Who's Who in the REM State Team

Dave Strudwick B.Ed (Hons)

Dave is head teacher at Blackawton Primary School in Devon. This is a small (140 students) rural school; he has also worked as head teacher in a challenging urban environment.

Dave worked previously as a teacher in a variety of schools in different settings. This led to him becoming an Advisory Teacher for Devon’s Behaviour Support Team, and he has also worked as a part of Devon’s Healthy School’s team working across Health and Education agendas. These posts have allowed Dave the privilege of working alongside many staff and in a large variety of schools and contexts for students of all ages.

Dave has also worked with children within a mainstream primary setting who had excluded from their previous schools. This work resulted in a book titled Educating Children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties: Inclusive Practice in Mainstream Schools, written with John Thacker and Elly Babbege. Dave has worked previously with Mike in two schools, and in his role as Healthy Schools Project Officer.

Dave describes his personal philosophy as follows:

‘I want to make a difference. I want to participate fully in the race we call human. I want to love all of life, bringing the joy of the game to everything I meet.

‘My aim in life is to be creative, fun loving and to ensure that myself and others see things differently as we journey together. I want to fly - and I want you to fly; ultimately, I want flight and I’m not attached to it being me. For that reason I want a team of Giants.

‘My values are based upon acceptance, courage, trust, great communication and being ‘outside the box’. I can be counted on for ‘being’ my word; sharing my word and myself; dreaming; trying new things; and loving the unloved’.