Ian Axtell

Name: Hereford College of Arts
Price range: $

Department

Governance and Leadership
Job title

Governor
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Biography

Ian has been working in education since 1984.

He began his teaching career in Coventry working in arts education, mainly teaching music and music technology. He then moved to Birmingham to become a Head of Music in a school near the city centre.

About

In 1993 Ian moved to Hereford where he has lived with his family ever since, becoming a Curriculum Area Leader for Arts and Physical Education and achieving Advanced Skills Teacher Status in 2002.

In 2004 he moved into Higher Education, commuting back and forth to Birmingham and working on the HE/ARTS Project to enhance arts education for beginning teachers. In 2008 he became Subject Leader for Primary and Secondary Music Education, writing modules that promoted creativity in education.

This work was further developed in partnership with the British Council where he supported the development of Creative Arts Education in Suzhou and Zhengzhou in China.

In 2017 he moved into Master’s level education, writing a number of Master’s level courses focusing on the development of learning, teaching and leadership in education. He was awarded a Doctorate in 2021 and became a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Ian continues to perform as a musician throughout Herefordshire and beyond, focusing on his love of singing and playing the French Horn.