Steve has 30 years' experience as an English and Drama teacher, middle leader, and Assistant Principal, and 6 years as a member of a school improvement team in a local authority. Steve is a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and a trustee of the teachers' charity Education Support. He has an Advanced Diploma in Educational Management, an MA in Education, and the NPQH.

Steve has lived experience of mental ill-health while teaching and understands at first-hand the pressure that teachers are under and the danger of burnout. Steve is a qualified Counsellor and First Aid for Mental Health Instructor. His book 'Cultures of Staff Wellbeing and Mental Health in Schools' was published by Open University Press in 2021. It contains 32 case studies of how schools have developed a mental wellbeing culture.

Steve's career as an educator has been followed by over15 years' experience in business, including as a trainer, coach, and entrepreneur. In 2021, Steve co-founded Teach Well Toolkit (www.teachwelltoolkit.com) to provide mental wellbeing services to teachers and pupils in schools.

Steve has four adult children, one of whom is a teacher, and two grandchildren. He lives in Manchester.