As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?

I knew what I didn't want to be. My Dad was a surgeon in London. Even as a young child I was aware of the huge stresses on him. So I always knew I didn't want to be a surgeon. But looking back I realise I would probably have flourished as a GP.

What are your best and worst memories of your schooldays?

My best memory is knocking out my opponent from Eton College in a boxing match!
Seriously, it was having a huge sense of meaning and purpose in life engendered by the encouragement of my teachers.
My worst memory - probably as a sixth former using my power and status to humiliate a younger pupil to get control of a group. I still feel ashamed of that and it was 40 years ago.

How did you get involved in education?

Easy - I never left! I went from school to university and then back to school as a teacher. Bit sad really! The truth is that I have always been fascinated by the process of learning. My current fascination is with how people's theology and their attitude to learning influence each other. I was thrilled that Spring Harvest this year made that a major focus of the programme.

Who has been the biggest influence in your work?

My wife Margaret. We do a lot of thinking together and have worked together on producing a new approach for teaching Christianity in schools.

What single thing would make the biggest difference in your work?

Perspective. I think I take too much too seriously.

Tell us one of your most hilarious faux pas.

As a young biology teacher I sent a group out to collect swabs for plating as bacterial cultures. One group swabbed the loos. My head of department hit the roof when she found out that we were growing pathogenic bacteria in the school lab.

A few good men. Male teachers are a worrying minority. How do we lure guys into education?

Recruit male-friendly female teachers. By that I don't mean stunning beauties. I think the big barrier is the culture of predominantly female staff rooms.

What makes you angry?

Callousness

What's the worst rejection you've ever had?

When a teacher told me my poems were rubbish when I was 12. It was a long time before I tried again.

What is the big issue you are facing in education?

Persuading the Church to recognise the massive potential for building the Kingdom of God through the faithful work of Christians involved in education and the challenge of the mission task that they face. It's my biggest issue because it's actually my job, running the project called Transforming Lives.

What living person do you most admire, and why?

I admire a lot of people. The most recent that I met are Chick and Margaret Yuill who I shared a chalet with at Spring Harvest. They worked for 35 years with the Salvation Army and now work freelance. I was bowled over at their ability to embrace the ups and downs of life so graciously. I also admire people like Major Phil Packer, who was blown up in Afghanistan and told he would never walk again. Then he went on to walk the London marathon this year, one mile at a time. That puts a lot of my challenges into perspective.

What do you invest in the next generation?

Hope and enthusiasm

What do you consider your greatest achievement so far?

Becoming close friends with my (now) adult children

What Christian story or biblical text motivates you in your work?

Daniel - I think he is a fantastic role model for Christians who work as public servants in today's religiously diverse society. Gerard Kelly's book called Stretch brought Daniel alive for me.

Martin Luther King Jr had a dream for society. What is yours?

That we manage to learn to co-operate to solve the huge challenges that face the world, so that my grandchildren experience a safe and peaceful adult life.

What is the main hindrance to living the dream?

Lack of the courage required to risk cooperating with other people, particularly those who are different from us or who we traditionally view as our enemies.

How can we increase wellbeing in education in the next 10 years?

By emphasising relationships and values. Achievement and standards are really important, but education today is skewed unhelpfully by the over-emphasis on performance targets and league tables. Christians need to be showing how Christian values transform education for everyone's benefit by emphasising the importance of good relationships.

Tell us a joke

This is a real-life joke from the classroom for everyone like me who is fed up with the relentless spam that invades our computers.
A primary school pupil was asked for the name of a famous waterfall beginning with V.
The answer - Viagra Falls!