Johanna Mitchell is an experienced Education Consultant and Linguist, Founder and Director of Lumos Education.

Passionate about helping young people, she assists London, UK and international families to find the best fit nursery, school or university for their children. She works from a place of love and care for each individual student and family. The priority is to ensure a placement which allows each child to thrive and be happy.

Focused on the importance of global mobility, Johanna has a deep knowledge of international education systems and how to transition between them. She and her family’s wide range of experience spans international, progressive and independent schools and both Russell Group and collegiate universities. As a boarding child herself, she understands the challenges faced by children far from home.

Prior to launching Lumos Education, Johanna had a career in Whitehall. Her roles included advising on the accession of the 10 EU countries to the European Union in 2004, promoting UK science on the global stage and managing the UK-China and UK-South Africa bilateral science funds.

She was headhunted in 2005 to run a small, private school for the Lawn Tennis Association to enable Junior Wimbledon players to balance their tennis careers with an academic education.

Johanna is conscious that she has benefitted from a privileged education. She actively supports the United Nations Sustainability Goal Providing Quality Education for All in partnership with the International Investment Center, a Geneva- based NGO. In developing countries, the pandemic has hugely impacted access to education. In 2001, Johanna wrote: “we are living with the largest disruption to the global education system in modern history. The pandemic has been a catalyst to education change.”

Much-needed shifts in the UK education system have been slow to manifest. We live in a society where young people suffer from unprecedented levels of anxiety. It has been heart-breaking to see how the pandemic has taken a huge toll on children’s mental health. Johanna campaigns for change in the English education system to ensure that children are not placed under undue stress and pressure.