Tom had a misspent youth because it was spent almost entirely in church.  After York University, where he was greatly influenced by David Watson, he cut his teaching teeth in London comprehensives, where he taught English. After ten years he moved into out of teaching but remained in the world of education, doing a number of different jobs, in local government, higher education and then for the Church of England – first as Director of Education for the Diocese of Bath & Wells and then for the Diocese of London. In that last role, he established a number of new secondary schools and was awarded an OBE for his services to education. Since David Watson days, the CofE, for better and worse, has claimed his church-going allegiance. He has been a member of All Saints Church Weston since 1993 he and his wife are members of the tiny village church (usually a double-figure congregation on a Sunday) in Burnett where they now live. Tom is also a Reader in the CofE and his role model in the Bible is Nehemiah.