As a headteacher Sam Hunter is committed to providing the best possible education to the children in her care. After nearly 20 years working in education, she is currently the head at Hiltingbury Junior School, a thriving learning community in Hampshire, which fosters forward-thinking and outward-looking practice. In 2014 the school was recognised by the Department for Education through the assessment innovation fund. Since then Sam has been sharing her approach to assessment, while regularly speaking at national conferences and hosting visits to her school. This allows colleagues from across the UK and abroad to experience how Learning Ladders works in the classroom. Sam believes in the power that quality assessment creates for transforming teaching and learning. Life After Levels is her first book and her aim is to ensure that schools feel confident in creating their own ethos of assessment, which has pupils’ learning at its centre rather than a fear of accountability. She believes that pupils’ understanding of their role in learning underpins successful assessment. Sam is passionate about school-to-school support and is also a guest contributor to TES.