Former English teacher and deputy headteacher, Julia later became deputy director of the National Literacy Trust and director of the National Reading Campaign. She is now Deputy Director of Talk for Writing and is well-known as an inspiring trainer for both primary and secondary schools. She has written a wide range of best-selling books relating to literacy including these five books co-authored with Pie Corbett:
- Talk for Writing Across the Curriculum (McGraw Hill).
- Talk for Writing in the Early Years (McGraw Hill).
- Jumpstart! Grammar (David Fulton).
- Creating Storytellers and Writers (Talk for Writing).
- Transforming learning across the curriculum (Talk for Writing).
