About

Supporting every educational setting with CPD, coaching, and close‑to‑practice research that connects evidence with real practice.

Education in First Gear Ltd was created to support educators, practitioners and leaders across all settings with professional learning that is practical, evidence-informed and rooted in the realities of educational life. Our work brings together CPD, coaching, and close‑to‑practice research to help settings improve practice, which grows from everyday practice, and sustainable solutions, not quick fixes.

Everything we offer is shaped by a simple belief: practice should be informed by evidence, and evidence should be shaped by practice. When those two things meet, meaningful change becomes possible.

Bekah Gear

Founder and Director

BA Hons QTS PGCERT MA SFHEA

Bekah is an experienced educator, researcher and consultant with a background spanning early years, primary education and professional learning. As Founder and Director of Education in First Gear Ltd and a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood and Primary Education, she specialises in agency, practitioner inquiry and curriculum design.

Her career includes classroom teaching, phase and subject leadership, mastery specialist work, instructional coaching, and extensive involvement in close‑to‑practice research. She has supported educators at every stage — from early career teachers to senior leaders — across the UK, and internationally.

She leads Education in First Gear Ltd with a commitment to equity, access and community benefit, ensuring high‑quality CPD reaches alternative provisions, nurseries, forest schools, schools, home educators and community groups. She brings together academic expertise and real‑world practice to create professional learning that is meaningful, inclusive and grounded in the realities of education.

Natalie Bontoft

Director

BA Hons QTS

Natalie is an experienced practitioner, forest school teacher and curriculum leader specialising in the creative arts curriculum, pupil voice and community‑based inquiry. With a background spanning early years and primary education, creative arts leadership, forest school practice and whole‑school curriculum development, she brings a rich blend of creativity, rigour and relational practice to her work.

She has led the design and implementation of arts‑based and outdoor learning curricula that strengthen children’s expressive skills, cultural understanding, creative confidence and connection to the natural world. Her practice foregrounds pupil voice through community enquiry, enabling learners to shape meaningful projects that link classroom learning with lived experience and local context.

Natalie is an accredited professional coach and an experienced early careers teacher mentor, supporting new teachers to build strong professional identities, reflective habits and confident classroom practice. She is known for her warm, empowering approach that blends coaching, curriculum expertise, forest school pedagogy and deep understanding of the arts.

Across her career, she has supported educators at different stages of development, contributing to whole‑school improvement, curriculum innovation and inclusive practice. Natalie brings a creative, community‑rooted perspective to Education in First Gear LTD, enriching the organisation’s commitment to meaningful, accessible and research‑informed professional learning.

Hattie Drinkwater

Director

Hattie is an experienced finance professional and finance business partner with a strong background in supporting organisational growth, financial planning and operational decision‑making. She is currently studying towards her CIMA qualification, strengthening her expertise in management accounting, strategic finance and organisational performance.

With experience across budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis and operational partnering, Hattie brings a clear, structured and solutions‑focused approach to her work. She has supported leaders in understanding financial implications, improving cost efficiency and making informed strategic decisions that align with organisational goals.

Within Education in First Gear LTD, Hattie oversees the financial mechanics of the organisation, ensuring strong governance, transparent reporting and responsible stewardship of resources. Her role includes managing financial systems, supporting compliance, modelling sustainable growth and ensuring that the CIC’s reinvestment model continues to maximise community benefit.

Hattie’s analytical skill, calm leadership and commitment to ethical practice strengthen the organisation’s ability to deliver high‑quality, accessible professional learning while maintaining financial stability and long‑term resilience.

We work alongside a team of associates who bring a diverse range of skills and specialisms to support the work of Education in First Gear Ltd. This allows us to decide collectively who is best placed to work with your setting.