Meet our People

as Headteacher, Executive Headteacher and chair of governors, I have led both secondary and primary schools out of special measures to achieve Ofsted outstanding and good grades. I am motivated by improving ‘cultures’ and providing ‘opportunities’ for all children to succeed, not just boosting examination outcomes.

I am proud to have been designated a National Leader of Education, as well as a trained and active lead Ofsted inspector at primary and secondary level, and enjoy working with others. As a level 7 executive coach and mentor with the Institute of Leadership and Management, I work closely with all who seek to make things better for children and staff in schools. I am a trustee of School Leadership Services, which offers support and challenge to heads and leaders across the south west.

Education is a force for change; I am passionate about the power of education for all and have many years’ experience as a governor and trustee.

Teachers and leaders should work together across educational settings for the good of all children; only by leading with humility will we truly help the children and young people we serve.

BA Hons English and American Literature, PGCE, PGDip, MA, NPQH, ILM Level 7

working for the accountancy firm Ernst and Whinney (now Ernst & Young), after which I moved into the investment banking sector in London. Over a 15 year period I held a number of senior roles, leading the finance team for Goldman Sachs International, also the finance and back office team for the European, Middle Eastern & African emerging market business for Chase Manhattan and then for the Global emerging market business for ING Barings, before becoming Head of Strategic Change for Business Finance at Credit Suisse First Boston.

Then followed ten years of running my own business as a business consultant and project manager, during which time I mainly worked in the international real estate sector, mainly in the Caribbean, India and Europe, supporting clients with the development of business plans and financial models, representing them to investors and international lenders to secure equity and debt financing for their developments. I also oversaw development projects on behalf of clients, managing construction, marketing & sales, and financial management.

My somewhat eclectic career before joining education has provided the perfect context to draw upon in this role, in which I have responsibility for ESW Shared Services, encompassing Finance, IT Services, Facilities & Compliance, Data, Procurement, Marketing & Admissions, Catering & Leisure Services, and Administration. The challenges are relentless but the satisfaction of knowing that the energy one commits to the role directly benefits the lives of the children in our care, is limitless and the reason that the years since I joined the education sector in 2010 have been and continue to be the most rewarding years of my career.

senior positions for 11 years as Headteacher and Executive Headteacher leading schools to outstanding. As a National Leader of Education, Tracy has supported school leaders in turning around failing schools. Before joining ESW Tracy was one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI).

Tracy trained and mentored new HMI and Ofsted Inspectors in the South West region. Tracy led inspections, carried out reviews on the effectiveness of Multi-Academy Trusts and worked on policy development for Ofsted. Tracy is married with one daughter and lives on the outskirts of Newton Abbot.

roles including Head of Mathematics, Assistant Principal and Director of Science & Maths before moving to his current position as Director of Mathematics for Education South West. He believes in the power of collaborative working and the importance of using evidence-based teaching methods.

range of advisory teaching roles – Area SENCO, Early Years Adviser and Children’s Centre Teacher.

As well as being Head of School, I am fortunate to teach in a reception class. I am passionate about children leading their learning and developing independence through play, a challenging curriculum and outdoor learning.

BEd Hons

in the same school where I began my time in Senior Leadership, responsible for the curriculum, teaching and learning.

During my career, I have taught all of KS2 and year 2, but have spent the majority of my time teaching in years 5 and 6, where I am again now. I thoroughly enjoy seeing children through to the end of their primary school years and helping to develop their strengths and interests ready for transition onto secondary school and the big wide world.

BSc Hons with Qualified Teacher Status

prior to returning to the UK to complete my Postgraduate Certificate in Education at the University of Cambridge. Moving on to work in Hackney, London, my career developed and culminated with me becoming a member of the senior leadership team at Brook Community Primary School. I then worked as the Year 2 Leader (5 classes) and English Coordinator for the British International School in Jakarta.

My areas of expertise are in Literacy and Reading Recovery and I have a passion for children’s literature. I have experience of curriculum design and worked on writing curriculum content for the International Primary Curriculum.

