THE LEARNING PARTNERSHIP - Key Persons
Alison is a Solicitor and partner in the firm of Hall Smith Whittingham Solicitors based in Crewe. Qualified since February 2002 and has experience in dealing with commercial contracts, commercial litigation, domestic conveyancing prior to specialising in private client work which, covers dealing with: Wills, Probates, Trusts, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Court of Protection Application, Challenging Care fees, Inheritance Tax Planning and General Elderly client issues. Alison has been a member of the Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) since 2007 and has achieved the Older Client Care in Practice Accreditation and has vast experience in dealing with vulnerable clients. She is also a committee member of the Staffordshire and Cheshire Branch of SFE. As part of her management role within the firm she is responsible for dealing with the money laundering rules and regulations and ensuring firm compliance, the Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration, involvement in the training of trainee solicitors and dealing with the other partners with regulatory issues affecting the operation of the firm. Alison has, also been involved other local charitable trusts relating to the promotion of public health initiatives and involved in community events and has run workshops and seminars in for the community to promote the importance of later life planning. The workshops give help and advice in regard to wills, LPA's and Care Issues.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of Trustees, Governance Committee Member and Audit and Risk Committee Member
Andrew (Andy) Pear is a Cheshire based entrepreneur, running businesses in the hospitality, property and medical manufacturing sectors, in the UK and China. He has a broad business involvement, specialising in marketing and finance and he gained an MBA in 2001. Andy has extensive experience with acquisitions and mergers. Andy's journey with school governance began as a parent governor over twenty years ago. He has been involved with Cmat since its formation, holding numerous roles, mainly focusing in the areas of governance, recruitment, Finance and safeguarding. Andy also holds board positions with Ruby's Trust, a children's charity providing support to families of children with challenging needs; The William Dean Countryside and Wildlife Trust, and East Cheshire Chamber of Commerce. He is also heavily involved with The British Healthcare Trades Association and the British Standards Institute.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Member of the Trustee and Chair of Finance and Staffing Committee
Bob Armstrong has been a member and trustee for many years. He was originally asked to join the governors because of his very senior roles in industry and his background in human resources. He has been Chair of Trustees and is currently Vice-Chair. Elsewhere, Bob is Chair of the trustee boards and investment committees of large pension schemes and is a non-executive director of Southern Water. He received the OBE for services to the water industry in 2006. Bob is also a Trustee of the Trust.
Kathy has spent 45 years working in and for public education. She began her teaching career in Inner city Manchester and went on to have three secondary headships. The last headship was as the Principal in one of the first of a new type of schools introduced in the early 2000s. This was a city academy in Moss Side Manchester. Lord Andrew Adonis in his book ‘Education, Education, Education' described its predecessor school as one of the most gang infested comprehensive schools in the country. Just over five years later it was judged to be outstanding. After this she worked as Deputy CEO in one of the largest MATs in the country. She has also been a Director of Education in two LEAs, worked as a senior adviser in the DFE, been a visiting professor at Salford Business School and is currently working as an interim CEO of a small MAT in the North of England. She became a Dame in the 2014 New Years honours list.
