Our Team
Senior Leadership
Gary Kelly - Chief Executive Officer
Gary has a wealth of experience gained during 20+ years as an education and skills professional. He has held senior leadership positions in inner-city high schools, multi academy trust's and local authorities in Greater Manchester and Yorkshire....
Ian Kirkham - Chief Operating Officer
Ian is responsible for overseeing all non-educational functions across the Trust including Estates, HR, IT and Finance. Ian is a fellow of the ISBL, and with an expertise in school based operations, Ian oversees the Central Office team, ensuring...
Juliet Brown - Lead Principal (Primary)
With over 20 years’ experience in the Education Sector, Juliet’s particular skillset lies in Primary Education. She has been a highly successful Primary Principal, led two schools in the role as Executive Principal and is also an accredited Local...
Simon Corner - Lead Principal (Secondary)
Simon is the Principal of Wade Deacon High School and the Lead Principal across the Wade Deacon Trust’s Secondary phase. Simon is a highly successful leader with a proven track record of leading school improvement and improving standards; his...
Central Team
Stuart Robertson - Chief Financial Officer
Stuart is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales with over 10 years’ experience as a qualified accountant. Having worked for 6 years in MAT finance directly and prior to that 8 years auditing Independent Schools,...
Jonathan Lowe - Director of ICT
Jonathan is responsible for ICT strategy and development across the trust. In addition he leads on Data, GDPR and Marketing. Jonathan has worked in Education for almost 20 years and has demonstrated expertise in ICT systems and Management...
Brian Fisher - Principal HR Officer
Brian is responsible for the provision of a dedicated and experienced HR service, offering advice and guidance to school leaders, the development of policy and practice, and maintaining good relationships with unions and professional associations....
Barbara O'Connor - Senior HR Officer
Barbara works with the Principal HR Officer to advise school leaders on employee relations issues, including all aspects of grievance, disciplinary, and absence management casework, and including complex cases. Barbara is CIPD qualified and...
Elaine Connor - HR & Payroll Consultant
Elaine leads on HR and payroll data systems and strategy, and provides expert advice on pay, pensions management (from the employer’s perspective) and the application of terms and conditions for both teachers and support staff. Elaine is CIPP...
Jo Yates - Finance Officer
Jo has fourteen years’ experience within the education finance sector and brings expertise in HR, Internal Auditing, Payroll and Finance from other industrial sectors. Jo supports the Business Managers across the trust by processing and distributing...
Teaching School
Jennifer Murphy - Director of Teaching School
In addition to a wealth of teaching experience in her subject specialism, over the past ten years, Jen has held a number of senior leadership positions. In her current role as Director of Teaching School, Jen is responsible for the delivery of...
Jan Clieve - Trust Lead Practitioner
Jan is our Director of Mathematics across the Trust, ensuring that we remain at the cutting edge of developments and opportunities in the provision of maths in our curricula. Following many successful years of teaching in Wade Deacon High School,...
Jane Goulding - ITT Leader
Jane is the Professional Mentor for the Teaching School, leading on teacher training through School Direct and PGCE routes. Jane leads on all aspects of School Based Learning for our Associate Teachers, and coordinates and leads on the Professional...
Sue McEvoy - Teaching School Administrator
Sue is an experienced administrator, having worked in a range project support roles across a variety of industries. Her expertise lies within development of operational processes, to deliver support services in line with KPIs and customer...
Emma Sankey - Teaching School Administrator
Emma provides the link for organisation and front of house services in the Trust Building supporting the CEO, Central Team and Teaching School. Emma is our social media champion co-ordinating the communication links as well as making best use of her...