BA Hons and PGCE in Education

after graduating, completing a PGCE at the University of Leicester where I later studied for an MA in Education. I spent the first 23 years of my career working in schools in Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Leicestershire. The early part of my career was spent as a teacher of History and Curriculum Team Leader for Humanities.

It was during this phase that I established a strong interest in research-based teaching and learning using the science behind how the brain absorbs information to inform classroom practice. I have been in Senior Leadership since 2004 working on school improvement project work focused on raising outcomes for young people. Coombeshead Academy is my second headship following 8 successful years running a Leicestershire 14-19 school and then forming a small MAT of 2 schools and eventually merging them into a large ‘outstanding’ 11-19 school.

In recent years I have been heavily involved in a teaching school where I helped lead a successful programme of NPQs including developing and teaching on the NPQH. Since 2017 I have been designated as a National Leader of Education working on school improvement projects across a range of schools.

BA Hons History and Politics, PGCE, MA in Professional Studies in Education, NPQH

degree and PGCE at the University of Portsmouth. I then started my career in education in 1995 as a Science teacher, quickly moving on to become a Head of Science and then an Assistant Headteacher.

I continued in Senior Leadership roles, including being Headteacher of two separate secondary schools in South Wales.

BSc (Hons) Molecular Biology, PGCE Secondary Science, NPQH – National Professional Qualification for Headship

range of roles including Head of Geography and Head of Year. I have worked as a Specialist Leader in Education specialising in Geography and supported many schools in the Devon area, as well as running a successful subject leader network. I gained my first senior leadership role in 2015 at Hele’s School, Plymouth where I led on Whole School Assessment and Reporting. My current role at Coombeshead Academy as Deputy Headteacher is focused on the quality of education across the school.

BSc – Geography – University of Birmingham, PGCE – Geography – University of Exeter
NPQSL, SLE Geography

I have had a range of roles since starting as a PE teacher. These roles have included; Head of House, Head of Department, Director of Sport for the Trust, Director of Attainment and now in my current position as Raising Standards Leader.

Batchelor of Education Secondary

second year, then a Curriculum Team Leader (English) and literacy Co-ordinator before being appointed as an Assistant Headteacher at Coombeshead Academy. I have been in the senior leadership team for 15 years and have had several roles; my current responsibility is the strategic leadership and management of SEND, and I also oversee the Aspiring High Programme for high-ability students, and line manage History, Business Studies and ICT.

I have been seconded to support other ESW schools: as Head at Christow Primary School; supporting SEND at Teign School and Dartmouth Academy; and was also seconded to the UTC to support SEND. As a trained peer assessor for SEND, I have peer reviewed other secondary and primary schools.

I have delivered CPD for English teachers in Devon, writing a spelling book for teachers which was sold nationally; delivered CPD for the Specialist Schools Academy Trust (SSAT); and been involved in the training of new SENDCOs.

BA Hons (English), PGCE (English), TEFLA; NASENCO

the University of Leeds where I studied French and Russian. I spent 3 years living and working in France, teaching English at secondary school and university level. As part of my university degree I was also lucky enough to spend 6 months living and studying in St Petersburg, Russia which was an amazing experience.

BA Modern Languages (French/Russian) – University of Leeds, PGCE – Modern Languages – Cardiff Metropolitan University

to Devon. I continued a partnership with Teach First as an Ambassador. I joined Dartmouth Academy in 2017 and worked as Head of English and Literacy and Associate Principal for Quality of Education before my current position as Head of School which I have been appointed to in 2020.

BA
PGCE, MEd, NPQSL

in schools and post-16. Roles have included leadership in English, 6th Form and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, as well as working in Ethiopia with VSO on teacher development.

BA Hons, PGCE, PG Dip, National SENDCo Award, NPQSL

for sport led me onto a Sports and Exercise Science degree at Exeter University where I proudly achieved a First. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher after being inspired by my primary school PE teacher, I followed this dream and completed a PGCE at Exeter before teaching PE at Writhlington School in Bath for three years.

I have now been at Dartmouth Academy for four years and thrive on the opportunities and challenges I have been given as Head of PE and an Associate Principal focusing on the behaviour and attitudes of our brilliant pupils. My ambition is to support all of our pupils to be resilient, tenacious learners who are proud of their successes and achievements.

NPQSL, Physical Education Secondary Post Graduate Certificate in Education – Distinction, BSc (Hons) Exercise and Sport Sciences – Class 1 Degree Classification with Commendation

in Manchester and am a primary specialist although have multiple hats in our wonderful all-through academy.

BSC Music Technology, PGCE

to Brighton to complete my PGCE. In order to remain in the classroom I became an Advanced Skills Teacher modelling and sharing excellent practice. I worked with Keynote Educational for a number of years sharing my exceptional practice nationally and have been published on boy’s achievement. In my role as a teacher I find joy in affecting the future by influencing students’ views and understanding of the world around them.

BA (Hons) Fine Art PGCE AST

taught all age ranges and am a qualified Special Needs Coordinator. I teach the History module of the Devon SCITT teacher training course and have taught Humanities skills to trainee BEd students at Plymouth University.

I arrived at East Allington in 2016 and have been fortunate to work with a great team and community. The school is a special place with a strong emphasis on learning outdoors and a strong ethos of caring for each other.

BA (Hons) Humanities, PGCE, SENDCo

ever since. I have taught across many age ranges in different schools and nurseries and have been an Early Years Adviser in Torbay.

I feel very fortunate to be working at East Allington School; it is a privilege to be nurturing children within our warm, creative and vibrant community school.

BA/QTS First Class Hons degree

geography and Director of Sixth Form at Kingsbridge Community College and then became Head of School at Dartmouth, leading it out of special measures.

I am now Principal at Kingsbridge Community College and Executive Principal at Dartmouth Academy. I understand the importance of working closely with a school’s community in order to support all students to be their ‘best selves’.

BSc Development Studies, PGCE

and before that a Science teacher at a school in Wandsworth, London since joining the profession in 2005. In the last 5 years, I have been Assistant Principal and then Deputy Principal at Kingsbridge; fulfilling the role of Curriculum and Assessment Leader. I believe passionately in equity of education for all students regardless of starting points or previous disadvantage and in developing the most enjoyable, rigorous and exciting curriculum for all.

BSc (Hons) Chemistry, PGCE Science (Chemistry), MA Science Education

audience who can be the harshest critics! Since 2002, I have taught English in Bristol, Swindon and as Director of English at Ivybridge Community College. My leadership roles have included pastoral responsibility as well as outreach and cross-phase development and I believe passionately in the power of education to enable and inspire all.

In my current role as Director of Sixth Form, and Careers Lead, I am able to bring this to bear, supporting Kingsbridge students to be the best versions of themselves as they embark upon the next stage of their lives.

BA Hons English Literature and Theatre Studies, Post Graduate Certificate in Education

excited to be working at Kingsbridge Community College and developing links with the research school. I work with the Southwest Research Schools network to develop innovative ways of improving teaching and learning and providing our staff with the expertise to evaluate their impact.

I have enjoyed a variety of leadership roles in other outstanding settings. It was a privilege to be a Vice Principal in another trust and I cannot wait to share my passion, experience and the knowledge that I have gained from other schools with the staff, students and the community at Kingsbridge College. I am also a qualified Advanced Skills Teacher and have completed the National Professional Qualification for Headteachers, which has given me the opportunity to develop my leadership and experience across a community of schools.

I have high aspirations and drive to help provide a thriving and supportive learning environment at Kingsbridge Community College.

NPQH, PGCE, BSc Hons Biology

Educational Needs. More recently I also qualified as a counsellor and so my philosophy is very much influenced by my experience in both areas.

I believe education is about developing the whole child: academically, emotionally and socially. At Kingswear Primary the wellbeing of our community is a priority and we work hard to ensure our children thrive in a positive, happy and safe environment. We explore together, adventure together and succeed together!

PGCE, MNCS (Accred)

large schools across Devon. In addition to my work as a Headteacher, I have also worked as a part time regional consultant with the National College for School Leadership. More locally, I have also worked as an Associate Headteacher with the local authority and I am currently a Consultant Headteacher with the School Leadership Support Service.

B.Ed (Hons) 2.1

Science and the Environment. For the next 9 years, I taught in small rural schools in Berkshire, teaching children from Year 2 to Year 6 and in 2003 I joined Rydon.
In 2010, I took on the responsibility of Year 3/4 Unit Leader and gained my Middle Leader qualification. Having always had an interest in supporting children’s emotional and social development, I trained as a THRIVE practitioner. In 2014, I became Deputy Head and SENCO, attaining the National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination from Plymouth University.

I am now entering my seventh year as Deputy Head and have recently passed the National Professional Qualification for Headship.

Bachelor of Education with Honours – Specialism in Science and the Environment, Middle Leader Qualification, THRIVE trained, National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination, National Professional Qualification for Headship

is a very rewarding role and I am constantly learning new ideas, concepts, with the ultimate aim to develop my practice.

My role as Key Stage One leader is to be proactive when needed but also to be a ‘good listener’. We need to challenge the children and meet their individual needs to ensure that we prepare them for their future lives.

BA (Hons) QTS, Middle Leader – ESW

teach across all year groups in my career. I am privileged to work with dedicated, hardworking colleagues who are passionate about helping children to flourish and succeed.

I am particularly passionate about developing children’s literacy skills, especially reading and phonics. I love looking for new ways to help make classrooms and the curriculum stimulating and exciting.

2:1 BEd (Hons)

in Mathematics. My teaching career began at Cheriton Fitzpaine Primary School, Devon, where I spent 3 years as a Year 3/4 class teacher, with a responsibility for Maths.
In 1991, I joined the staff of Rydon Primary School and after a year, became Maths Co-ordinator.

I have been privileged to teach and lead Maths at Rydon for the last 29 years, during that time, teaching pupils from each year group in KS2. For the last 10 years, I have taught in Year 6, helping to prepare our children for transition to secondary school.

BEd (with Honours), Certificate of Advanced Professional Studies (Maths)

I have taught in all the different year groups across KS2 spending several years in each. In September 2015 I became Unit Leader for Years 3 and 4 and in September 2018 I became KS2 Unit leader.

BA Hons History, PGCE Primary Teaching

in senior positions as a Deputy Headteacher, Head Teacher and Executive Headteacher. I have worked in a number of different school settings such as large inner-city London schools, small rural schools and even a year at schools in Tanzania, East Africa.

I am actively involved in supporting children in the local community and am a trustee of the Royal Dart Yacht Club Youth Sailing Trust.

BA (Hons) Primary Education

teaching in the Reception Class at Stoke Fleming School I merged the former Pre-School into a fully integrated Foundation Stage Unit. I have also held previous roles as a Devon County Council Early Years Moderator, PSHE, MFL and English Lead.

I have always had a keen interest in children’s reading and writing and have recently taken the lead on Read, Write Inc phonics teaching throughout the school.

B.Ed Degree Primary Education and English 2:1

leader of Teaching and Learning, English Leader, having a passion in children’s literature, and I am currently a Phase 3 Leader. Extending my leadership skills I am currently Stoke Fleming’s Head of Maths and I am developing the delivery and leadership of maths mastery, my new passion!

I have been working at Stoke Fleming since 2009, after returning from living in France. I have three children, all of whom are attending, or have attended, Kingsbridge Community College.

B.Ed Degree – First Class Honours, Post Graduate Degree in Children’s Literature, Qualified Reading Recovery Teacher.

however to further develop my skills, I have spent a year teaching secondary English at Dartmouth Academy.

I initially completed ESW’s Aspiring Leaders Programme and followed this with the NPQML, undertaking a research-based change project within the setting and role as English leader at Stoke Fleming.

My passion for English stems from my own school years and continues to develop through igniting the same passion within my students. I thoroughly enjoy my roles as a Staff Governor and Initial Teacher Training Coordinator, mentoring trainee teachers as they begin their journey in education.

BSc Hons Criminology, PGCE, QTS, ESW Aspiring Leaders Programme, NPQML

foundation Stage Unit, combining the preschool and Reception class for children aged 2 to 5 years old. I have overseen a significant increase in the number of families attending the setting.

I am passionate about providing a high-quality provision with a focus on creating an exciting environment inspired by the children who are learning in it.

NPQSL, PGCE Primary Mathematics, BA (Hons) Education Studies

career in London in 1997 as a science teacher at Hampstead school in the Borough of Camden, following my teacher training at King’s College London. Four and a half years later I moved to Acland Burghley School, Camden, as Head of Science.

In 2009 my family and I moved back to Devon where I worked for three years as an Assistant Headteacher at Eggbuckland Community College in Plymouth. In 2012 I moved to Coombeshead Academy and worked there for five years as Deputy Headteacher. During this time I completed a Masters in Education with a focus on Professional Development and School Leadership. In 2017 I was appointed as Headteacher of Teign School, and completed my NPQH shortly afterwards.

I am passionate about the power of education in providing young people with the knowledge and understanding they need to navigate through a complex and rapidly changing society. Engaging with children to spark their curiosity, to develop their love of learning and to enthuse them about finding out about their world is central to my educational philosophy.

BSc Biology, 1st Class Honours, MA, Professional Development and Leadership in Education, NPQH

I had a number of roles including Head of Department, Head of Year, Key Stage 4 Coordinator and Teacher Governor. From Ashlyns, I moved to Beaumont School in St Albans as Assistant Headteacher leading on ICT development as well as Pastoral and Safeguarding roles.

My family and I moved back to the South West in 2015 when I was appointed as Deputy Headteacher at Teign School. I am currently leading the Pastoral team and Safeguarding among other roles.

BA (Hons) Business Education and ICT with QTS

real estate developer before realising I wanted to be a teacher. My PGCE was a hands-on, school-based course in west London, first at an all-girls school, then at an all boys’ school. I started my teaching career as an English teacher in an independent school in Nottinghamshire. After three years, I became Head of Theatre Studies at King’s College, Taunton, directing and producing dozens of plays before taking on the role of a boarding housemaster, with 72 boys under my roof.

My next move was to be Head of English at Gordonstoun, Prince Charles’ famous school in Scotland. But I soon returned to the southwest where I grew up and applied for a post as a Director of Learning at Dartmouth Academy, gaining promotion to Deputy Principal five years later. In 2018, I moved to Teign to lead Teaching and Learning.

I have led school football tours to Barcelona, Valencia and Milan, residential theatre trips to London and Scarborough, skiing trips to France and Andorra, cultural trips to Paris and Stratford and been on expeditions in the Cairngorms, the Lakes and Exmoor, and I want all pupils to remember school as the most valuable, precious experience to help them build a valuable, precious future for themselves, their families and their communities.

BA (Hons) English, PGCE (English and Drama), NPQSL

in a variety of roles but mostly within special needs and disadvantaged students. I am passionate about ensuring all students have the opportunity and tools to achieve their full potential.

My recent thesis focused on understanding the experiences of boys with literacy difficulties. I engage with academic research to ensure practice is evidence informed and appropriate to continue to improve the outcomes for our students.

Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD), Masters in Education (MEd), National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCO), PGCE Secondary History, BA History

at Leeds Trinity University before obtaining my PGCE from the University of Exeter.
I have been teaching for 12 years and during this time I have been fortunate to experience a variety of different roles both curriculum and pastoral.

I was appointed to the Senior Leadership Team at Teign in 2017 with my primary focus being to implement and embed a new behaviour for learning system. Since then I have also worked on Transition, Admissions, Student Wellbeing and Development and overseeing the school’s pastoral and tutorial programmes.

BA (Hons), PGCE, NPQSL

Finance Programme at Debenhams Retail PLC later that year. As a Management Accountant at Debenhams my focus was as a Business Partner, directly linking financial management with the commercial side of the business, specialising in the Logistics, Food Services and Store Card business units.

I transferred my commercial financial experience to Channel 4, joining the company in 2013. There I acted as Finance Business Partner to the Head of Production, Controller of Broadcasting and the Marketing division. In 2015 I completed my professional training, becoming a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

In 2018 I relocated from Sussex to join Education South West where I lead a consolidated Finance & Payroll team supporting all the schools in the Trust. Working in education has given me the opportunity to enjoy a very varied role, with the reward of knowing that what I am doing directly contributes to the community in which I work.

business specialising in golf, with customers spanning multinational businesses, nobility and celebrities. The result is a diverse skill-set and experience base, covering business operations, marketing, sales and events; I am very much a “people’s person”. All of this experience has been invaluable given the broad spectrum of responsibilities, I now lead a team covering marketing and admissions, procurement, business administration and project management.

Working in the education sector and seeing how what we do directly impacts the students in the Trust is incredibly rewarding. Education South West is forward thinking and the environment I work in is stimulating and challenging. Anything is possible.

variety of roles, at various stages being an IT Technician, Attendance Officer, Exams Officer and Data Manager, and at times all of them at the same time leading the combined functions for an academy. This breadth of background has been an enormous advantage as I decided to pursue data management as an area of specialism.

I lead the formation of one of the first centralised data teams in the world of multi-academy trusts, leading the Data team for Education South West, supporting all the schools in the Trust.

I have stayed in the education sector because the work we do on a daily basis is makes a difference to the experience pupils have within our schools, giving them the best opportunity to succeed. The ever-changing data requirements within schools keeps the role fresh – new performance measures are being released by the DfE all the time! Along with the challenge of driving continuous improvement to extend the application of data to support the quality of education of all of the children in the Trust, the personal satisfaction from what we are doing is high.

initially based in The Merrion Hotel, Leeds, but also working in sister hotels in Oxford and Glasgow. Since then I have held a number of leadership roles, including The Conference and Banqueting Manager responsible for a large staff delivering business conferences, weddings and private functions.

A career break followed coinciding with two children and a move to Devon. When the children were at school age, I resumed my career, joining the education sector, initially responsible for the catering operation at Kingsbridge Community College. I now lead the entire catering operation for all of the schools in the Trust, as well as driving the leisure and community use business.

A lover of the outdoors combined with enjoying working with children, led me to open a new Rainbow guide unit in the early 2000s. I have been active in the Guides ever since and simply love guide camp each year.

The opportunity I have had in Education South West, in particular as senior manager in shared services has been amazing; and to work with so many different people (including all the students from primary to secondary and 6th form), and form life-long friendships has been personally satisfying. I don’t think, even as a parent and before working in education, I really appreciated what goes into keeping schools running to a high standard, and to be part of that is both challenging & rewarding every day!

commercial sector at Interactive Transaction Solutions a company specialising in the financial services sector. As the Network Services Team Leader I supported the software and hardware infrastructure systems underpinning the processing of transactions made by, for example American Express, for numerous banks across Europe.

I joined the education sector in 2012 and lead a centralised shared services team of technicians and engineers which supports all of the schools in the Trust. I thrive on the diversity of the services we provide, and the wide spectrum of staff and students who we support. No day is the same.

The reason I continue to work in education is because of the satisfaction that at the end of the day, you have been able to provide the tools and resources that a student needs to be able to progress in life. Somebody did the same for me and it’s a privilege to be able to do the same for others.

Initially commencing my career in local government tourism where I led the first ever green grading scheme for the southwest, I moved to Teignbridge District Council and then Torbay Council focusing on performance and service improvement across all council services, drafting policy to ensure best value and efficiency.

My career in education allowed me to apply my previous experience as well as broaden my expertise. Initially a business manager at Rydon Primary school, encompassing finance, personnel and building management, subsequently roles have included health and safety, sustainability and risk management.

Now responsible for all facilities and compliance across all the schools in the Trust, I lead a team of over 60 people – project officers, site teams, and cleaning teams – delivering all building maintenance and development projects, health and safety and statutory compliance, and management of the Trusts’ estate. I am also the Data Protection Officer for the Trust.

I moved to education as I felt that my work and actions would make a difference to the educational journey of young people.  Throughout my time with Education South West we continue to provide a support service to enable safe, clean and compliant school sites so that the school environment is at its optimum for teaching and learning for both staff and pupils.