Our Team

Jo Morgan

Accounting Officer

Jo Morgan is the Chief Executive of Shaw Education Trust. She joined the Trust from Ofsted where she worked as the Regional Director for the North West and National Director for Initial Teacher Education. Jo held the status of Her Majesty’s Inspector. Jo held three secondary headships: leading out of special measures, accelerating performance to outstanding; gaining Teaching School status and delivery of academisation. As a National Leader of Education, Jo worked extensively in a strategic role in the Greater Manchester Challenge. A proven systems leader, Jo has supported a large number of schools to accelerate improvement. Jo has delivered programmes for the National College, worked with a Local Authority and provided advice to the DfE. Her portfolio of experience spans all phases, all sectors and all contexts.

Ruth Argyle

KNSTE Director

Ruth has worked as a primary school teacher for 14 years. She started her career in a small rural school but has most recently worked at The Meadows Primary Academy, a large Stoke on Trent based primary school. In her position as Deputy Headteacher, she had the opportunity to influence school wide decisions on curriculum, teaching and learning and assessment. She also enjoyed her role as pupil premium champion whereby she worked hard to ensure that some of the most disadvantaged children in her school community have the same opportunities as all other children and make the same academic and emotional gains year on year. In the last four years she has developed a strong connection with the SCITT and has been delighted to be working with the KNSTE team.

Julie Yarwood

Chair of the Strategic Board

Julie is Chief Learning Officer for Shaw Education Trust and is responsible for the Trust’s Institute of Education. Julie joined the Trust from Ofsted where she was Her Majesty’s Inspector and National Lead for Modern Foreign Languages. Julie has extensive inspection experience of all phases, all sectors (including independent) and has been part of a team dedicated to quality assurance within the Inspectorate. Prior to joining Ofsted, Julie was a highly successful secondary headteacher in an outstanding school. An experienced senior leader, Julie has a broad portfolio of school improvement having worked in tough and challenging contexts.

Alex Brayford

Vice Chair of the Strategic Board

Alex is an Executive Principal within a Multi-Academy Trust. Holding both the NPQEL and NPQH, Alex is committed to the professional development of colleagues, with a view to providing a happy, enriching and inspiring school experience for pupils. With leadership background in Church of England, Catholic, and non-denominational settings, Alex has been part of senior leadership teams which have directed schools out of Special Measures; from Requires Improvement to Good; and for more than ten years was a Principal/School Leader/Assistant Headteacher of an ‘Outstanding’ Primary School. Whilst in an Anglican setting, Alex led within a school which received Good and Outstanding SIAMS judgements. In addition to being a proud member of KNSTE’s Strategic Board for a number of years, Alex has also promoted the value of Initial Teacher Training to a DfE national conference.

Marie Bateman

Assistant KNSTE Director (Placements)

Marie’s teaching experience has been wide and varied, including teaching mathematics and music to A’ level, peripatetic music teaching and primary school teaching. Having been a 'Teacher Educator' in her role at Seabridge Primary School, Marie was always passionate about the quality of school experience received by trainee teachers. She became involved with the Keele PGCE course in September 2012, initially on a secondment and she is now thrilled to be working full time for the SCITT where she is Assistant Director. Her roles include placement co-ordinator, General Mentor support tutor, Lead Mentor, mathematics and music subject lead and mathematics specialism tutor.

Di Swift

KNSTE SCITT Advisor

Diane has extensive experience in schools as a teacher, senior leader and a governor. She regularly contributes articles to professional journals and has authored a variety of materials that support teachers to develop both their curriculum and pedagogic thinking. She has worked extensively with teacher-colleagues on a variety of projects in relation to Philosophy for Children, History and Geography. Diane is an advocate for the Chartered College of Teaching. She also works at a national level in relation to ITE, particularly in connection with inclusion. Diane has recently completed an EdD. Her research is considering the ways in which beginning teachers develop a professional language to share their developing pedagogic expertise.

