May 20th 2013
Who's Who
Dr Rebecca Mckenzie Young - Trustee
Rebecca has lived in Walthamstow for 14 years and has been a parent Governor for a year. She is very committed to being actively involved in her role as a REAch2 Trustee, regularly taking part in meetings and events. As a well as being a Trustee for REAch2, Rebecca is also chair of the Achievement and Attainment committee.
Rebecca has 17 years experience in the NHS working with children with special needs in schools, as well as providing senior HR expertise in a busy London hospital. She successfully fulfilled a role for the North Central London NHS Sector engaging and co-ordinating childcare leads for the 18 NHS Trusts involved and running sector wide events.
In her senior HR role, Rebecca worked closely with departments and individuals to tackle underperformance. Her work enabled them to find ways for them to improve and succeed. Rebecca has also lectured for the Open University and ran training schemes to enable long term unemployed individuals to re-enter the workplace successfully.
Roger Pryce - Trustee
Steve Lancashire - Executive Director (CEO)
Steve is currently Executive Headteacher of Hillyfield Primary Academy and Mission Grove Primary School in Waltham Forest. Hillyfield is an outstanding National Support School and Steve is a National Leader of Education. Steve has been a Headteacher for over 15 years and has had 2 previous Headships. In addition, Steve has been a lead adviser for the DfE leading on moving schools from good to outstanding.
Along with the current Trustees, Steve founded REAch2 to build upon Hillyfield Academy's long track record of working with and supporting other schools. Through the Trust, Steve seeks to establish a family of schools that share his passion and drive to secure the best possible outcomes for primary aged children and to ensure that primary education has a strong national voice.
Mark Elms - Director
Mark Elms has over 25 years of headship experience in London Schools. He led the first federation of England primary schools. He has supported many schools as a National Leader of education and as one of the leading heads in London Challenge. Mark lead Tidemill Academy from special measures to outstanding. Tidemill is a National Support School and was one of the first pilot teaching schools in England. Mark has opened 2 new schools and has experience in major design and build programmes. Mark is Area Director of the REAch2Croydon Academy Trust.
Catherine Paine - Director
Appointed in 1998 to her first Headship in a large and socially deprived “Special Measures” School, Catherine was at the time the youngest Headteacher in Britain and led the school out of an OfSTED category to become a “good” school in just four terms.
15 years later she retains her passion for enabling children to flourish in an environment of outstanding practice. Until February 2013, she was Executive Headteacher of three Primary Schools - Mount Street Academy, Lincoln Carlton Academy and Saxilby Church of England Primary School. Within the last 6 months, the national reputation of Mount Street Academy and its credibility in terms of pupil outcomes, has led to visits by numerous school leaders, National educational academics, and more recently by DfE officials. In April 2012 Mount Street Academy was designated as Lincolnshire’s first National Teaching School and now holds the license for delivering three levels of leadership across the East Midlands, including NPQH, which Catherine facilitates.
Catherine’s headship career has spanned 15 years across three key stages and schools in a variety of challenging circumstances across the 3-11 age range. Her vision is the belief that school leadership at its heart is about transforming lives and she brings substantial experience of making this vision a reality. As a National Leader of Education she is used to working with school leaders in a coaching role and insightfully responding to each school’s unique circumstances. Catherine also likes running long distance and spending time with her family, including her seventeen year old and nine year old sons.
Shane Tewes- Operations Director
Shane trained in Australia at the University of Southern Queensland and has taught in Australia and the UK for the past thirteen years. He is currently Head of School at Hillyfield Primary Academy. During his time as a teacher, Shane has been a consultant and Advanced Skills Teacher specialising in ICT and Key Stage 1. Shane works extensively with Headteachers and other senior leaders in planning and implementing successful school improvement strategies. Shane is the Area Director of REAch2 Hertfordshire Academy Trust.
Dean Ashton - Business Director
Dean is a former teacher and school leader. He has also led a large Local Education Authority as Assistant and Deputy Director of Education, and Corporate Director of Services for Children, Schools and Families. It was in this capacity the he also chaired the: Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Youth Justice Board; Local Safeguarding Children Board; Children's Trust; and Schools Forum.
Dean has been a Director of a number of charitable companies including: Careers South West; South West Grid for Learning, Bishop's Forum and Cornwall Playing for Success. He remains a Director or Trustee of the Cornwall Music Therapy Trust and REAch2. He is also a Governor of the Sandy Hill Academy.
Dean established his own educational consultancy in 2009, Ashton MEC. Ashton MEC has supported a wide range of schools to successfully become Academies. Ashton MEC also provides management and leadership consultancy to the education sector as well as an expertise in developing 'global learning' in the curriculum.
Margaret Clarke - Operations Manager
Margaret Clarke is currently a Deputy Head of Hillyfield Primary Academy. She has taught in a number of challenging east London schools for 28 years, leading phases, Numeracy, Science, Curriculum Innovation and Performing Arts. For the last 3 years she has worked in schools across the country co-ordinating Hillyfield's National Support School work.
In partnership with Third Wave Enterprises and Olevi, Margaret also delivers Improving Teacher Programmes; Outstanding Teacher Programmes, and Outstanding Facilitator programmes.
In partnership with Third Wave Enterprises and Olevi, Margaret also delivers Improving Teacher Programmes; Outstanding Teacher Programmes, and Outstanding Facilitator programmes.
Lee Francis - Relationship Manager
Lee joined Reach2 in October 2012, as our Project and Relationship Manager. He is on secondment from the Department for Education (DfE), having worked for the Schools Commissioner, Dr Elizabeth Sidwell CBE, to develop and support Academy sponsors of the future. Lee has guided several sponsors through the application process and has reported their progress to DfE Ministers on a number of occasions.
Lee has a background in communications and has worked in the DfE's Communications Directorate, holding a variety of different roles including being a member of the Department's Ministerial and Parliamentary briefing team liaising with the Prime Minister's office. Lee will be the first point of contact for many schools interested in joining Reach2.