Our Team
Gemma Roberts, Director
Gemma is a Director of Waves Children’s Services Consultancy.
Gemma works with children’s services organisations, national and local charities, local authorities, housing associations and social enterprises to review and improve their services, including delivering training, and supporting their business development. Recent assignments include review and improvement of short breaks and inclusion services, achieving cost saving realisations for short breaks increasing an improved offer to more families. Established data analysis and performance reporting for early help in Doncaster recognised by DfE as: sophisticated and used well to develop services both at strategic and operational levels.
Gemma has worked with the Common Assessment Framework since being the lead practitioner for the original pilots through to training over 1,000 people in CAF and Early Help in the past few years. She is a qualified teacher.
When she is not working, Gemma loves to spend time in the mountains, either with her dogs, on her bike or paragliding. Gemma is a member of Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team.
Gemma has been subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure.
gemma.roberts@wavescsc.co.uk
Michael Watmough, Consultant
Michael is a qualified teacher and former: Principal Educational Psychologist; Head of Service for Special Educational Needs and Assistant Director in both Local Authority Education and Children’s Services, with responsibility for SEN and Disability, and for commissioning. Michael is also a former Additional Ofsted Inspector.
MBA, MSc, BSc (Hons), PGCE, Certificate in Commissioning and Purchasing Public Services (Institute of Public Care, Oxford Brookes University), trained in Outcomes Based Accountability.
Michael been subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure.
michael.watmough@wavescsc.co.uk
Chris Field, Children’s Centre Senior Consultant
Chris has been active at a senior level in education for the last 17 years, including a secondment to Ofsted to co-lead the proportionate inspection project. She has contributed to the development of new inspection frameworks, inspector training and Ofsted surveys. She left her post as the Director of Early Years (Tribal Inspections) three years ago to become a freelance consultant. As Director of Early Years she was responsible for managing a senior team of four assistant directors and a field force of 300 employed/freelance inspectors in the delivery of early years inspections across the South of England. Her specialist interests are leadership and management, children’s centres, safeguarding and early years. Chris has extensive experience as a director, lead professional, consultant, performance manager, coach and tutor/trainer. Following her registered inspector Ofsted accreditation in 1998, she has led 300+ nursery/primary inspections and 70 children’s centre inspections.
Additionally, Chris works with a number of local authorities and national charities to help review and manage the performance of children’s centres, including carrying out reviews, ‘mocksteds’ and supporting the ‘annual conversation’ process. Chris is a children’s centre improvement partner and is particularly experienced in helping them build for good or better effectiveness. Chris undertakes a range of quality assurance activities including quality reviews and report reading on behalf of Ofsted.
When she is not working Chris loves to travel, reads extensively and enjoys relaxing at her place in the sun.
Chris has been subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure.
Joan Lindsay, Children’s Centre Improvement Consultant
Joan has been a freelance inspector since 1995 and as such has been involved in several hundred Ofsted school inspections as a lead and team inspector. Since the advent of children’s centre inspections in 2010, Joan has specialised in this field and to date has been involved in over 100 Ofsted inspections, having led 85 of those. This has included complex and group inspections. Joan has also been a quality assurance reader and an accredited complaints investigating officer. Using this extensive experience, she is currently supporting children’s centres to improve through carrying out reviews, mock inspections and training for children’s centre managers, commissioned providers and local authorities.
Joan has also served as a magistrate in Surrey for over 20 years, chairing on the adult and youth benches. She spends her free time travelling the world and keeping fit.
Joan has been subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure.
Charlotte Wilkinson, Consultant
Charlotte brings a health background to the Waves team, having worked for many years as a paediatric nurse at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. She is also a registered childminder and a mother of young children herself. Recent assignments with Waves have included supporting our Early Help work.
Charlotte been subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure.