An interview with Peter Sutcliffe, Editor at SEN Magazine and Shine a Light Awards judge.
Where/what did you study and what are your qualifications?
University of Bath: Degree in Social Science with History and Philosophy
Professional Experience?
I helped to set up and worked for many years in a small publishing company specialising in music and entertainment. I did a bit of everything there, from editing publications and websites to working on the commercial side of things and making the tea.
I then moved on to take up the role of District Manager and Editor at Family Magazine before becoming Editor of SEN Magazine in 2009.
Who have you worked with?
Parents/carers, teaching staff, academics, therapists, people with SEN, government ministers, school leaders, educational psychologists, charity workers, suppliers, celebrities and thought-leaders: they all write for SEN Magazine. It's important to the Magazine that we include a diverse range of experience and ideas in SEN, and it's a real pleasure for me to work with such a broad range of people.
SEN Magazine's in-house team is also small but mighty. Everyone knows their job inside out and everyone gets on with it.
What inspired you to get into this field?
I am impressed and amazed on a daily basis by the families and professionals who live and work with people with special educational needs. More than in any other field I've come across, I find people who routinely go way above and beyond the call of duty and who put their heart and soul into making a positive difference to the lives of others. I find this as inspiring today as I did when I contemplated taking the job on six years ago.
If you weren't an expert in your field, what would you be?
I would be a travelling minstrel – tired, hungry and happy.
What do you do away from work?
I play a lot of music. After years of being a drummer, I recently re-invented myself as a singer/songwriter. I've started playing open mic nights wherever I find myself in the country (world) and I just got a band together. I am enjoying it all more than is natural.
Aside from music, I get way too competitive on the tennis court and way too excited talking about my favourite authors.
Quick Questions:
What is your favourite book and why?
"The Grapes of Wrath": artistry and humanity blended in perfect measure.
What is your favourite album and why?
Currently, it's probably High Violet by The National. I love the enigmatic, slightly-out-of-reach lyrics and the beautiful country-tinged indie feel. In a different life, I might have played the triangle in this band.
Who's your favourite musician/composer/singer, and why?
Tom Waits - for the gravel and the guts.
Whom do you most admire, and why?
Rembrandt - for taking such enormous risks as an artist, for laying it all out there and for getting away with it.
Peter Sutcliffe is SEN Magazine Editor and also a judge for the Shine a Light Awards.
Date Added: November 18, 2015