Ashley studied for an undergraduate degree in Criminology and Social Policy at the University of Brighton whilst working in the psychiatric unit of a men’s prison. During her degree, she was approached to train as a teacher by one of her old secondary school teachers and instantly fell in love with teaching. She gained a distinction in her PGCE in psychology at the University of Sussex, whilst also completing an MA in Educational Studies. Her secondary subject is sociology, although she has also taught and tutored religious education, maths, English and citizenship. She is currently completing a doctorate in education at the University of Bath. Her main academic interests are in teacher education as well as research methods. Her thesis is examining how early career teachers were impacted during the Covid-19 pandemic using Q-methodology. She is expecting to graduate by the end of the year and hopes to continue training teachers in the future. Ashley's pursuit of higher education demonstrates her true passion for teaching and learning.

During her teaching career, Ashley has acted as a head of department and had whole school responsibility for disadvantaged pupils. She was a psychology subject specialist for the Kent and Medway trust and was considered for ‘Kent Teacher of the Year’ in 2018. Since 2020 she has specialised in providing expert online tuition from Key Stage 2 upwards. She has taught children all over the world, most recently working with Ukrainian refugees and Chinese students wishing to study at the top universities in the UK.