Professor Sam Twiselton, a Department for Education adviser and leading figure in the initial teacher training sector, is moving on from her job as director of Sheffield Institute of Education at Sheffield Hallam University at the end of next month.

She joined Sheffield Hallam 10 years ago and was appointed as the founding director of Sheffield Institute of Education, which has established itself as a major teacher training provider.

Professor Twiselton has also played a leading role as an adviser on policy around initial teacher training (ITT) and development.

In recent years she has sat on the advisory group for the Carter review of initial teaching training, worked on both the Core Content and Early Career Framework (ECF) and, most recently, sat as a member of the government’s expert group advising on the controversial ITT review.

Speaking to Tes, she said she was proud of all she has achieved over the last decade but was also excited about the sense of “liberation” and the opportunity to broaden her horizons further.

She will leave her role at the end of next month but is not leaving Sheffield behind completely as she will remain on as an emeritus professor, continuing to support her colleagues “as much as they want me to”.

But after working in education for more than 30 years, Professor Twiselton says she is excited to do more work locally, nationally and internationally and hopes to take on a number of voluntary roles, too.

Professor Twiselton is set to work with the DfE to help support ITT providers in getting ready for the implementation of the new ITT curriculum in September 2024. 

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She is also set to work with teacher training and development organisation Learners First, the think tank Centre for Education and Youth and education adviser Mary Myatt to help develop ITT resources. 

Professor Twiselton will also be working with Now Teach, which works with career changers interested in moving into teaching, supporting them as an organisation. 

“In some ways, what excites me more is going beyond just ITT and building on all the stuff I’ve been involved in in teacher development more generally”, she adds.

Professor Twiselton is currently sitting on an expert group advising the government on ECF and ITT curriculum reforms and is hoping to “take the learning” from that review.

She has also previously spoken out about her experience advising the government on its controversial ITT reforms.

Speaking to Tes today she said: “I will continue to support colleagues as much as they want as they navigate...getting ready for the major [ITT curriculum] changes coming in in September 2024. But I feel we’ve got to a really good place with all of that and I’ve got some brilliant colleagues who will be taking that forward.

“It’s been a difficult time for everybody, including myself...but I think now we’re coming through to a point where people are beginning to feel excited. So it’s a really good place for me to feel a bit of...liberation about these next steps.” 

Professor Twiselton said she will “continue to have a relationship with the university” and “continue to support their work”. 

“But I’m moving to a new area where I can broaden my horizon. I’ve been very lucky in the job that I’ve had in that they have given me a lot of freedom to be very external facing but I feel I can take it to the next level now,” she added.

Internationally, Professor Twiselton says there are options available to her working at a “system level” in different countries, particularly those in the developing world.

She added: “An ideal scenario would be a mix of doing what my heart tells me is most important work, which is working with the most disadvantaged communities, both in this country and around the world.”