Mr Newman served as a Headteacher for fourteen years, the last six of those as an Executive Headteacher of the Forest Hill Partnership. Mr Newman has a proven track record of improving the quality of education and outcomes in schools through acting as interim Executive Headteacher, consultant headteacher and through peer-to-peer support.

Previously a Local Authority School Improvement Partner and Pupil Premium Reviewer, and remains a serving Ofsted inspector and Local Leader of Education. Mr Newman has extended networks in South Gloucestershire and beyond. He served for three years as the Chair of the South Gloucestershire Executive Heads’ Network and has had a wide influence in developing leaders through mentoring Headteachers and Executive Headteachers across the system. Mr Newman is also an experienced school governor and trustee.

Qualifications:

• MEd in Educational Leadership
• National Professional Qualification for Headship and Inspection
• BA (Hons) degree in Primary Education
• Trained Coach

Miss Kitchen has served as Headteacher for thirteen years across three schools alongside mentor and consultant headteacher roles within the Local Authority. During that time, she has led two outstanding schools and has secured rapid improvement of standards and leadership in several schools requiring support. Most recently, Miss Kitchen served as the Executive Headteacher at Mangotsfield Church of England Primary School and Strategic Lead of the DfE Five Counties Teaching School Hub Alliance across the Southwest.

Miss Kitchen has system networks in South Gloucestershire and beyond as a National Leader of Education and Pupil Premium Reviewer and through current Teaching School work with the DfE. Additionally, she is a Level 7 ILM trained Executive Coach and Crisis Intervention Coach and is deployed to develop strong executive functioning and the management of crisis situations at times of need. Miss Kitchen also leads religious character inspections for the Church of England (SIAMS).

Qualifications:

• BA (Hons) degree in Primary Education
• National Professional Qualification for Headship and Executive Leadership (NPQH, NPQEL)
• ILM Level 7 qualified Executive Coach
• Andy Buck BASIC Coaching Method Trainer and Assessor
• Trained Crisis Intervention Coach
• SIAMS Inspector 

Mr Botten is the Executive Headteacher of Blackhorse Primary School and Emersons Green Primary School. Both schools have Resource Bases for children with additional needs.  A Headteacher since 2006, he has proven experience in supporting vulnerable schools, particularly in developing capacity in leadership.

Mr Botten has completed Ofsted training and is a Local Leader of Education and Pupil Premium Reviewer. Additionally, he has served as a Local Authority School Improvement Advisor leading county-wide projects using his specialist knowledge of inclusion alongside promoting the reduction of exclusions. A proficient blogger, Mr Botten’s educational work was second most read in the country last year.

Qualifications:

• National Professional Qualification for Headship and Executive Headship
• BEd (Hons) degree in Primary Education
• Certificate of School Inspection (OFSTED)
• Accredited Pupil Premium Reviewer

Mr Winterburn served as a Headteacher for thirteen years across three schools (one acting and two substantive headships). The schools he has led have been praised for their strong learning culture, clear vision and thriving communities.

Mr Winterburn has coached fellow leaders (including new headteachers) and has successfully led groups of schools engaged in informal collaboration. He has written and led training for various stakeholders, from governors to trainee teachers. Mr Winterburn also spent time outside of education facilitating applied psychology principles to various private and public participants.

Qualifications

• BEd (Hons)
• National Professional Qualification for Headship and Executive Headship

Debbie Beazer, CFOO

Mrs Beazer has worked in Education for 23 years and was most recently the School Business Leader at Blackhorse Primary School since 2016 and School Business Manager before that. Mrs Beazer is committed to promoting and developing the School Business Professional’s role and their contribution to education. In 2017 she founded the South Gloucestershire School Business Leaders Group. Mrs Beazer continues to support this network which provides a platform to share ideas, provide support, and improve practice and business functions for schools across South Gloucestershire and Bristol. Previously a Lead Practitioner, Mrs Beazer has supported the Local Authority with Strategic Financial peer-to-peer support, SBM recruitment, Single Central Record and safeguarding practice and is influential in her support and mentoring of School Business Professionals.

Mrs Beazer has an extensive range of networks locally, regionally and nationally. As an ISBL Fellow, Mrs Beazer continues to develop her own practice. She is regularly invited to speak at Conferences and participate in workshops and webinars. In November 2019, Debbie was awarded the ISBL CEO Award for her Exceptional Contribution to School Business Leadership. Debbie is an experienced Governor and Trustee has served as the Finance Governor of her local community primary school and an ISBL Trustee.

Qualifications:

• CIPFA Level 7 Diploma in School Financial and Operational Leadership
• CIPFA Financial Reporting for Academies

Mrs Laing has served as a head teacher and leadership mentor across three schools since 2013. Before her arrival, two of these schools had recently been placed in a category of special measures and were led to Good judgments within two years. Mrs Laing has also led school improvement, leadership and Early Years support across a wider network of schools , securing rapid improvement of standards and leadership in several schools requiring support.

