Susie Fernandez Gomez – Trust MFL Lead

Susie is truly passionate about educational leadership and foreign languages. She has a degree in English Philology and her original plan was to teach English in Spain, where she comes from, but ended up teaching Spanish in England, which she fell in love with when she first came as a university student.

Susie worked in Dorset between 2008-2021 as a language teacher, Head of Languages and Specialist Leader in Education. In 2018 she was seconded to the senior leadership team at the school where she worked and enjoyed being a senior leader so much that she decided to study a Masters in Educational Leadership, which helped her prepare for her current Languages Lead role at the trust as well as the Assistant Headteacher post at Holyrood Academy.

Susie is absolutely delighted to be part of the trust team and feels very much part of the Uffculme Academy Trust family.

Jen Knowles - Director, West Country Training School Alliance

Jen is the Director of West Country Training School Alliance (WCTSA). Within her role, she leads a successful School Direct Initial Teacher Training Course, working alongside partner schools, mentors and subject tutors across the alliance to provide trainee teachers with the skills, understanding and experience they need to become successful teachers.

WCTSA works in partnership with two other Teaching School Alliances (Ventrus Teaching School Alliance and North Devon Teaching School Alliance) as Early Career Teachers South West (ECTSW). ECTSW focuses on the development and support of Newly Qualified Teachers through a popular Appropriate Body (AB) Service for NQTs across Devon, Dorset and Somerset and through the delivery of regular CPD sessions to support NQT and RQT development. WCTSA also run a number of other successful CPD course including the popular Middle and Senior Leadership programmes.

Jen started her career at Torquay Boys' Grammar School in 2009 as a Science teacher. She has worked in both ITT and early career teacher development for the past eight years, initially based at The Taunton Academy as an Advanced Skills Teacher and ITEC, and more recently at Uffculme School as a Specialist Leader of Education. She took on the role of Teaching School Director in September 2020.

Rachel Higginson - EYFS & Primary Advisor

Rachel Higginson is a passionate advocate for improving the educational experience and outcomes for both teachers and students. She is an education consultant, a qualified Headteacher and has a wide range of professional experience.

As a consultant, her school improvement work has successfully supported a wide range of schools across all Key Stages from EYFS-FE. Rachel’s methods combine motivational, inspiring presentation and long-term collaborative working to coach professionals to take a creative and coherent approach to impactful educational change. She specialises in curriculum design and innovation and has extensive experience of curriculum construction. She works for Mary Myatt on her platform, ‘Myatt & Co’ and enjoys collaborating with a range of educators across the sector to improve CPD and access to research for teachers.

Rachel also works in children’s publishing consulting on the educational content of 5 top pre-school magazines and writes the publisher’s parenting blog. Rachel still loves working with young people and designed the ‘Finding my Voice’ project based in the UK.

Rachel is very excited about joining the trust;

‘It’s an honour to work with such principled and driven professionals and I am very much looking forward to being part of the UAT team’.

Barbara Manning - Trust Safeguarding Lead

Barbara has been an educational professional for thirty years. Barbara originally trained as a teacher of RS/PSHE and worked in the secondary phase, in five schools, in London, Lancashire and Devon. Since then Barbara has been a middle leader, an Advanced Skills Teacher and a senior leader. In addition Barbara spent two years in higher education as a senior lecturer in initial teacher education and programme lead for National Professional Qualifications at the University of Cumbria. Her last school-based post was as Vice Principal of a large cooperative Devon secondary school and Barbara is also Chair of Governors for an alternative provision setting in Devon.

Her experience in schools included the role of Designated Safeguarding Lead and Barbara explains that “safeguarding is my absolute raison d'etre – I care deeply about people, relationships, well-being and welfare and doing the right thing for the right reason. To quote Khalil Gibran; "safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being" “

Barbara’s substantive current role is as Director of Educational Welfare & Safeguarding at Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust which encompasses seventeen schools across both primary and secondary phases.

The Trust is privileged to be able to work with Barbara in this key role.

Beth Warwick - Director of SEND

Beth joined the Trust in January 2022 and has been a qualified teacher for 20 years and studied for her National Award for SEN Co-ordination with Plymouth University in 2015/2016.

Beth started her career working at Rockwell Green Primary School, Wellington after graduating from Rolle College in Exmouth. Since then, she has worked across a range of primary settings in Somerset, teaching children from Reception to Year 6, and has held the SENCo role at both Priorswood Primary School, Taunton and Kingsmead Secondary School, Wiveliscombe as well as at a specialist SEMH setting in Taunton for 3 years. Beth also has experience of being a parent and staff Governor and extensive experience working within the Guiding and Scout Associations.

 Beth is passionate about improving outcomes for children with SEND and ensuring they are able to thrive in a truly inclusive environment. In her time as a qualified SENCo, her practice has been selected to be shared with others professionals at conferences across Somerset as well as with representatives from the Department of Education. She has also been a representative for Somerset's SENCo Forum, working closely with the Local Authority and supporting other SENCo colleagues.

Paula Gibson - Executive Assistant

Paula joined the Central Team in December 2020 and supports the CEO and the Director of Finance and Resources to deliver the strategy and objectives of the Trust.  Paula previously worked at Holyrood Academy and prior to that worked for a large international Engineering Company as their HR Officer.

Paula is also responsible for delivering efficient and professional governance support to the Board of Directors to ensure effective and compliant execution of their statutory roles and supports the other Clerks across the Trust.

Anita Heale – Marketing, PR and Communications Officer

Anita began her career as Art Editor of Campaign magazine, the Advertising Industry’s weekly bible. This fuelled not just her interest in powerful typography and design but in the business of Advertising.

