About Our Central Services Team

The Executive Leadership Team is comprised of:

• Chris Richardson – Chief Executive Officer
• Gary Wright - Director of School Improvement
• Louise Hindmarch - Deputy Director of School Improvement
• Martin Proud – Director of Finance & Operations
• Andrea Spowart – Headteacher: Mary Astell Academy
• Kevin Stafford - Headteacher: Newcastle Bridges School 
• Katy Harrison – Headteacher: Thomas Bewick School
• Catherine Bhatti – Acting Headteacher: Harry Watts Academy
• Barry Reed - Headteacher: Gilbert Ward Academy

The Executive Leadership meet every three weeks to discuss and review progress against key priorities and to provide support and challenge to each other. Through this forum school improvement priorities are identified, planned and reviewed.

The Executive Leadership are supported by the Trust Achievement Partner, Phil Keay. Phil is a very experienced former Headteacher who works closely with the CEO, the Director of School Improvement and our Headteachers, offering support and challenge.

The Trust Achievement Partner offers the following to all our academies

• Achievement Partner Role, supporting leadership to
  • Evaluate its performance
  • Identify priorities for improvement
  • Plan effective change
  • Act as a critical friend
• Leadership and Governor Training
  • Bespoke to individual academy needs
  • Offered to all levels of leadership including aspiring leaders
• Leadership Coaching

The School Improvement Team plays a pivotal role in supporting the Headteachers in developing and implementing their academy development plans. This includes:

• Quality assuring the school improvement work within all trust schools.

• Supporting Headteachers with decision making regarding staffing, school organisation, curriculum, behaviour, attendance, teaching and learning.

• Providing advice with preparation of key documents such as academy development plans and school self-evaluation forms.

• Advancing senior leadership professional development and CPD across the Trust schools.

• Establishing clear pathways for leaders at all levels, ensuring that leadership talent is nurtured and developed.

• Supporting leaders to tailor and identify opportunities for development through the performance management process allowing for targeted growth and support.

• Actively promoting professional development initiatives that bring together academies and staff, fostering collaboration and shared learning.

• Coordinating development opportunities across PLT, making certain that a diverse range of training and growth options are available for everyone.

• Sharing information regarding individual schools Local Advisory Boards and Trustees, including priorities, challenges and successes.

The Finance Team support our schools by ensuring the Trust’s finances are well managed, transparent, and compliant with all regulatory requirements.

Working closely with Headteachers, Executive Leaders and Trustees, the team oversees budgeting, financial planning and reporting to ensure resources are used effectively to support pupils’ education. We provide regular financial monitoring, maintain robust financial systems and controls, and ensure policies and procedures are kept up to date.

The Finance Team also manage procurement, payroll oversight, income and debt management, and supports schools in achieving value for money. In addition, we coordinate risk management, prepare statutory accounts, and complete all required financial returns to the Department for Education and other regulatory bodies.

Through strong financial governance and clear reporting, the Finance Team help ensure the Trust remains financially sustainable and well governed.

The Trust HR Team provides strategic and operational HR support across the Trust, working closely with Trustees, senior leaders and schools to support our people and strengthen our organisation.

The team offer expert advice and guidance on all aspects of employment and people management, ensuring compliance with employment law, statutory guidance and education-specific requirements. This includes pay and conditions, safeguarding, safer recruitment and workforce planning.

Working in partnership with the Executive Leadership Team and school leaders, the team support the delivery of the Trust’s strategic priorities through effective HR planning, organisational development and change management. This includes:

• Professional and confidential HR advice on employee relations matters
• Development and oversight of Trust-wide HR policies and procedures
• Recruitment, onboarding and safer recruitment compliance
• Oversight of the Single Central Record and statutory HR compliance
• Workforce data, reporting and governance support
• Advice and support for organisational change and Trust growth
• HR training and development for leaders and staff

The team also manage key outsourced HR services, including payroll, employment law advice, occupational health and employee wellbeing support, ensuring high-quality provision for all Trust employees.

The Governance, Data Protection and Communications Team support the Trust to operate safely, transparently and effectively. The team ensures strong governance, protects personal data, and delivers clear, consistent communication across the Trust and its schools.

The team provide professional governance and company secretary support to the Trust. This includes supporting Members, Trustees and Local Advisory Committees, managing appointments and elections, and ensuring all statutory checks and records are in place.

They also ensure governance information published on Trust and school websites is accurate, compliant and up to date, and maintain required records with the Department for Education and Companies House.

