Stephen Mott

Photograph of Stephen Mott

ABOUT ME

Summary quotes I use about my work:

"I don't do decline!"

"I deliver high standards so that people can go on to achieve high standards"

After almost a working life-time, with several changes in direction over those years, I am looking forward to time where I can combine work with partial retirement. But I do not want to stop work completely yet!

I have a great breadth of experience in education. I offer personal tutoring.

My specialist subjects are Geology and Geography, with additionally Religious Education and Philosophy of Religion. I am currently offering courses and field trips in rocks, landscapes and wildlife.

I also provide talks and lectures on a variety of subjects related to my fields of expertise. You can find the latest courses and events here or using the menus.

I have provided some notes and news, including extracts from my field excursions on the notes and news page. Recent bird sightings can be found here too.

I have also provided a variety of photographs, some from previous courses or activities, others of more general interest related to the work I offer. Click here for a quick link to the photos page.

I hold full Public Liability insurance covering these activities and have recent Enhanced CRB certificates. Do feel free to ask about these when you use the enquiry boxes.

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Biography

Stephen Mott was born in Yorkshire and has been a classroom teacher for most of his life, mainly in the secondary sector, where he started out teaching geography, geology and chemistry.

In 2000, as part of his professional and personal development, he re-trained to teach Religious Education and at one time was teaching RE alongside chemistry. He was also variously a pastoral tutor for year 7s and later a Sixth form tutor.

Following a long career in the classroom, he became an Advisor to church schools in the diocese of Carlisle in 2005, when he modelled RE teaching, prepared schools for inspection and helped them implement recommendations from inspection reports. Stephen also led INSET on RE and Collective worship, distinctiveness and governorship. He served on several head teacher appointment panels and was a member of SACRE. He built up a formidable reputation for thoroughness, understanding and high standards.

Following redundancy in 2010, he became a freelance/contractor, building up a portfolio of educational work. He worked principally as a consultant in school improvement having also served as an OFSTED S.48 inspector. His work took him all over the North of England.

Since September 2017, he has become semi-retired and has focused on writing for publication (two are due to be published in 2019), scientific research and fieldwork.

He delivers geology and geography workshops using his skills as a teacher of field studies, and is currently working in adult education and for private NGOs who require tuition in geological knowledge. In addition, he has led field work excursions for private pupils wishing to improve their fieldwork portfolios.

From 2008 to 2018 he worked as a Mentor to undergraduates at Hatfield College, Durham University where he helped undergraduates in study skills, CV writing and job applications. He has also served on the College Council. It has been both a privilege and very rewarding to work in the whole of the educational spectrum from primary school to university.

He has established a Prize for Fieldwork for undergraduates at Hatfield College who are studying geography or earth sciences. It has been a special pleasure to meet and dine with the prizewinners at the Annual Scholars' Formal Dinner held in the College dining Hall every February. Prizewinners have achieved remarkable work on projects as far away as the Troodos ophiolite complex, river systems in New Zealand and maps of flood potential in the UK.

In April 2016 his latest paper Ecotourism in the Falkland Islands was published in Geography Review, a journal aimed at A level students.

Stephen has also found time to take exams in church organ playing and choir training. He maintains a regular church organ playing commitment in Cumbria. (See Church Music page).

His interests include wildlife (especially bird-watching) travel, hillwalking, music and photography.

Stephen describes himself as a polymath. He comes from a family which includes a more distant relative who was Nobel prizewiner in Physics and he tries to uphold a tradition of life-long intellectual curiosity handed down from his father. He is married to Alison (Headington School, Oxford and the Universities of St Andrews (MA) and Durham) who is Director of Junior School Music at Austin Friars Independent RC School, Carlisle. They currently live in Carlisle.

He looks forward to hearing from you and working with you.

/images/SWM & Durham geology map (2)webcompr1.JPG

The map of UK geology made up of rock samples found outside the Bill Bryson Library, South Road, University of Durham.

Education

Baildon CE VA Primary School, Yorkshire
Shipley Salt Grammar School, Yorkshire
Hatfield College, University of Durham (BSc in Geological Sciences, 1979; Main Prizewinner for Fieldwork)
College of St Mark and St John, Plymouth (PGCE, 1980)
Archbishops' Certificate in Church Music (1990); Grade 8 Organ playing (high Merit)
University of Sheffield (MSc Information sciences, 1991)
St Martin’s College Lancaster (Adv. Cert. in Religious Education, 2001)