Jean is national expert on children’s issues. She is passionate about achieving better life chances for disadvantaged children and young people and dedicates her time to trying to make a difference for this group.  She has been a teacher, an educational psychologist, head of children’s services in a local authority, and a Visiting and Associate Fellow at three universities.

Jean has frequently acted in an advisory capacity to government on early years, wellbeing and special educational needs policy. Until 2011 she was the government’s Communication Champion for children and young people, responsible for promoting the importance of good language skills. Before this she led work on overcoming barriers to achievement as a Director of the government’s National Strategies, including developing the influential Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme. She recently co-authored the Education Endowment Foundation’s guidance ‘Improving social and emotional learning in primary schools’.

Jean’s interests are in the systematic application of evidence-based approaches to tackling disadvantage and under-achievement. She was awarded a CBE in the 2011 New Year’s honours list, for services to education.

https://www.jean-gross.com/about-us/biography/