Testimonials
Angelina Lynch | Assistant Headteacher
I have known Selena for 15 years since she mentored me as a trainee teacher. She is quite simply, under all conceivable measures, the most effective leader of teaching and learning I have encountered in my professional career. Her deeply embedded pedagogical knowledge, laser-sharp focus on improving the level of challenge and outcomes for all students, irrespective of ability or circumstance, and her talent for working collaboratively with leaders and teachers at all levels makes her an asset to any school seeking to raise the bar in the classroom. I cannot recommend her highly enough.
Armando Alemdar | Head of Art and Design
I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Selena in a secondary school setting for over 10 years, and I can say without hesitation that she is one of the most dedicated, insightful, and inspiring English educators I’ve encountered in my professional life as an educator for over 30 years.
Selena's knowledge and passion for language, literature, and dedication to student learning and progress is reflected in everything she does—from lesson planning to professional development, and from classroom teaching to curriculum design. What sets Selena apart is her ability to connect theory with practice in a way that empowers both students and teachers. Selena has been a thoughtful mentor to colleagues throughout her educational career, where she has successfully delivered whole school Professional Development training to share her innovative strategies, resources, and ideas.
As a consultant, I am confident that Selena will bring the same energy, expertise, and collaborative spirit that made her such an asset in the English department and the whole school. Her ability to lead, support, and inspire will no doubt have a lasting impact on the schools and educators she works with.
Malwina Żywiecka | Deputy Headteacher
I have known Selena since 2013. She was my NQT mentor, my English Curriculum Leader and part of my school Leadership team. She is a leader that I have admired and always strive to be. Her uncompromising belief in the development of all teachers has inspired me and made me grow beyond my own expectations. Her approach to stretch and challenge in the classroom has been revolutionary in raising students’ motivation for the curriculum and contributing to a significant raise in the school’s outcomes.
Frankly, I have not met a leader, who has taught me so much about classroom practice and made me happily reflect on it every step of the way. Selena’s insight, emotional intelligence, joy and professionalism, make her the person that everyone wants to cooperate with and satisfy. She captures nuance that is hard to notice and capture, and I cannot recommend her highly enough.
Rebecca Zamora | English Teacher
I can safely say that Selena made me the teacher that I am today. From the beginning of our mentor/mentee relationship, I was inspired by her passion for the subject, her commitment to students, her depth of knowledge in teaching and learning and her seemingly effortless ability to consistently deliver high paced, engaging lessons. She modelled the skills and competency that encouraged me to be the best teacher I could be; she challenged me through her curiosity and supported me to step outside of my comfort zone which helped me grow and develop my teaching practice.
This same ethos as well as her wealth of teaching experience was applied in her role as Head of English. Selena prioritised engaging teaching and learning initiatives in curriculum meetings and invested time and resources into helping staff feel competent in teaching and assessing exam material.
I was also lucky enough to be involved in Selena's whole school INSET training where much like her lessons, she held a captive audience as she delivered her carefully considered, engaging content that encouraged teachers to think beyond their familiar daily practice and therefore stretch and challenge our students.
Samia Rahman | Deputy Teaching & Learning Leader
I have had the privilege of working with Selena for three years. Over her eight years at Alperton Community School, she has consistently elevated people and practice across the community. Her influence reaches students, support staff, classroom teachers, and leaders alike. Anyone who has the opportunity to work with her will benefit from her insight, her clarity, and her unwavering commitment to helping people become the best version of themselves.
Selena’s defining strength is clarity of perception. She identifies needs at both individual and organisational levels with precision, then acts with purpose, care, and discipline. Her expectations are high and unwavering, matched by a deep belief in people’s capacity to grow. The results have included exceptional student outcomes in Progress 8 and Attainment 8, alongside visible gains in confidence, leadership, and agency. At the same time, colleagues who work with Selena experience professional development that is focused, sustainable, and genuinely transformative.
Her impact is evident in the way staff describe her. Newly recruited teachers in the English department regularly spoke about how much they valued working with Selena. They described her as dynamic and animated, honest and capable, and above all non judgemental. She created safe spaces where colleagues could be open about their needs and challenges without fear of being judged or looked down upon. She combined care and sensitivity with a firm commitment to efficient, effective, and lasting progression. In practice, this meant targeted, stepwise improvement for staff. No one felt overwhelmed. Everyone felt guided to work on exactly what would move their practice forward at the right moment.
Selena’s training and mentoring exemplify her coaching mindset. She designed and led focused development sessions, affectionately known as “powwows”. These sessions balanced rigour with encouragement and were always tailored to the specific needs she had observed. Colleagues benefited from precise attention to pedagogy, classroom routines, curriculum thinking, and strategies for students with specific needs. Feedback was consistent. Staff left her sessions clearer, more confident, and equipped with approaches that worked in real classrooms and endured over time.
Selena has also brought leadership experience from previous schools, including service on senior leadership teams and in middle leadership as Head of English. She has drawn on that experience to enrich whole-school thinking at Alperton. This has included raising academic standards, improving the quality of teaching, contributing to strategy, and modelling the daily professional habits that make strong outcomes possible. Her judgement is sound, her communication is clear, and her follow-through is exemplary.
Across every context, Selena meets people where they are and moves them forward. A five-minute conversation with her can be as impactful as a term of mentoring because she listens intently, responds with clarity, and focuses attention on the next actionable step. Students taught by Selena speak about feeling stretched and supported in equal measure. Colleagues describe lasting changes in their confidence and practice. Those who work with her return to express gratitude, often noting that they feel changed by the experience.
Selena is now extending her work in coaching and professional development, which is a fantastic way for her to keep contributing to the community of teachers in a way that will ensure success for individuals, teams and schools. She sees the big picture and the granular steps that lead to lasting improvement. Selena combines ambition with practicality, warmth with high standards, and vision with delivery. In short, she transforms people and practice, and she does so in a way that endures. It is with complete confidence that I recommend Selena. Anyone who has the opportunity to work with her will benefit from her insight, her clarity, and her unwavering commitment to helping people become the best version of themselves.