We offer alternative education consultancy in specific areas of expertise:

Our Consultancy Team:

Mike King

CEO & Executive Headteacher

Mike founded Releasing Potential in 2001 after working for many years as a teacher of physical education in mainstream schools. Mike’s vision was to find ways of working with young people who were disengaged from education, through alternative educational models encouraging self-esteem and self-reliance. Since then, Releasing Potential has grown into a much larger charity and is now also a Department-for-Education registered Independent School. Mike’s area of consulting expertise is the transition from Alterative Provision to Independent Special School.

Catherine Brennan

Senior Operations Officer

Catherine’s background is in education, having taught in secondary, tertiary and Higher Education; she has also worked for many years with vulnerable young people in a range of day services and residential programmes. Catherine’s main areas of alternative education consultancy expertise are in safeguarding and Human Resources as well as project leadership. Catherine has overall responsibility for wellbeing across Releasing Potential’s school, outreach and business projects. 

Dr Alexandra Gray

Head of Business Development 

Dr Gray consults and presents on a range of topics including Alternative Education, choice-informed practice, social pedagogy in education and behaviour management. She has been part of the team responsible for Releasing Potential’s transition from Alternative Provider to Independent Special School, with particular responsibility for student progress. Dr Gray heads up the team at Releasing Potential Institute. As the founder of Learn Trek, she also consults on  technology for progress tracking in the alternative education sector.