Central Support Team

Mike was appointed Headteacher at John Taylor High School in January 2010 and designated a National Leader of Education in March 2013. He oversaw the first change to ‘converter’ academy status of an ‘outstanding’ school in Staffordshire in November 2010 and worked alongside other professional colleagues towards John Taylor’s designation as a National Teaching School, again one of the first in Staffordshire. In 2014, Mike was elected to the inaugural Headteachers Board for the Regional School Commissioner (West Midlands) and was subsequently re-elected in September 2017 to serve a second, three-year tenure and then elected in 2021 to serve on the Regional Director (West Midlands) Advisory Board.

He is a trained Pupil Premium Reviewer, a member of the Department for Education’s Secondary Headteacher Reference Group and works with colleagues to co-ordinate the Trust and School Improvement Offer across the West Midlands for the Department for Education. In 2026 Mike was appointed to the executive board of the National Small Schools Group as their West Midlands representative, with a remit to progress their Research strand.

Barbara joined John Taylor High School as Business Director in February 2013 from a background of several years working at that level in Staffordshire schools.  Together with the CEO, she has helped establish, develop and grow the Multi Academy Trust to its current position.  She was appointed as Chief Operating Officer in April 2018 and is the strategic lead for the Finance, HR and Estates functions of the Trust.  In addition to overseeing the growth and development of the Central Team to support those functions, Barbara manages the process involved in the addition of new schools to the Trust.  This has included four new build projects completed between 2018 and 2026, including in Staffordshire’s first all-through school. 

As an experienced school leader, Lisa was appointed as headteacher at Thomas Russell Infants School in 2005, after 5 years as Deputy headteacher in Birmingham’s largest Primary school. Lisa became Co-headteacher in 2009 and in September 2017 was appointed as Trust Primary School Improvement Partner, and became Director of Primary School Improvement in 2024.

Her role is to work collaboratively with the CEO and Director of Secondary School Improvement to disseminate and implement the School Improvement Strategy across the Trust. She is a member of the Executive Group and the Achievement and Progress Committee. She is an accredited Pupil Premium reviewer and supports new Headteachers in role and through their NPQH. Lisa was also part of several successful primary Free school submissions.

Joining the MAT team in 2018 as part time secondary School Improvement partner for our secondary phase academies, Gill is a very experienced senior leader, a trained Ofsted Inspector and an accredited Pupil Premium Reviewer. In 2015 she became Director of the National Forest Teaching School and established the John Taylor SCITT, both of which play a significant role in securing improvement in our schools, offering initial teacher training and professional development opportunities to ensure the supply and development of teachers and leaders in our academies.

As Director of Secondary School Improvement, Gill’s role is to work collaboratively with the CEO and Director of Primary School Improvement to disseminate and implement the School Improvement Strategy across the Trust. She is a member of the Executive Group and the Achievement and Progress Committee.

Ian joined John Taylor MAT in 2023 as Facilities and Estates Officer. He brings a wealth of experience following a varied career in Facilities Management which has spanned 20 years. His operational knowledge was gained through ‘hands-on’ and managerial roles, initially with soft services and then moving into hard services and full lifecycle management. He worked with a number of Local Authority and Academy schools in Birmingham before moving into managing PFI and BSF contracts.

He was appointed to the role of Director of Estates at the beginning of 2026 and was central to the implementation of the Total Asset Management System that the Trust now uses to manage compliance across the Estate.

Lorraine was appointed as Company Accountant at John Taylor High School in November 2017, and became ACA qualified with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales in 2002. She had previously worked as an auditor for an accounting practice and in industry as a Financial Accountant.  Lorraine leads the Central Team Finance Department, working closely with all Trust schools and managing the internal and external audit process.

Sarah was appointed as PA to the Principal at John Taylor High School and Clerk to the Local Governing Body in 2008. Sarah became PA to the CEO and Clerk to the MAT Board in July 2015 providing advice and guidance around policy at Trust level. Sarah completed the NCTL Clerks Development Programme and is Chair of the MAT Clerking Network Group and the founder of the JTMAT Annual Governance Conference. In addition to this Sarah was a member of the Project Delivery Team for John Taylor Free School which opened in September 2018. In June 2019 Sarah was appointed as the Trust Development Officer moving to Director of Governance in 2026.  Sarah works closely with the governing bodies across the Trust, helping to ensure compliance.

