I have spent 25 years working in education, school leadership, and consultancy - and the thread running through all of it is a genuine belief that the right tools and the right training can transform how people work.
My career started in the classroom as a Computer Science specialist, where I quickly discovered that I loved two things equally: the subject itself, and helping people understand it. I studied at the University of Sunderland and went on to spend over 8 years teaching both A-level and GCSE Computer Science and ICT, building courses from scratch and consistently delivering outstanding outcomes for students.
From there I moved into school leadership, which gave me a completely different perspective on how organisations work from the inside. I saw first-hand how the right systems and processes can make a huge difference to the people within them - and how much time gets wasted when those systems are not fit for purpose.
In 2019, I co-founded Smash Your Exams with James. What started as a GCSE and A-level exam prep service quickly grew into something much bigger. Together, we have built a track record of real, measurable results - and that same results-driven approach is exactly what we bring to AI training today.
Numbers matter. When you are choosing who to trust with your AI training, you want to know they have a track record of delivering real outcomes. Here is what Paul and the Smash Your Exams team have achieved.
GCSE results nationally through Smash Your Exams
Progress score - students achieve 1.5 grades higher on average
A-level results for progress nationally
Between us, Paul and James have 35+ years of combined experience teaching Computer Science and ICT. That depth of subject knowledge means we do not just understand how AI tools work at a surface level - we understand the computer science behind them, which makes our training more practical and more effective.
Paul's A-level results consistently placed in the top 20% for progress nationally, and through Smash Your Exams, students working with the team achieved results in the top 4% of all GCSE students in the country, with a progress score of +1.55. That means students achieved, on average, 1.5 grades higher than their predicted outcomes.
These are not accidental results. They come from structured teaching, clear communication, and a relentless focus on what actually works - exactly the same approach we take to AI training.
Today, my work spans three areas that all feed into each other.
Through Smash Your AI, I work alongside James to deliver AI training and consultancy to businesses and individuals across the UK. We run workshops, provide one-to-one consultancy, and create practical resources that help people use tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to genuinely improve the way they work. Everything we teach is grounded in real experience - we use these tools every day to run our own businesses.
I also run a tutoring business with multiple tutors educating students across the UK and internationally. Managing that operation has given me hands-on experience with the exact challenges our clients face: hiring, scheduling, communication, quality control, and keeping costs under control. I have used AI to automate key business operations and cut thousands of pounds from running costs - so when I teach AI to business owners, I am speaking from direct experience, not theory.
Smash Your Exams continues to grow as well, and remains a core part of what we do. The education side of our work keeps us sharp, up to date, and constantly refining how we explain complex ideas in simple, practical terms.
AI is not going away, and the gap between organisations that use it well and those that do not is only going to get wider. I have seen this pattern before in education - when new technology arrives, the people who get trained properly pull ahead, and everyone else is left playing catch-up.
The problem is that most AI training out there is either too technical, too vague, or too focused on hype rather than practical application. That is exactly what Smash Your AI was built to fix.
My background in school leadership means I understand how organisations work from the inside. I know how hard it is to get buy-in for new tools, how to communicate change effectively, and how to make training stick beyond the initial enthusiasm. Combined with my Computer Science expertise and real-world experience automating my own business operations, I can bridge the gap between understanding AI and actually using it to get measurable results.
Whether you are a business owner looking to save time and money, a team leader wanting to upskill your staff, or an individual who just wants to get more from the AI tools you are already paying for - that is exactly who we built Smash Your AI for.
Book a free discovery call with Paul and James to talk through how AI training could make a real difference to your business.
Book a free discovery call