Meet your trainer

Cristin O'Brien

Cristín O’Brien began her career as a Community Worker and Social Worker, serving the Irish Traveller community, before returning to education and moving into policy. She first worked at Ofsted as a Policy Officer on the Unregistered Schools Team, and has since led on policy work at The Difference, the school leadership charity committed to reducing lost learning through whole-school inclusion. 

At The Difference, Cristín played a pivotal role in the Who is Losing Learning Campaign, co-authoring both reports that have shaped the national debate on inclusion and lost learning. Most recently, she co-authored “What Works: Four Tenets of Effective Internal Alternative Provision”, setting out practical insights for schools on developing effective IAP.