As the Trust’s Director of HR, Sian is a qualified member of the CIPD, starting her career in law before moving into National Careers Service and local authority roles, gaining a wide range of generalist HR expertise. In 2014, Sian joined an HR consultancy business advising schools and academies for a number of years, including extensive delivery of professional development training. As an experienced HR professional and certified menopause coach, Sian takes a ‘people first’ approach, balancing compliance, fairness and empathy in employment matters, seeking to create a workplace where everyone can thrive.

Jo was appointed to the role of Leader of Inclusive Education (inc. SENDCo) at John Taylor High School in 2018. This followed a wide variety of roles including that of special needs teacher, SENDCo, advisory teacher and trained SEND Reviewer. She has worked across all phases in both mainstream and specialist settings within several counties and delivers the SEND Training for the Secondary SCITT programme.

Jo joined the John Taylor MAT Central Team in 2022 as a SEND Reviewer and SEND advisor. She works collaboratively with schools to ensure equality of access for all of our students regardless of SEND or diversity.

Mark began his career in education IT in 2003 and brings over 24 years of experience across primary and secondary sectors, including work in schools across different local authorities. Since joining John Taylor Multi Academy Trust in 2016, he has taken a strategic leadership role in shaping and delivering the Trust’s technology vision, alongside responsibility for GDPR and data protection. He has led the development of a scalable and standardised IT architecture across a multi-academy environment. His experience spans complex infrastructure delivery, including Staffordshire’s first integration of administrative and curriculum networks, alongside wider developments in infrastructure, web systems, and telephony, ensuring systems are secure, resilient, and aligned to both operational and educational needs.

He has delivered a range of large-scale transformation programmes, including the implementation of four Free Schools, Trust-wide MIS migrations, and major network modernisation. He has also driven improved value and consistency through the negotiation and standardisation of across partner schools. As a member of the Executive Group, Mark provides strategic oversight of technology and data protection across the Trust, contributing to organisational planning, risk management, and long-term digital transformation. He has played a key role in the design, procurement, and delivery of ICT systems across the Trust.

Prior to her current role, Leah was recruited as Teaching School Co-ordinator in September 2013 for the National Forest Teaching School, and was responsible for the implementation of systems to support CPD, Initial Teacher Training, School to School Support and Research & Development across an alliance of schools. As the Teaching School grew and evolved into John Taylor Teaching School Hub, Leah’s role evolved into the role of SCITT Co-ordinator, in which she was responsible for marketing and recruitment, programme coordination, financial management and compliance of Initial Teacher Training programmes.

Rob James – Estates Officer

Rob is an experienced Estates and Facilities professional with over 20 years’ experience working across education, healthcare, and the public sector. He has a strong background in managing multi‑site estates, health and safety compliance, and delivering projects that create safe, welcoming environments for learning.

Having previously worked as part of a multi‑academy trust leadership team, Rob is passionate about supporting schools through well‑planned, well‑maintained estates. Taking a practical, collaborative approach to stake holder engagement and being committed to helping staff and students thrive in high‑quality facilities.

Carly Kelly – Trust Programme and Project Co-ordinator

Carly joined John Taylor MAT in 2018, bringing with her over a decade of experience in the automotive and construction sectors. During her time in industry, she successfully led multi-million-pound global supply chain projects and international product launches for one of the world’s largest construction manufacturers. Carly holds an MSc with Distinction and has attained a suite of nine additional qualifications in recent years, ranging from Level 3 to Level 5.

Since joining the Trust, Carly has supported a wide range of functions. She served as the West Midlands lead for the DfE school improvement offers from 2018, successfully delivering seven initiatives across the region. She has been recognised by the DfE for services to education and was invited to attend the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in 2024. Currently, Carly provides administrative support within the Trust’s central team, assisting with projects aligned to strategic priorities.

Becky Rodi – Strategic Finance Manager

Becky joined John Taylor Multi Academy Trust in September 2022 as a Management Accountant and has since progressed to the role of Strategic Finance Manager. She began her career studying AAT before qualifying with CIMA in 2008. Starting in management accounting, Becky quickly developed a reputation for spotting inefficiencies and delivering practical solutions. Her work naturally evolved into systems and process improvement, aligning financial and operational practices with best practice to drive efficiency and strengthen control. She also spent time teaching GCSE Mathematics, giving her valuable insight into the realities of school life.

In her current role, Becky leads on strategic financial planning and works closely with school leaders, the Teaching School and the central finance team. She provides both support and challenge to ensure resources are used effectively, sustainably, and with a clear focus on delivering the best outcomes for pupils.

