Lorna Walker
Education Advisor
Lorna is one of the education advisers to the Moore House Group, supporting teachers and day care staff in undertaking quality assurance, school improvement planning and in ensuring they are alert to national initiatives.
Following achieving a degree from Glasgow University and a postgraduate teaching qualification, Lorna gained a Diploma in Special Education. Lorna’s career has been wide ranging, working as a mainstream teacher as well as in ‘special education’. Her roles in further education and as local authority adviser and senior education officer, provided real opportunities to work strategically with colleagues in social work, health services and the third sector. Following her role in ‘turning around’ a failing school, she was appointed as one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and subsequently became the Lead Inspector for the residential special school sector. She co-wrote two well received publications relevant to the sector – Improving Practice in Residential Special Schools and Secure Care Accommodation Services in Scotland.
During her time as administrator for Educating through Care Scotland(EtCS) the network for residential schools, she supported many schools to improve their practice. In 2011, Lorna also published an online support manual which was purchased and used by more than half of Scotland’s authorities.
Lorna has undertaken reviews of support for learning and inclusion in several local authorities and continues to work in the residential special school sector. Current work along with her colleague, WIn Wood, includes taking forward an initiative funded by The Promise Board, which highlights the importance of the sector in the continuum of support and its willingness to continuously improve in line with The Promise Foundations.
The real desire to support care and education staff to improve the lives of care experienced children and young people drives Lorna to help them to achieve Scotland’s ambition:
‘We grow up loved, safe, and respected so that we realise our full potential.’