About Nadine
A little about me, and what matters to me
I'm Nadine Abeng. I'm a school improvement consultant, coach, hypnotherapist, author and mum of three.
My professional life has taken me in several directions, but there's a thread that runs through everything I do: I believe people are capable of more than they sometimes recognise, and that the right support can change what's possible.
That belief began long before I became a teacher.
As a child, I experienced what it felt like to be seen through the lens of what I was getting wrong. I also experienced the difference that teachers could make when they saw something else in me. The expectations changed, the opportunities changed, and eventually the way I saw myself changed too.
It's an experience that has stayed with me, both as an educator and as a person.
From classrooms to the bigger picture
I originally studied psychology, with an interest in understanding how people think, learn and develop. Teaching became part of that journey, and what followed was a career that took me through classroom teaching, senior school leadership, deputy headship, directing a teaching school alliance and working across Birmingham's schools through Birmingham Education Partnership.
BSc (Hons) Psychology
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Director of Davies Lane Teaching School Alliance
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Key Stage 2 writing moderation leadership for the London Borough of Waltham Forest
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Education Partner at Birmingham Education Partnership
Along the way, I've worked with teachers, school leaders, governors and trusts on everything from the detail of classroom practice to the bigger questions of curriculum, leadership and whole-school improvement.
Today, through NEA Coaching & Consultancy, I support primary schools and trusts to strengthen the quality of education they provide. My particular specialism is primary English, although my work extends across curriculum development, teaching, assessment, leadership and strategic improvement.
I have high expectations, and I make no apology for them.
I believe children deserve excellent educational experiences, and that the adults responsible for providing them deserve the support, challenge and professional development that make excellence achievable.
For me, improvement is about understanding what's happening, being curious about why, and working together to make something better. It's about developing the knowledge, confidence and capability that allow improvements to last long after a consultant has left the building.
The person behind the practice
​My interest in people has never stopped at the school gates.
Over time, my work in education has been joined by coaching and hypnotherapy, bringing me back to some of the questions that first drew me to psychology.
How do we come to believe what we believe about ourselves? What shapes the choices we make? What happens when we begin to question the assumptions we've been living by?
I find those questions endlessly fascinating.​
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In my coaching work, I support people to explore their thinking, understand their experiences and make choices that feel
genuinely their own. Sometimes that means finding clarity in a complicated situation. Sometimes it means recognising an old pattern, reconsidering a belief or creating space for a different way forward.
My approach is curious, thoughtful and grounded. I listen carefully, ask questions and welcome the complexity that comes with being human.
I don't believe anyone needs to have everything figured out before they begin making meaningful changes. I certainly don't.
Life continues to teach me...
I'm also raising three daughters, and motherhood gives many of my professional convictions a very practical test.
I want my children to become thoughtful, capable people who understand the reasons behind their decisions. I want them to develop their own judgement, recognise their choices and learn to navigate a world that won't always unfold as they expect.
That means guiding rather than simply directing, being willing to explain, listening to their perspectives and remembering that the aim is to develop their independence rather than secure their compliance.
And, of course, I don't always get it right.
One of the things I increasingly value is the willingness to remain curious, particularly when certainty or judgement would be easier.
That applies to parenting, relationships, leadership and the decisions I make about my own life.
I believe we can be both capable and still developing. We can hold high standards while allowing ourselves room to learn. And we can recognise that something isn't working without deciding that the person involved is the problem.
Why I do what I do
Whether I'm working with a headteacher, supporting a teacher to refine their practice or sitting with someone in a coaching conversation, I'm interested in much the same thing.
What is happening here? What might we not yet understand? What could become possible if we looked at this differently?
I bring professional expertise, experience, curiosity and a genuine belief in people's capacity to develop.
And I care about what happens afterwards.
The strongest work doesn't simply create a good conversation, a successful training day or a useful report. It leaves people better equipped to think, decide and act for themselves.
That's what I hope to contribute through my work.
And it's what I continue to practise in my own life.