Lisa Coop – Finance Manager

Appointed at John Taylor High School in 2005 as Finance Assistant and became Finance Manager in May 2011. Lisa completed the Certificate of School Business Management in 2010 and is working towards completing her AAT Level 4 qualification. Lisa works closely with the COO and all schools associated within the Trust.

Samanta Ivanova – Purchase Ledger Co-ordinator

Sam graduated from the University of Derby in July 2024 with a degree in Accounting and Finance, including a year of industrial placement working for a large food manufacturing company. Here she worked across various areas of the business including HR, Payroll, Sales and Finance. However, due to the greater exposure in finance/accounts, she gained the experience needed for her role at John Taylor MAT, which she began in September 2024.

As Purchase Ledger Co-ordinator, Sam processes the supplier invoices/credits/statements for all the 14 primary schools in the MAT, working closely with the school teams and across the Central Finance Team.

Nicki Manku – Finance & Admin Assistant

Appointed to the role as Finance and Admin Assistant at the John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust in September 2023, Nicki brings 12 years’ experience from an Accounts post held within the Main Library at the University of Birmingham. Nicki works alongside Lisa Coop (Finance Manager) to offer support to Trust schools.

Emily Baker – Trust HR Officer

Emily joined John Taylor Multi Academy Trust in March 2023 with over twenty years of local authority experience in an HR generalist role, supporting senior leaders and managers. Emily started her career in HR with Barclays Bank where she worked in recruitment and selection for the West Midlands and West region.  With a master’s degree in human resource management, Emily brings a wealth of experience in advising and coaching managers to ensure compliance and best practice.  

Melissa Gambles – Recruitment & HR Co-ordinator

As a qualified member of the CIPD and with over 25 years of experience in human resources, Melissa brings extensive experience in all aspects of people management. Melissa worked closely with schools as an Employee Relations Specialist for Birmingham City Council for several years. She later moved into HR consultancy, supporting a range of SMEs across all areas of HR. Melissa re-joined the Trust HR Team in September 2025 as Recruitment & HR Coordinator, having worked for the Trust in 2019 for three years.

Fiona Guy – HR and Admin Assistant

Having worked in private sector customer service, and events co-ordination for several years, Fiona joined John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust in September 2021 as HR and Administration Assistant. Fiona’s degree in Business Studies and previous roles in the hotel and leisure sectors have equipped her with extensive experience in systems and planning processes.

Rachel Snary – Trust Marketing Manager

Rachel joined the Central Team in October 2022 as Marketing and Communications Officer, to establish Marketing and Communications across the Trust. She has almost 20 years marketing and communications experience in both Global and UK businesses across Retail and several FMCG sectors. She has been responsible for creating, leading and delivering 3-5yr strategic brand plans, as well as implementing a wide variety of integrated communications campaigns across all media, to step change brand performance.

She progressed to Trust Marketing Manager in 2025, and her remit in the Central Team is to develop and implement an effective Marketing and Communications strategy for the Trust, to reinforce and support the strategic direction and growth. She works closely with school leaders to support and advise on admissions and marketing strategy, and has been an integral member of the Trust’s Free School development and delivery programme since 2023.

Amy Mistry – Digital Marketing and Comms Assistant

Amy joined John Taylor MAT in early 2026 as Digital Marketing and Communications Assistant, and has several years of marketing experience from a variety of industries, from fashion to private education. She has worked collaboratively on marketing campaigns, developed social media strategies, and has a creative eye when it comes to designing and creating marketing materials.

Amy is supporting the delivery of marketing and communications, developing social platforms, and assisting with internal projects and events across the Trust.

Phil Eyre – Senior ICT Technician

Phil has over 25 years experience in the IT industry – the majority of which he spent at Repton School. He joined as an IT Technician and was promoted to Senior Technician then onto Systems Administrator, Network Manager and finally Services Manager. He remained there until the IT team was made redundant in 2020. He then worked in the commercial sector as an IT Systems Analyst, before joining the team at JTMAT in September 2023 and enjoys being part of the Trust team.

Chris Ricketts – Trust Senior ICT Officer

Appointed as ICT Technician in September 2020, Chris joined the Trust with 12 years of educational IT support experience. In these roles he acquired a wealth of knowledge in all areas of network administration, associated infrastructure and systems management. These experiences are put to good use as Chris’ time is split between planning technological developments throughout the Trust, and directly supporting IT in our Primary schools.