Geoffrey was born in East London in 1948 and grew up with his parents and two brothers in Winchmore Hill. He attended St Pauls C of E Primary School and, having failed his 11+, moved on to Winchmore Secondary Modern School. Here he studied for his O and A Level GCEs before taking up a place at City University to read Civil Engineering. A career with Consulting Engineers, Contractors but primarily Local Government served him well and now retired he lives with his wife in Buckinghamshire.

Chris Andrews Publications has produced guide books, coffee tables and souvenir books in Oxford for over 40 years. The company also publishes calendars, cards, posters and fridge magnets. All are photographed, designed and produced by ourselves. We also publish books and cards in the Cotswolds, Chilterns, Channel islands and Belfast.

Sinoist Books is a UK-based independent press that publishes only the best in translated Chinese literature and contemporary fiction.

Our mission is to act as a bridge between the Chinese and English-speaking worlds, so that the best Sinophone authors and their works can transcend the language barrier.

I have been a writer of fiction for many years, initially as a short story writer for women’s magazines when I was published extensively, nationally and internationally.

After completing an M.A. in Creative Writing, I turned to full length fiction and have now written four novels with a fifth close to completion. My novels are character driven – their genre is book group/commercial/literary crossover with themes of the complexities of family life, relationships and the influence of the past upon present lives. Set in the latter years of the 20th century and the opening decade of the 21st, each novel is a standalone story.

My fifth novel is something of a departure for me: set in London during WW2 with themes of conscientious objection as well as duty and familial obligation, it is my first venture into what can be considered historic fiction.

In addition to writing, I run creative writing classes and workshops and enjoy speaking to a wide range of societies and groups about my creative process and my long writing career.

Born in Manchester, Lou Gibbons now lives in the south of France. A corporate content creator by day, she writes quirky uplifting fiction by night. She has published two novels: The World Happiness Organisation (2024) and Tuesday (2025).

In Teachers, Schools and Views on Education, John Howson brings together a year of sharp, timely reflections on the English education system at a moment of rapid change. Written as events unfolded, these commentaries capture the pressures facing teachers, the shifting demands on schools, and the policy decisions that shaped the national conversation throughout 2013.

With his trademark clarity and deep understanding of the teacher labour market, Howson offers readers a grounded, insightful narrative that connects policy to practice and national debate to classroom reality. From recruitment challenges to governance reforms, from curriculum shifts to workforce morale, this book provides a rare contemporaneous record of a pivotal year.

Essential reading for educators, policymakers, researchers, and anyone seeking to understand how the forces of policy and practice interact, this volume stands as both a historical document and a lens through which to view today’s ongoing debates.