Anita then had a long career in Advertising and Marketing, in particular as a Senior Art Director at TMP & Monster Worldwide. Clients included HMP, The Metropolitan Police, Unilever, London Fire Brigade, National Trust, Marks and Spencer and many well-known brands.

In 2017 Anita moved to Somerset with her family and worked as a Graphic Designer at Holyrood Academy. In June 2021 Anita became the Trust Marketing, PR and Communications Officer and works to develop the Trust brand whilst maintaining the individuality of our schools.

Trust HR Team

Ben Malik began working with the Trust in July 2021 and is our HR Lead Consultant providing both strategic and operational HR advice to the senior leadership team and schools across the Trust.

Ben has a passion for HR, recruitment and training partnering with businesses to help them achieve their strategic business objectives through their people. With over 20 years HR experience gained from working in a variety of industries and sectors including Education, Ben brings a practical, pragmatic and commercial approach to his work. Ben has held Chartered Membership of the CIPD since 2011.

Julia Wilde joined the Central Team in June 2022 and works closely with the Director of Finance and Resources, the HR Lead Consultant and the School Business Manager’s across the Trust. Julia is involved in a wide range of exciting HR projects and will play a key role in developing procedures and policies across the Trust.

Having spent the last 4 year’s working at Uffculme Primary school as a School Administrator, Julia prides herself on being a professional, enthusiastic and approachable team member and is very much looking forward to starting her journey in Human Resources. Before embarking into the Uffculme Academy Trust family, Julia worked in the Legal sector as a fee earner in both the private sector and local government specialising in property litigation

Amanda Woodward - Director of Wellbeing

The Trust is serious about the wellbeing of its staff and operates in a culture of mutual respect, trust and compassion. Amanda oversees the delivery of the Wellbeing Provision for all staff across the Trust.

Amanda has over 25 years’ experience in Wellbeing delivery, both in private practice, commercial and education settings. Trained in counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, physical fitness, nutrition and injury rehabilitation she offers a comprehensive rage of service.

Amanda also heads up operation of two fitness Centres and teaches and advises within the Trust’s PE Curriculum.

Alan Blackburn - Headteacher, Uffculme School

Alan joined Uffculme School in 1998 as a Newly Qualified Teacher, before becoming a Head of Year and Second-in Charge of the Maths department. 

In 2004 he was appointed to the Senior Leadership Team as an Assistant Headteacher responsible for teaching and learning. 

Later he was appointed as Deputy Headteacher and then Senior Deputy with oversight of the school’s curriculum and assessment.  In 2019 Alan was appointed as Headteacher of Uffculme School.

Prior to training as teacher Alan was involved in business and finance for 11 years.

He subsequently re-trained completing a BSc in Mathematics and Secondary Education at Exeter University.

Ali Collins - Headteacher, Neroche Primary School

Alison is the Headteacher at Neroche Community Primary School, appointed in 2019. Prior to this she was the Deputy Headteacher joining the school in 2010.  

Alison started her teaching career at Chalfont St Peter Infant School, Buckinghamshire, after graduating from Westminster College, Oxford. She relocated to Somerset in 1999 and worked at Milford Infants’ School in Yeovil for many years before her move to Neroche to develop her knowledge and experience of the whole primary age range. Alison also has experience as a governor at both primary and secondary level. 

Alison has worked as a Leading Maths Teacher for Somerset and more recently as a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) gaining this recognition in 2017, when she regularly worked with teachers across the region, providing advice and support for schools as required. Alison successfully completed her National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) in 2018 before her substantive promotion to Headteacher at Neroche. 

Laura Jenkins - Headteacher, Axe Valley Academy

Laura Jenkins is Headteacher at Axe Valley Academy which is an 11-16 secondary school set in the heart of rural Devon. She has been Headteacher of Axe Valley Academy since 2019 after working at AVA since 2014. Prior to this she has worked in a number of Secondary schools both in and out of the region.

Laura started her career in the Midlands at Pershore High School as a science teacher before moving to Devon with her family where she became a Year Leader with a focus on transition at Buckler's Mead. Laura then moved into a Subject Leader for Science role at South Axholme Academy in Lincolnshire where she became a Key Stage Lead and member of the Senior Leadership Team.

When relocating back to Devon Laura took up the post of Subject Leader for Science with responsibility for Pupil Premium at the Taunton Academy before moving to AVA as Assistant Headteacher in 2014. 

Dave MacCormick - Headteacher, Holyrood Academy

Before joining Holyrood Academy in 2016, Dave previously worked as a Head of Year and Assistant Headteacher (Pastoral Care and Behaviour) in Plymouth.

He served Holyrood Academy in various Deputy Headteacher roles including responsibilities for post-16, Pupil Premium and Year 11 achievement, before being appointed as Headteacher in 2019. 

Dave has a love of reading and learning which have underpinned his studies at Masters level.

He has a particular interest in coaching and instructional leadership as well as learning about how high-performance culture is created.  

Fraser Wallace - Headteacher, Uffculme Primary School

After graduating from Loughborough University in 2009 with a degree in English Literature, Fraser continued his journey to become a primary school teacher by completing a PGCE at the University of Bath. 

Fraser began his teaching career at Cotford St Luke Primary School as a Year 5 teacher, and later, a Year 6 teacher. During his six years at the school, he established himself as the literacy coordinator and then the maths coordinator, becoming a KS2 writing moderator across Somerset, a role he held until 2020. During these years, he also completed a Masters (MA) in Education with The University of Bath. 

In 2017, he moved to Martock Primary School as Deputy Headteacher, with responsibility for assessment, before becoming Co-Headteacher in 2019. 

Fraser joined Uffculme Primary School as Headteacher in January 2021. His vision is to build upon the strengths of the school, whilst working with the wider community to provide the very best education for all the wonderful children at the school.