Lead Judges
Leora Cruddas CBE
Founder of the CST, Leora has advised governments, been part of the advisory group for the Schools White Paper, and sits on the Regulatory and Commissioning Review.
Stephen Morales
As CEO of ISBL, Stephen has championed the professionalisation of the school business management workforce, and works closely with the DfE around policy reform.
Judging Panel
Ann Marie Christian
International Safeguarding Consultant
Ann Marie has worked in child protection for 30 years, including as a qualified social worker for 25 years.
Anna Smee
Managing Director, Thrive
Anna has spent her career championing young people to help them reach their full potential and believes positive mental health is the foundation for future resilience, happiness and achievment.
Cath Kitchen OBE
Senior Adviser, The Skylark Partnership
Cath has spent over 20 years working in hospital education, and was CEO of The Skylark Partnership, the first trust in the country for pupils with medical needs.
Cheryl Campbell
CEO and Founder of abbled
Cheryl is School Business, Finance and Operations Director at a large secondary school and launched the Association of BAME Business Leaders in Education in 2020.
Ella Savell-Boss
Safeguarding Consultant
Ella’s passion is to work with professionals in education to support and safeguard vulnerable children and families and achieve more positive outcomes for all.
Emma Knights OBE
Chief Executive, National Governance Association
Emma leads the charity to fulfil its aim of improving educational standards and the wellbeing of young people by increasing the effectiveness of governing boards.
Fiona Stagg
Governance Consultant, SBW Governance
An experienced chair and clerk, Fee works for and in a number of academy trusts as their governance professional, promoting the development of effective governance.
Jo Morgan
Chief Executive, Shaw Education Trust
Prior to joining SET, Jo was a regional director for Ofsted. Jo is a Trustee of Ambition Institute and works with IFATE on the Education and Childcare Route panel.
John Murphy
Education Leadership Advisor, Mentor and Public Speaker
John has dedicated his career to raising the bar for all young people, and closing the attainment gap for the disadvantaged.
Karen Bramwell
CEO, Forward As One
Karen has extensive system leadership experience across Greater Manchester, and is the founding CEO of a successful mixed MAT of 12 primary schools.
Kelly Hannaghan
Mental Health and Wellbeing Consultant, Mind Work Matters Ltd
Kelly puts wellbeing and safeguarding at the heart of education. She is an award-winning motivational speaker, school improvement advisor and published author.
Lee Miller MBE
Deputy Chief Executive, Thinking Schools Academy Trust
Through his work, Lee has become well versed in challenges that face the education sector, such as financial planning, HR management, legal issues and IT strategies.
Mark Blois
Partner and Head of Education, Browne Jacobson
National head of Browne Jacobson's education team, Mark is a leading expert in education law and governance, with over 20 years' experience as a serving governor.
Matt Crawford
Trust Leader, Embark Federation
Matt believes that schools are stronger together and should be at the heart of their communities, whilst providing their children with the best possible education.
Michelle Jackson
Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Shaw Trust
Michelle has a passion for creating inclusive working environments where diversity and the experience, knowledge and varied perspectives this brings, is acknowledged as a strength.
Nav Sanghara
CEO, The Woodland Academy Trust
Passionate about high-quality professional development and building inclusive, learning communities underpinned by relationships, Nav is driven to serve with ambition, equity and excellence.
Nick Hudson
Education Consultant
Formerly Ormiston Academies Trust's Chief Education Officer and previously Ofsted regional director for the North East, Yorkshire and Humber.
Nickii Messer
Leadership Consultant, All the Geese
Nickii helps teams to increase efficiency through more effective leadership. She’s passionate about skills development, especially for those in support staff roles.
Paul Edmond
Chief Finance and Sustainability Officer, Heart Academies
Co-chair of the new UK School Sustainability Network Operations group, Paul works to help support staff navigate a way to a more sustainable future
Paul Tullock
Professional Learning Specialist, Sync
An experienced teacher, Paul believes learning should be accessible for all and focuses on the experiences and creativity mobile technology brings to pupils.
Sam Garner
Mental Health and Inclusion Consultant
Specialising in mental health and SEN, Sam has been a secondary SENCo and is a qualified cognitive behaviour therapist and a child and adolescent counsellor.
Sarah Baker
CEO, TEAM Education Trust
Sarah is part of the AP/SEND National Network and founder CEO of TEAM Trust whose schools offer services including SEND, Behaviour, Early Help, IT and school improvement across a further six schools.
Shonagh Reid
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant
With a background in education leadership, Shonagh works with organisations on strategic inclusion planning, embedding robust DEI networks, mentoring, and training.
Steph Hamilton
Director, Teacher Engagement Platform, ImpactEd
Steph leads the development of ImpactEd's Teacher Engagement Platform with the aim of improving pupil outcomes and building sustainable working practices in schools.
Tiffany Beck
Head of Education, PLMR
Public relations specialist Tiffany is co-founder and Chair of Trustees of Maritime Academy Trust, Trustee of Independent Governor Support and Co-Founder of NED ED.
Tim McCarthy
School Improvement and Leadership Consultant
Tim was one of the country's longest-serving CEOs, leading a MAT with schools in four different local authority areas.
Yvonne Spencer
Partner, VWV
Working with hundreds of MAT clients means Yvonne has gained valuable insight into the operation and growth of MATs and what makes successful MATs stand out.
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