After ten years working in London schools, Simon moved, via a role as a Local Authority Consultant, into the university sector and is currently the director of teacher education at King’s College London and a senior lecturer in English and Education. His main area of research is the historical development of English as a school subject, an interest reflected in his 2017 book English and its Teachers: A history of policy, pedagogy and practice. He is currently Principal Investigator on a UKRI funded project exploring the affects of the pandemic on entrants to teaching.