The team also oversees data protection compliance across the Trust, providing expert advice, training and support. They manage data protection requests, work with schools to maintain compliant policies and procedures, and ensure new systems are assessed for their impact on privacy. The team also ensures CCTV systems are used lawfully and responsibly.

The team also lead the Trust’s communications and marketing activity, ensuring clear and effective communication with staff, families and stakeholders. This includes managing Trust and academy websites, social media channels and the Staff Hub, creating news and media content, and supporting consultations for new academies. They also promote the Trust’s values and achievements, support recruitment campaigns, and protect and enhance the Trust’s reputation.

The Trust provides central professional services to ensure our schools are safe, compliant, well-maintained and digitally enabled, allowing leaders and staff to focus on delivering excellent education.

The team provide strategic oversight and expert support to manage and develop Trust buildings and assets. This includes capital projects, statutory compliance, maintenance planning, asset management and sustainability. They work closely with schools and external partners to ensure safe, efficient and well-maintained learning environments, while delivering value for money and long-term planning.

Our Health and Safety service supports schools to meet legal requirements and promote a strong culture of safety. The team provide advice, audits, training, policies and practical guidance on risk management, fire safety, asbestos, COSHH and accident monitoring, ensuring consistent standards across the Trust.

The Trust’s IT service delivers secure, reliable and forward-looking technology. The team provide on-site and central support, network and cloud infrastructure, cyber security, asset management and procurement. Strategic development of IT ensures schools benefit from modern, efficient systems that support teaching, learning and operations.

The team provide strategic leadership and support for school administration functions. This includes training and development for office teams, support with recruitment and capacity planning, consistent use of management information systems (MIS), and advice on processes and HR-related matters to ensure effective and resilient administrative services.

The CEAIG officer provides support, advice and constructive challenge to schools. This includes:

• Coordinating key careers activity, including careers events, outreach links, work experience support, etc.

• Supports school careers leads with bespoke planning for Apprenticeship Week and Careers.

• Attending school careers events.

• Supporting parental engagement.

• Leading and implementing NEET support plans.

• Monitoring and evaluating post-16 destinations and NEET figures.

• Completing required PLT and Local Authority data collections, including collating the Compass report.

• Developing Year 11 leaver programmes.

• Attending sector events such as the National Apprenticeship Show.

• Leading on NECA PLT-funded programmes.

• Providing targeted support for SEND students through bespoke offer visits and attendance/advice at EHCP post-16 reviews.

• Writing and updating careers policies.

• Chairing the Trust network meetings.

The Data Manager supports schools and the trust by:

• Setting up and maintaining yearly tracking systems for consistent data entry and analysis

• Liaising with schools on any changes in data capture.

• Establishing clear data capture dates and submission deadlines.

• Following each data collection window, checking for gaps, following up with schools, and then cleansing and analysing the data to produce termly summary sheets.

• Collating and analysing summer outcomes to provide results summaries.

• Working with schools to design, build and implement new trackers, agreeing realistic timelines and handing over trackers for ongoing maintenance.

• Supporting the Trust-wide use of Bromcom (the trust Management Information System) by helping schools implement modules that add value, ensuring data is cleansed and consistent across all settings, and responding to queries and system issues.

• Providing further support through ad hoc requests, including Bromcom, data, and Excel queries as needed.

The trust Exams officer supports the exams process across the Trust by:

• Training and advising exam assistants.

• Acting as a key point of reference for senior leaders and subject coordinators.

• Ensuring schools have clear internal key dates and deadlines to avoid late entry fees.

• Managing core exam administration, including official entries and qualification approval registrations.

• Liaising with exam boards on entries, withdrawals, amendments and standardisation training.

• Supporting operational delivery by preparing exam timetables, arranging annual invigilator training, and completing online applications for access arrangements.

• Leading on new centre registration

• Coordinating post-results services (including reviews of marking)

• Manage AQA unit awards.

• Oversee non-exam assessment submissions, portfolio administration and dispatch.

• Keeping schools up to date with JCQ requirements, exam room display materials and NCN annual updates.

• Ensuring exam policies are in place.

• Providing Marketing and Communications with accurate exam information for school websites.

The CEAIG officer ensuring robust quality assurance processes are in place for external Alternative Provision used by our schools. This includes:

• Conducting annual reviews.

• Tracking documentation.

• Carrying out half-termly monitoring visits.

• Organising PLT monitoring and evaluation weeks to maintain high standards.

• Updating AP timetables updated.

• Facilitating AP Networking.

• Fostering collaboration.

• Sharing best practices among Alternative Provision schools.