 25 years. I am passionate about education and building confidence in the children I teach. 

Throughout my career I have taught across the EYFS, KS1 and KS2 curriculums in a wide range of Primary schools. I was a successful member of the Family Learning team at Lancashire Adult Learning where I taught adults how to support their children’s learning in early reading and maths skills. I am currently working part time in a local rural school supporting teaching and learning in a KS2 class.

If your child is at Primary School and you feel they need support with their learning I will create bespoke lessons to meet their needs. I will make their learning fun and engaging whilst maintaining a calm and creative environment.

Liz is a former Leading Mathematics Teacher who has been tutoring since 2002 and specialises in GCSE and A level Mathematics.

She moved north to work at Stonyhurst College, having previously worked as Head of GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy in a challenging school in the South of England. 

Liz believes that everyone can do Maths, it’s just a question of how you are taught and she has a wide range of resources to support individual learning. 

Whether you aiming for a top grade, or striving to pass, Liz is positive, patient and engaging with a proven track record in preparing students for 11+. 13+, GCSE Maths, GCSE Statistics, Additional Maths, Further Maths, IB and A level Maths examinations, as well as working with University Engineering Students.