As Chief Executive, I work across the trust to help make sure we meet our ambitious goals. As well as setting forward-looking direction, and assisting The Learning Partnership's experienced and knowledgeable trustees, my role includes ensuring that schools are supported very well, including in relation to their leadership
Job Titles:
- Chief Operations Officer
- COO
- Deputy CEO
As COO I work closely with the CEO and headteachers developing the overall strategy for the trust whilst embedding our values and objectives. I also lead the Shared Services team with combined responsibility for finance, people, estates & marketing, school improvement and training & development.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Trustees and Governance Committee Member
- Professor
David Wootton has over forty years experience in the field of education. David has had a varied career in a variety of settings across the UK. He has been Chief Executive of one of the highest performing academy groups in the country, executive principal within a trust, academy principal, headteacher and started his career as a music teacher in inner city Salford. David was also an adviser to the Department for Education (working on academy improvement and free schools), served on ministerial working groups and advisory panels, gave evidence to the Education Select Committee and was a member of the ESFA Board. He was also Chair of the Independent Academies Association and a long standing member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Leadership and Governance. He has intervened in governance roles at a number of schools and trusts at the request of the DfE and ministers. David is presently a consultant adviser working across the educational landscape with a focus on governance, strategy and leadership, with a number of trusts, schools, academies and chairing and speaking at events and conferences.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of Tata Chemicals Europe
- Trustee, Audit and Risk Committee Member and Finance and Staffing Committee Member
Dr Martin Ashcroft is Managing Director of Tata Chemicals Europe. He was appointed on 1 April 2010 having been Operations Director since 1 January 2007.Holding a Chemistry degree from Oxford University and a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from Manchester University, he held several technical and operating roles in Brunner Mond between 1994 and 2007 including Site Director of the company's Netherlands site for two years. In January 2011 Martin led the company in completing the successful £93m acquisition of British Salt and then followed up in April 2011 by heading the re-branding of the enlarged company as Tata Chemicals Europe at the same time as each of the Tata Chemicals overseas entities. He is an Executive Board Member of Tata Chemicals Europe Group Limited and several subsidiary companies. He is a member of the Tata Global Chemicals Board (GCB) and where he leads on Tata Chemicals' interests in Europe. Until March 2017 he was a member of the Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Board and is a current council member of the Chemical Industries Association. In 2016, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). With a keen interest in rugby, he was a fully qualified referee until 2005 operating at a professional level. He is qualified to Grade 8 standard on violin, piano and organ and plays regularly at choral services and occasional recitals.
Andy has worked across a range of educational contexts supporting multi-agency partnerships, local government strategy and primary, secondary and adult learning phases with system leadership, strategic planning and transformation. He is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and The RSA where he is network lead for their Innovative Education Network.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Learning Institute
My role focusses on developing a cohesive approach to curriculum leadership across the schools and disseminating up to date research and pedagogy around teaching and learning. I also work alongside the leadership teams to develop a ‘Quality Assurance' programme for the trust together with co-ordinating training opportunities for all staff with a career progression framework.
Helen is an Author, Coach & Mental Health Facilitator. With over 25 years' experience working in Mental Health, dealing with emotional issues, phobias & traumas, PTSD & Bereavement. She coaches for performance in elite sport, working with Olympians & Teams, & in schools with underperforming students. An Executive coach, looking at performance enhancement with Senior Executives, a qualified Commercial Mediator & Mental Health Facilitator in the workplace. In 2017, partnering Aviva Plc she wrote ‘Surviving Me' - a guide helping individuals with life limiting and changing illnesses to live fully each day & to self-manage their emotional and mental health. Helen is also a Magistrate, an LA appointed primary school Governor, a Non Exec Director for Whitegate Station Café Community Group & a Member on the IPMAT Board in West Yorkshire. She also works alongside the Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy Team at St Luke's Hospice, Cheshire in delivering Community Mental Health & Wellbeing Care.
The Finance Team partner with all schools in the Trust and support and advise on all financial matters including budgets, procurement, and capital projects. We provide monthly management information to a range of stakeholders and ensure the Trust is compliant with all regulatory reporting requirements.
Job Titles:
- Director of Estates and Marketing
My role is split into two key areas; firstly in terms of Estates, I support schools with capital infrastructure and large site development projects, together with the overall site management which also includes health, safety and compliance. Secondly, in terms of marketing I support schools with their overall marketing strategy and planning, including events, communications, website and online presence.
Job Titles:
- Director of Secondary Education
I support schools across the trust to improve outcomes for all students. Work with school leaders in each school to deliver their School Improvement Plans and carry out quality assurance activities as part of our schools' self-evaluation processes.
Job Titles:
- Director of Primary Education
John, previously the Chair of The Learning for Life Partnership (LFLLP Trust), is a retired chartered accountant with many years' experience in the provision of audit, accountancy and business advisory services to a wide range of clients. Up to his retirement John was a partner in a ‘top ten' firm of chartered accountants, based in Stoke-on-Trent. John has also been involved throughout his career on a voluntary basis with a number of public and charitable bodies. He was a director of the UK national management company of his firm, and was also the treasurer and past president of the North Staffs Society of Chartered Accountants. Since retirement he has served as a Lay member and Vice Chair of the Governing body of an NHS Clinical Commissioning Group and a trustee of a support charity based in Crewe. In his NHS role he was also Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee and has considerable experience in governance both within this position and in previous roles in the public sector. Born and educated in Blackpool, John moved to West Yorkshire after qualifying and became a partner in a Leeds based firm which then merged with a national practice. He also spent some time in the North East before moving to Cheshire in 1993.
