Education Team (ID 1101)

• Alison Lawson
  Director of Education
  Alison Lawson

  As Director of Education, Alison has responsibility for rapid and sustainable school improvement by ensuring each school provides their pupils with a good quality of education. She is responsible for the design of the intended curriculum, which has been developed over time to meet the needs and context of each of Weaver Trust's schools. Alison has ensured the ambitious and sequential curriculum builds on learning, so pupils are prepared for their next phase in learning. To ensure the effective implementation of the Trust curriculum, Alison provides research-informed training to leaders and

  practitioners: Pedagogical strategies, assessment, provision for SEND are all part of the Trust offer.

  As a current Ofsted Inspector, Alison is able to share up to date school improvement methodology in order to secure improved outcomes for all pupils in Weaver Trust.

  The quality of the curriculum was a key strength in a recent Ofsted visit: ‘The curriculum has been meticulously planned to build on pupils' prior learning and set high expectations of pupils' achievement… It is extremely well-structured and provides children with meaningful experiences in all subjects.' Ofsted, 2020.

• Cerri Jones
  Teaching and Learning Lead
  Cerri Jones

  As a highly experienced classroom practitioner and senior leader, Cerri is our Teaching and Learning Lead. Having gained experience in a range of settings, Cerri is both a Specialist Lead Teacher and Specialist Maths teacher. She uses this expertise, along with research-informed strategies to work alongside teachers and teaching support staff across our Trust.

  As part of the curriculum development team, Cerri has a firm understanding of how the curriculum builds both substantive and disciplinary knowledge – ensuring the best chances for pupils to know and remember more over time. Cerri coaches and mentors colleagues to enhance their performance and ensure the very best pupil outcomes.

• Adam Munro
  Teaching and Learning Mentor
  Adam Munro

  Adam has worked for the Trust since 2016 and, as an expert practitioner, is our Teaching and Learning Mentor. He is responsible for supporting the implementation of the curriculum. Using research informed practice, Adam leads Weaver Trust's pedagogical strategies, to ensure the best academic outcomes for all pupils. Within the classroom environment, he coaches and mentors staff developing the very best practice across Weaver Trust.

• Cath Shaw
  SEND and Inclusion Manager
  Cath Shaw

• Amy Thomson
  Inclusion / SEND Lead
  Amy Thomson

  Amy is a SEND specialist teacher and leader of Inclusion across our Trust, where we not only have five maintained primary schools, but also have two specialist provisions – a Primary Resource Provision for children with complex learning needs and the other an Early Years Resource Provision for children with Communication and Language needs.

  Inclusion is at the heart of all we do in Weaver Trust and Amy coordinates the SEND practice in each school and ensures all Weaver Trust schools reflect the current Code of Practice.

• Emma Rock
  Safeguarding Lead
  Emma Rock

  As Safeguarding Lead, Emma is highly trained and has a solid foundation, with up-to-date training following the latest guidance, which underpins all of her work. She has responsibility for safeguarding across all schools in our Trust and therefore liaises with statutory and non-statutory agencies, parents/carers and staff on matters of wellbeing, child protection and safeguarding. Emma is a great source of support, advice and expertise to all Designated Safeguarding Leads across the Trust, ensuring a robust mechanism is in place for monitoring and managing safeguarding and child protection.

  As a trauma informed practitioner, Emma ensures pupils across the Trust can make sense of their experience(s), find ways to manage their emotions and feelings and creates an environment of safety, connection and compassion at all times. Emma has achieved this by building a Trust network of strong, positive, supportive relationships through training. providing guidance, support and escalation for pupils and schools with safeguarding issues.

  Emma audits safeguarding procedures within the schools across the Trust and develops bespoke training and support to improve daily practice and to ensure that our pupils are safe.

• Harriet McGilloway
  Pupil Premium Lead
  Harriet McGilloway

  Weaver Trust has a proven track record of improving outcomes for their most disadvantaged pupils. As Trust Pupil Premium Lead, Harriet has responsibility for co-ordinating the Trust's approach to raising the achievement of disadvantaged pupils in receipt of Pupil Premium funding. Through strategic leadership, and research-informed Harriet develops a thorough knowledge of disadvantaged pupils' levels of attainment. This is the first step in developing an effective pupil premium strategy.

  A broad array of external evidence to inform decision making, alongside the expert knowledge of the pupils in Weaver Trust, informs which approaches are most likely to provide appropriate and effective solutions, such as particular phonics or reading comprehension programmes.

  Successful implementation of a pupil premium strategy is a carefully staged process that takes time. Harriet works alongside the Director for education to align the strategy to other school and Trust development plans and existing practices, to ensure a sustained impact.

  Harriet continually monitor the progress of the Pupil Premium strategy, adapting Weaver Trust's approach when and where appropriate.

• Zilan Marsh
  Behaviour Lead
  Zilan Marsh

  In her role as Trust Behaviour Lead, Zilan works closely with colleagues from all schools within Weaver Trust. Using a “Behaviour Triage” model, she offers guidance and support in assessing behaviour needs and identifying next steps to support pupils. Weaver Trust behaviour model is based on creating a culture: how school leaders can optimise behaviour. Good behaviour, routines and structures in schools support all pupils' engagement in education, and their mental health and wellbeing.

  Under Zilan's guidance, Weaver Trust schools work together to apply these principles to the individual context of each school. This may include support for individual pupils, whole class management strategies or referrals to external agencies.

• Claire Rennie
  Attendance Lead
  Claire Rennie

  With over 15 years' experience in education, Claire has been an advocate for attendance, understanding the barriers faced by families and working with them to ensure children are in school every day.

  As our Attendance Lead, Claire is committed to supporting schools in implementing the Trust policy, offering timely and effective support and advice and seeking ways in which attendance can be further improved. Across Weaver Trust, supported by Claire, our schools deliver key messages about attendance expectations, routines and consequences to

  pupils and families through clear communication. By monitoring whole school data regularly to identify reasons for absence, patterns, attendance of particular groups and the impact of interventions, Claire ensures pupils across the Trust have high attendance, come to school on time and are punctual to lessons.

External Support and Challenge (ID 1100)

• Sarah Quinn
  School Improvement Lead
  Sarah Quinn

  As our School Improvement Partner, Sarah works closely with leadership teams and teachers to raise the quality of their practice, delivering training and providing support and challenge to schools. Her training covers a range of areas including leadership, teaching, curriculum, assessment and early years.

  Sarah was a highly successful primary school teacher and leader and now uses her knowledge and skills as a rigorous school improvement partner, working relentlessly to drive up standards. In the past, Sarah has also worked as a managing inspector for Ofsted, and as the Central Senior Managing Inspector for CfBT Inspection Services.

  She has developed assessment and tracking, and curriculum and teaching systems for early years settings from birth to five. Sarah has also authored articles for ‘Early Years Educator' and ‘Nursery World'. She can also be found as a keynote speaker at various conferences across the country helping to develop training in local settings.

  Sarah visits each of the schools across the year to ensure the quality, consistent implementation, and impact of the curriculum. She supports the central team in developing aspects of provision, as detailed in bespoke implementation plans for each school. She also provides Trustees with information about the quality of education across our Trust.