In previous roles she was a Local Authority School Improvement Advisor and has proven experience in supporting vulnerable schools, particularly in developing capacity in leadership, the Early years and mathematics.

Mrs Laing is a Local Leader of Education, a national strategies consultant for school improvement. She has served as a Local Authority School Improvement Advisor leading county-wide projects using her specialist knowledge of Early Years.

Qualifications:

• NPQH qualification for Headship and Executive leadership
• Bed (Hons) degree Primary with an Early Years specialism

Ms. Miles boasts over 17 years of comprehensive HR expertise, with a decade within the education sector. Her professional journey includes roles within the local authority (SGC) and three distinct multi-academy trusts, offering her a panoramic view of varied working environments, challenges, and HR management approaches. This diverse experience has equipped her to tailor HR strategies adeptly, demonstrating her capacity to navigate organisational change with finesse.

Recognised for her empathetic leadership style, Ms. Miles is a catalyst for collaboration and inclusivity. Her unwavering commitment to confidentiality, integrity, and transparent communication establishes her as a trusted confidante across all organisational levels.

Ms. Miles is unwaveringly committed to the Trust’s vision, where every individual experiences personal growth, a profound sense of belonging, and success through an ethic of excellence. Her strategic HR initiatives are focused on cultivating a community where employees thrive professionally but also flourish personally.

Qualifications:

• CIPD qualified

Claire was the Local Authority’s English Adviser for 20 years. She has an in-depth knowledge of the English curriculum and a wealth of experience in supporting schools and Multi Academy Trusts to develop their teaching of English and raise outcomes for pupils. In her role as Moderation Manager, she successfully led the Local Authority’s moderation process for many years, receiving recognition from The Standards and Testing Agency for the quality of her work. She has written a range of LA resources to support progression and assessment, including the comprehensive Teacher Assessment Criteria and exemplification materials for writing, which are used in schools across the South West.

At a national level, she has supported KS2 test development and was one of 15 national moderators for STA. She has worked with publishers on developing schemes of work and is currently a consultant for ACER, supporting work on the development of assessment materials.

In her previous roles, Claire was an English Lead, SENDCo and senior leader in schools in Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

Qualifications:

• BEd (Hons) degree with English Literature
• NPQH qualification for Headship

Miss Kinder is the Director of the Five Counties Teaching School Hub Alliance (South Glos and BANES) leading on the development and provision of the DfE’s golden thread of professional development for teachers at all stages of their career, including the ECF, suite of NPQs, bespoke CPD and ITT, working with over 700 schools across the wider region. She is also the Strategic lead of the Mangotsfield Primary English Hub, one of 34 Hubs supporting schools with the development of early reading and phonics.

Prior to this, Miss Kinder was the lead the South Glos Teaching School Alliance, providing professional development through NPQs, writing and delivering targeted development programmes as well as deploying a team of Specialist Leaders of Education to support school improvement. She worked for the Teaching School Council as a sub-regional link working with Teaching School leads across the wider region, inputting into strategy for the South West and supporting the deployment of NLEs.

In previous roles, she has been a Deputy Headteacher in a South Glos Primary school as well as across a Federation of an Infant and Junior School. She was a Lead Teacher for Maths and Gifted and Talented for South Glos and still misses teaching Year 6!

Qualifications:

• MEd in Educational Leadership
• PGCE In Primary Humanities
• BA (Hons) degree in Geography
• NPQ for Executive Leadership

Ms Masters has worked in Education since 2013. In 2016 she completed her Level 4 Diploma in School Business Management. Following three years as a business manager at The Bristol Steiner School in Redland she became School Business Manager at The Tynings Primary School (part of The Leaf Trust) in 2018 and joined the Central team as Operations Lead in January 2024. She has several years’ experience in property development and has developed a keen interest in the operations side of education and recognises the significance that the premises and systems play in the education and wellbeing of our pupils. She is passionate about improving the environment in which our children learn.
Ms Masters has a vision to align all the schools in their approach to premises, health & safety & GDPR compliance by introducing new systems of work and a solid training programme for all staff.

QUALIFICATIONS

• IOSH Working Safely
• Level 4 Diploma in School Business Management
• Certified GDPR Practitioner (IBITG)
• Foundation Stage Contract Management

Mr Farr has over 35 years of experience working in the public sector and 2 years in the private sector as an auditor of public sector bodies. His first role was in 1991 as a finance trainee in Gwent County Council and he has gone on to work for Gwent Police, Robson Rhodes, The Ministry of Defence and Bristol City Council, where he was the manager of the schools finance team, supporting over 160 Bristol schools with budget setting, financial management, administering the finance system, paying suppliers and producing all the relevant returns as required by the DfE

He has experience of both the accountancy side of finance such as setting budgets and budget monitoring for a variety of public sector establishments, as well as 10 years experience as an internal auditor which included auditing schools.

As well as purely finance Mr Farr worked for 7 years as a school business manager in both Local Authority and Academy schools, so has a good understanding of what that role entails and how he can best support other school business managers

Qualifications

BA Hons Accounting and Finance
CIPFA Part Qualified Accountant