As Director of People I provide strategic people management, HR advice and support to Trust leaders, Headteachers and school staff. We champion better work and working lives by creating roles, opportunities, and working environments that help get the best out of people. We provide a suite of HR policies, processes and systems to support the development and management of staff in the Trust.
Lisa's own school life and the opportunities it gave her to achieve her goals and dreams is what motivates her career in education. She has worked in a number of secondary schools and for the Department of Education, helping to deliver their National Strategies. This opportunity gave Lisa a particular interest in special educational needs. From here she moved to a large special school for children with a range of additional needs, where she was Assistant Head and then Headteacher in 2016. Lisa's passion lies with giving every child equal opportunities, regardless of their disability. Her work within the Trust comes with an interest in Special Education for both the mainstream and resource provision environment and brings expertise on a wide range of needs including moderate, severe and profound learning difficulties, autism and pupils with challenging behaviour.
Mike recently retired from his role as Director of Admissions, Advice and Marketing at Cheshire College South and West College, where he had worked in both teacher and manager roles since January 1983. He has experience of ‘Prevent', data protection, safeguarding, event management, HR, finance, organisational development and performance management. He was responsible for the college student transport system for over 1,000 students from across Cheshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire to three campuses. He has had considerable budget responsibility across all areas. Mike's passion is to ensure the best possible educational experience for young people and has committed his working life to ensuring this passion impacts positively. Mike was previously a Governor at Middlewich High School with over 25 years' service, and he has been a Board member of the LFLP Trust since its inception and was awarded an MBE for 'Services to Education' in 2018.
Piers Martin is a performance specialist working across sport, business and academia. He is the Managing Director of the Podium Performance Group, a people development consultancy that helps individuals, teams and organisations. He is a consultant to the Premier League, where he is the programme lead for the Elite Academy Manager Leadership Programme. For over 20 years, Piers has led and advised a range of Olympic and Paralympic sports, supported businesses from small start-ups to larger, established companies and coached individuals. Piers is Chair of UK Deaf Sport, a Director/Trustee on several Boards, performance advisor to various performance programmes and a member of the Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators for Sports Resolutions UK. He has an MBA from Manchester University, is undertaking a Doctorate in Sport and Exercise and is a speaker and lecturer in a range of institutions.
Job Titles:
- Trustee and Finance and Staffing Committee Member
Robin McCluney became a parent governor for Egerton Primary School in 2013 and later became the Chair of Finance. He became a Trustee when Egerton joined the Trust. He has a keen interest in community issues and helped to establish the Netherward Community Group during the development of the Cheshire East local plan. Robin has worked in IT for the last 20 years and is currently a senior IT consultant. As part of that role he travels frequently, working with a wide range of private and public sector organisations. He hopes that this career experience can provide valuable input into the future development of the Trust. Robin is married with 2 children who currently attend Egerton Primary School.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Head Teacher and School Principal
Simon has worked as a Head Teacher and School Principal for 17 years. He has led three successful Primary schools to achieve rapid and sustained improvement. In addition to his role as Principal, Simon is an Associate School Improvement Advisor for Cheshire West and Chester LA and has worked with a number of schools to help them achieve strong outcomes for children. He has experience working as a School Governor in two Secondary Schools and served as a Trustee of the Learning for Life Partnership. Simon represents the North West of England for the NAHT, The School Leaders Union, and is the current Vice President. Simon uses his position to champion children, teachers and school leaders and makes regular contributions to national media.
Vic Croxson is a retired educator, actively engaged in a number of mainly voluntary, charitable roles. These include: Member, Trustee & Chair of Cmat (Congleton Multi Academy Trust); Trustee & Vice Chair of The Farmers' Club Charitable Trust and Chair of Organic Farmers & Growers Certification Committee. Other interests include: gardening; traveling and family activities. Career history has included periods employed as: a lecturer in Agriculture and Residential Warden; Head of Agriculture, Vice Principal & Farm Manager; and finally Principal and Chief Executive at Reaseheath College, Cheshire. Post ‘retirement': Self employed consultant and Chief Executive of Landex - The National Association of Land-based Colleges and Governor & Vice Chair of Walford & North Shropshire College Corporation.