Amy James

Finance Manager

After completing a degree in Business and Management, Amy worked in a variety of roles within the public sector before landing into Education. She has worked at The Meadows Primary Academy as the Head of Support Services since 2016, and during that time has completed the School Business Management Diploma.

Lydia Bass

Programme Support Administrator

Lydia started her initial teacher training with KNSTE in 2018, specialising in mathematics. She has since worked in a local primary school teaching predominantly Key Stage 2 and during this time, also undertook various subject leadership roles. Lydia offers a unique insight into the course, having completed it herself and she is delighted to be back working with KNSTE again. Lydia is passionate about supporting trainees on the programme as they begin their teaching training year and embark on their teaching careers.

Shayanne Deans

Jon Goulding

Lead Mentor

Jon trained to become a primary school teacher after volunteering in a local school while working in an accounts office. With over 20 years of experience in five schools, and a Masters degree in Educational Management from the Open University, his roles have included Foundation Stage Manager, Key Stage 2 leader, Assistant Head, Deputy Head and Headteacher. Jon now works freelance, supply teaching and writing for an educational publisher. Coupled with his experience, and additional roles as a Teaching and Learning Governor and parent, Jon sees schools and learning from a variety of perspectives. His main interest in education has always been the provision of high quality learning opportunities for both pupils and professionals, enabling a lifelong love of learning and development.

Sandra Hearson

Assessment Only Lead Mentor

Sandra has worked in education for 35 years until taking early retirement in 2017 from her role as Headteacher of a large primary school and nursery in a deprived area of Stoke-on-Trent. Under her leadership, a strong team was built which led the school to performance indicators in the top 5% of schools nationally for progress in English and Maths. She has a passion for the future of the teaching profession and the development of all staff and prospective staff, to enable them to reach their potential and thus impact on the aspirations and opportunities for young people and families born without the advantages that many of us are fortunate enough to have experienced. With this aim, she is also very involved in local social and community projects within Stoke-on-Trent. In 2002 she was awarded second place in the national awards for Early Years Teachers which provides an insight into her holistic approach to teaching. Sandra is now proud to be part of the development of the next generation of inspirational teachers.

Kerry Howle

Lead Mentor

Kerry has worked as a teacher in Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire schools for fifteen years and has a wealth of experience in Key Stages One and Two. She has led and managed a range of subjects in school and worked with many trainee teachers as a 'Teacher Educator'. Since joining the team at KNSTE as a General Mentor and English Specialism Tutor, Kerry has found working with and supporting teachers at the beginning of their career an incredibly rewarding experience. She looks forward to continuing this work as well as continuing to develop her own knowledge and understanding through undertaking study at Masters Level and continuing to develop her knowledge of different pedagogies and practices through her work in school.

Gill Liebeck

Lead Mentor

Gill has extensive experience of teaching in schools. After studying for her degree in Mathematics, and her Masters degree, she taught in primary school for a few years, before moving to teach in secondary school, where she could specialise in the teaching of Mathematics. During her time in secondary school, she became a Head of Department, and later she moved to the position of ‘Excellent Teacher’ within her school, where she could focus on her passion for the teaching and learning of Mathematics. She also had the responsibility of whole school Numeracy training across the curriculum, and became the Primary school link teacher for Numeracy, which involved weekly input in mathematics in the feeder primary schools. Gill has been actively involved with the Mathematical Associations throughout her career, and is an Accredited Professional Development Lead for the NCETM on the teaching and learning of primary and secondary mathematics. She is currently involved in running CPD for the NCETM on primary maths subject knowledge enhancement.

Neil Phillipson

Lead Mentor

Neil has fifteen years of experience as a teacher, subject leader and consultant / trainer. He has taught at all five key stages and has been judged ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. He works in both primary and secondary settings. He is interested in exploring the broad purposes of education and matching these with high quality pedagogical approaches, with the ultimate aim of helping children to come into the 21st Century world with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes, but also with a sense of their cultural heritage and with the opportunity to make their own unique contributions to their communities.