Originally from the North-East of England, I studied history at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge before obtaining a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in secondary history from the University of Cambridge. I worked for ten years as a history teacher in a large comprehensive school in North Yorkshire, teaching students aged 11 to 18. Alongside history, I have extensive experience teaching law and religious studies. 

Academic background

My academic specialisms include:

• Early modern Britain, including the political, religious, social and economic history of Britain under the Tudors and Stuarts

• Modern Europe, including interwar Germany, Russia since the nineteenth century and France since the eighteenth century

• Politics and society in modern Britain

• The history of the United States

• The legal and constitutional history of Britain and the United States.