Alan Cowley TCert BA

Chief Executive Officer

Alan was a successful teacher and school leader within maintained secondary schools for more than 35 years, earning a national reputation for delivering innovative projects that aided learning. His entrepreneurial approach to business links led to his appointment as the first SSAT lead practitioner for Community Cohesion and then Parental Engagement. His role as member of both the expert and advisory panels, key note speaker and consultant for the Engaging Parents in Raising Achievement campaign led to his secondment to Becta to lead the national introduction of Online Reporting to Parents. Upon the successful completion of that initiative, Alan was offered consultancy by ASCL and the NAHT, so resigned his post to found Engagement in Education Ltd in 2008. Alan is now recognised as a leading authority on Parental Engagement, and Stakeholder Engagement. He writes widely on educational matters for various professional publications and provides most of our keynote addresses.

One of the two founders of Engagement in Education Ltd in 2008, Alan is our CEO and has overall responsibility for the creative direction, quality and integrity of the service we deliver. 

Alan’s research was cited in Policy Exchange’s hard-hitting report on Ofsted, ‘Watching the watchmen’, and lauded by leading academics. Working with his wife Delia, he has dedicated the last 6 years to school-based action research into the development of Free Flow Info

Away from work Alan continues to enjoy his interest in the arts where he has experienced national success as a writer, director and producer for stage and television (including the production of three Gotchas! for ‘Noel’s House Party’). He is passionate about family and loves hosting and cooking for extended family events.