Close the Gaps founder Mark Wrangles has over 20 years of experience of working with young people in both the education and charity sectors. That experience has been in schools in areas of high deprivation with a high percentage of disadvantaged pupils or with charities working specifically with struggling young people. His passion is to bring his skills and experience in school improvement, safeguarding and leadership to practically help in the support of disadvantaged and struggling young people.

His most defining school leadership experience was working as part of the leadership team which took a secondary academy in an inner-city area of high deprivation from ‘Special Measures’ to an OFSTED ‘Good’ in all areas. Alongside the improvement of teaching and outcomes this included reducing exclusions to zero for four years. A watershed moment came in the realisation that, once teaching was strong, the schools progress figures were most strongly influenced by the quality of safeguarding and care for pupils.

More recent experience has spanned the alternative provision and charity sector, leading safeguarding and governance across a national group of 11 alternative provision schools and a national children’s charity. His consultancy experience includes support around safeguarding, teaching and learning and leadership across charities, schools and faith groups.

Mark’s training experience is wide and varied and has included leading training in both the education and charity sectors. Specific examples include facilitating NPQML and SL courses for Carnegie Leaders in Learning and an Emerging Leaders course for the Oasis trust. He is also a facilitator, coach and assessor for both the current NPQBC and NPQSL programmes.

He has a special interest in young people who struggle in mainstream education and has spent time as trustee and then on the Educational Advisory Board of TLG a national charity and alternative education provider.

In addition to Mark we have a small team of experts that we link in depending on the focus of support. By making sure we thoroughly understand your need we can tailor our approach to bring you the support and expertise to help.

Our consultancy experience has involved supporting alternative provision settings in a range of contexts through from opening and tendering and safeguarding support to long-term improvement and OFSTED inspections. In mainstream education experience has involved delivery of CPD, leadership coaching and attendance and pupil premium review and support. In the time that Close the Gaps has been running we have had the privilege to visit large number of schools and alternative provisions. We have been involved in discussions with the DfE, Ofsted inspections and both educational and charity support.