Raymond Soltysek

Raymond began his career in education in the 1970s as a teenage flute tutor before becoming an English teacher. He was a head of department in three secondary schools and a Deputy Head Teacher before becoming a lecturer on one of Europe’s largest postgraduate teacher education programmes. For the last twenty years, he has worked on behaviour and ethos with thousands of student teachers and a host of schools from Shetland to Watford, and since leaving the university sector in 2017 he has been an independent consultant as well as a trainer with Pivotal Education. He also teaches part-time at a fantastic school in Glasgow.

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Raymond’s philosophy of education is deceptively simple but incredibly demanding: young people – their knowledge and experiences, their skills and abilities, their dreams and fears – are the starting point of what we do. He is an enthusiastic believer in student-centred approaches that first ask young people what they think, and is committed to relational and restorative practices in pastoral care.

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He is a volunteer mentor for vulnerable teenagers in his local authority and has been a public advocate for the awareness of men’s mental health. He was formerly National Coordinator for the Scottish Association for the Teaching of English (SATE).

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Away from work, Raymond is a Scottish Arts Council award and BAFTA-winning writer. His interests include music, theatre and books, and he has a passion for hill walking in Scotland with his partner and, whenever possible, their beloved miniature cockapoo, Nellie.