Management Committee

Emma Murray

With over thirteen years’ experience as a headteacher, Emma Murray serves as Co-CEO of the Claxton Trust, a primary Multi Academy Trust located in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. She holds the position of Chair of the Management Committee for the Nexus Federation, a board member of the Primary Inclusive Multi Academy Trust in Watford, and is a Parent elected Trustee at Presdales Academy in Ware.

Being a member of the local DSPL, Chair of the Primary Stevenage Headteachers Consortium and Behaviour steering board, she’s passionate about inclusivity for everyone and lends her expertise as a behaviour consultant within local schools. Her current Primary school, is of which she is Headteacher, is a DSPL Behaviour ‘Hub’ in the community.

Emma’s past achievements have been as a senior leader in Wandsworth and Merton in Outstanding Primary and Specialist provisions and as a school improvement advisor in Merton. Continuing her love of learning, she has most recently completed her DFE National Professional Qualification Executive Leadership (NPQEL) and Level 5 in Coaching and Mentoring from the Institute of Leadership and Management.

Dominic Hughes

Dominic Hughes has worked in education for 30 years. Trained as a Physical Education teacher and has worked in middle schools as a Head of PE, Head of Year, Assistant Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher. Dominic was Headteacher of a large junior school in Luton for five years and then a large primary school in Aylesbury for four years.

Currently, he is Deputy Director of Education for a Multi Academy Trust with sixty schools nationwide. Dominic’s role is as a strategic leader for school improvement, which includes curriculum development, supporting and developing leaders, monitoring safeguarding procedures and reviewing school effectiveness.

He is also involved in school financial management, estates management, people management, risk evaluation and other operational matters. He also leads the National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) leadership development programme for the Trust.

Martin Monks

Martin Monks has worked in mainstream education for over 20 years. He is currently the Deputy Headteacher at Hitchin Boys’ School, where he oversees the academic and curriculum side of the school.

Jane Shipley

Jane is very conscious that no one way of learning fits all. To address this gap in the market, she set up ELSA Next Generation CIC and started delivering bespoke programmes and workshops. ELSA delivers across all educational settings, supported by over 600 business and community volunteers. ELSA is a very proud Professional Partner of the Hertfordshire Virtual School.

As a passionate teaching professional, with creativity and a reputation for ‘getting things done’, Jane is continually looking to inspire, enthuse and excite others whilst ensuring that she is equally challenging herself, through her love of learning.

Lucy Miles

Lucy has been a teacher in Hertfordshire for 19 years and is currently Headteacher at The Highfield School in Letchworth. She brings knowledge of the needs of students and the community local to the provisions we offer and brings her experience of school leadership in a mainstream secondary to the table.

She is passionate about the education of young people and being local she also wanted to take up the opportunity to support the local community as a governor at a school with which she has both professional links and aligns with her own vision and values.

Devon Woolley

Devon has worked in education for 20 years and is currently an Assistant Head in Stevenage. He firmly believes in an inclusive education system that allows all students to be successful academically alongside building key life skills and character traits that will ensure they have a happy and healthy life. The work that is done within the Foundation is integral to this success for some of our most vulnerable students.

Iain Sillars

Iain was brought up in Scotland and, after a Physics degree, moved to England and worked in programming, IT consultancy and IT project & project office management for 39 years for a variety of organisations. He then worked for a government organisation starting in Firearms & Protective Equipment and finishing in Cyber Crime (security & forensics).

Iain was a Foundation Governor at Stevenage: St Nicholas Church of England Primary School & Nursery between 1985 and 2015, sitting on most committees over the years. Formal posts held included Chair of Finance, Chair of Premises (& Health & Safety), Clerk, Vice-chair, and Chair. He was a member of the small committee which founded the Herts branch of what was then the National Association of Governors & Managers (NAGM), now NGA.

Outside of work and education was a Churchwarden and had interests in scouting, amateur radio, computing and allotments. He has two daughters and six grandchildren at various stages in the education system in Stevenage.

Sally Glossop

Sally is the County Lead for the Graduated Offer and Statutory SEND Assessment as well as the Integrated Services for Learning area manager for North Herts and Stevenage. She has been a teacher and deputy head teacher in a number of special schools and was the head of education in a childrens’ home school.

Sally is committed to championing the needs of children with SEND and passionate about securing their futures.  Sally has a horse and rides as much as she can and also enjoys cold water swimming.

Charlie Anderson

Charlie’s current role is Executive Director of Secondary Education for The Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust. He works closely with 6 secondary schools on mainly quality of education but across all areas to ensure they deliver high quality education to all their students. Charlie is also the Trust lead on Health & Safety, IT & Cyber, CPD and Initial Teacher Training. Previously, he worked in secondary education for 25 years. He joined The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School in 1999 as a Physics teacher.

Charlie has held roles including Subject Leader, Pastoral leader, Director of Sixth Form, Pupil Premium Champion, Assistant Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher. He holds a Masters Degree in Leading Teaching and Learning and recently completed his NPQEL and holds NPQH. Charlie is passionate about improving the educational experience and life chances of all students in the Trust.

In his spare time, Charlie enjoys watching football – Spurs fan, running and spending time with my family.