Pat has over 30 years of experience as a teacher, Head teacher and senior education leader, having qualified in 1984 to teach children with severe learning difficulties.

For the last ten years, Pat has worked as an independent educational consultant. She holds a contract to lead the East Midlands, West Midlands and East of England SEND Regional networks until March 2022; and is a member of the National Development Team for Inclusion, teaching on the national SEND leadership course. Pat was a Preparation for Adulthood regional adviser for five years. She has trained SENCOs across England in primary and secondary phases, in nasen's 'Whole school approach to increasing access, participation and inclusion' 2012-2014. Pat also acted as nasen Education Officer October 2013-October 2014 and was a school improvement adviser for SEND in Leicester City, from 2014-2020.
Pat is also a consultant to the NHSE national Transforming Care Key Working pilots and early adopters, striving to reduce hospital admissions for young people experiencing LD and autism.

She has served as a Governor as a member of staff, as a community and LA governor, and as a parent governor, in six different local authority areas, for over thirty years. She chaired an IEB for a secondary school in Derbyshire.