Mel Rockett is a senior adviser with Northumberland LEA where he has worked with groups of teachers and staff from the University of Newcastle in developing Thinking Skills strategies for use in the classroom in all phases of education. Mel taught in both primary and secondary schools for 20 years. He developed a strong interest in how pupils learn during this time. He was seconded from his school in North Yorkshire to co-ordinate the Yorkshire and Humberside Flexible Learning project before moving to Northumberland.