The team behind SmartLab

Education Support Programmes commenced operations in 1995. Since that time the company has become an industry leader in providing educational programs for students. Following its success and strong reputation gained in preparing students for the Queensland Core Skills Test, Education Support Programmes has gone on to establish itself as a premier Australian provider of quality literacy and numeracy workbooks.

With the changes to online literacy and numeracy testing, Education Support Programmes has now turned its focus on assisting students in this important area. Our online preparation resources will go beyond just familiarising students with online testing to providing a teaching tool for students to improve on possible areas of weakness with additional practice and solutions. We feel confident students and teachers are going to benefit from these excellent resources.

Brian Lewis
Founder and Director

Brian’s qualifications include a Master’s Degree in Education Administration, Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Arts. Brian has lectured at the University of Queensland and the Australian Catholic University in teacher preparation. He has also held senior positions including Head of School, Dean of Students and Senior Year Master in one of Queensland’s prestigious colleges.

David Lewis
Founder and Project Director

David’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Law (Honours) and a Bachelor of Accounting (Distinction) from the Queensland University of Technology. David is also an Academic at the Queensland University of Technology, has sat on multiple boards at Queensland University of Technology and has practiced law at one of Australia’s largest national law firms.

Dr John Rex-Thew
Mathematics and Numeracy Content Director

John holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (Mathematics), a Bachelor of Applied Science (Hons) and a Bachelor of Mathematics. John has spent the past 10 years working as an Academic holding lecturing and lead tutor positions at the Queensland University of Technology and the University of the Sunshine Coast. John has also performed in the role of assistant coordinator (associate lecturer) for the mathematical branch of STIMulate, QUT’s award winning student support program. John specialises in resource development including how to integrate technology with traditional learning resources.

David Golden
Web Platform Developer

David Golden is a full stack Web Developer with over 16 years experience. David is a technical specialist of SmartLab and has significant experience in learning applications for schools and students.

JJ Taylor
User Interface and Graphic Designer

JJ holds a Diploma of Graphic Design, a Bachelor of Business Management and a Bachelor of Creative Industries from the Queensland University of Technology. JJ specialises in user interaction design, video animation and graphic content for modules and tutorials.

Dr Michael Jackson
Numeracy and Mathematics Specialist

Michael holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (Mathematics), a Bachelor of Applied Mathematics (Hons) and a Bachelor of Mathematics from the Queensland University of Technology. Michael has held positions such as STIMulate Tutor and QUTMAC providing Mathematics tutoring to undergraduate students.

Nathan Collins
Literacy Content Director

Nathan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, which has influenced his extensive experience within schools across the world. He has taught at the Primary and Secondary level in public schools, and across all ages in language centres. He has also been a teacher and examiner for IELTS, an internationally recognised qualification concerning the English Language.

Peter Spence
Numeracy, Mathematics and Literacy Specialist

Peter’s qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree in Arts with a double major in English and Mathematics, a Bachelor of Education, a Graduate Diploma in Religious Education and further study in personal and career counseling. Peter has taught for many years in Queensland and New South Wales holding senior positions including Assistant to the Principal, Head of Department in Mathematics, Religious Education and Learning Skills.

Sharelle Spence
Literacy Specialist

Sharelle holds a Certificate of Teaching, Diploma of Teaching and Graduated Diploma of Early Childhood. Sharelle provides specialist experience in providing support for students of low levels of literacy. Sharelle also has significant experience supporting students and adults who have English as their second language or dialogue.