Daniel joined the NHC in May 2024 as Lead Functional Skills Tutor.
He graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a law degree in summer 2008. Deciding to travel rather than become a solicitor, Daniel fell into education when he got a Trinity Cert TESOL and found himself a job teaching English in Italy that autumn.
Daniel spent a decade abroad, in Italy (twice), Japan, Poland and the UAE. He completed a master’s in education from Nottingham University via distance learning in 2016, before returning to England for family reasons in 2018.
Initially, Daniel taught ESOL in a private language school in Doncaster, and then spent nearly five years at Barnsley College. While there, he gained QTLS status, and taught ESOL, English, Maths and Digital Skills. He also picked up other qualifications along the way, like a British Council SEN certificate and a Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management.
Before joining NHC, Daniel had no experience or knowledge of horses, though the students soon helped him grasp the basics!
Daniel says: “The best part of teaching is seeing learners achieve something they never thought they could. It’s been a privilege to work in a school where that happens every day, whether on the main horse courses or in the English and Maths classrooms.”
Away from work, Daniel is married with three children. He has played rugby since he was 6 years old. He loves snowboarding, supports Liverpool FC, and had two Muay Thai fights in Thailand in 2011. He is a published author, and his historical fiction novels are available on Amazon, with copies sold in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, the US and even the Philippines. He has a successful side hustle editing novels for other authors. He is also the trustee treasurer for a fantastic charity called ELSH, which helps refugees, asylum seekers and other immigrants in the Barnsley area to learn English, gain workplace skills and integrate themselves and their families.
Contact: d.pugsley@thenhc.co.uk
