Meet the team
Our experienced team is made up of experts in education. Trust founders include National Leaders of Education, a National Leader of Governance, OFSTED Inspectors, outstanding Principals, Executive Headteachers, and Head of System Leadership and Staff Development.
Our team has significant experience and expertise in school improvement work, improving teaching and learning, assessment for learning, spearheading ongoing curriculum development, Initial teacher training and delivering professional development on leadership and management.
We know what outstanding leadership, governance, teaching and learning looks like, and we are constantly in the pursuit of a world-class education offering for all.
Sarah Bennett
CEO
Sarah is the founding CEO of Inspiring Futures through Learning (IFtL) whose career in education and system leadership continues to be driven by her strong belief that opportunities in education are life-changing for all children. From a mining community in South Wales, Sarah has seen the transformative effect of inspiring teaching and demonstrates commitment to such through roles as a National Pupil Premium Champion, development lead of NLEs nationally, member of the DfE Regional Director’s Advisory Board and a Director of Queen Street Group, a collective of MATs growing ethical Trusts that serve communities, especially the disadvantaged and vulnerable.
Education
Sarah Hand
HEAD OF SYSTEM LEADERSHIP
Sarah has been teaching for more than 20 years and brings a wealth of experience to her role. She has worked as a teacher, a Senior Leader and a Specialist Leader of Education and has been involved in training teachers at different points in their journey for many years. Locally, she has been known in recent years for her science training which is practical, innovative, engaging and informative (and often a bit messy!). She has extensive experience of working closely with teachers and support staff to raise their impact on children’s learning and enjoys the challenge of curriculum development and assessment.
Kim Kemp
HEAD OF QUALITY ASSURANCE
Kimberley’s strategically leads and assures quality of provision across all areas of education and safeguarding to validate and check self-evaluation judgements. The findings inform the school improvement strategy and strategic direction of priorities at a trust and school level. She is an Ofsted inspector. She has specific interests and expertise around inclusion, including SEND, safeguarding and Pupil Premium.
Melanie Saunders
HEAD OF SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT
Melanie is the Head of School Improvement at IFTL. Her role is to work with Headteachers to provide strategic direction for schools ensuring that it is robust, outward facing and effective. She leads with the education team to bring groups of people together to develop under a common need and trust wide strategy, to ensure all levels of leadership are highly effective.
Isabel Parker
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT LEAD
Isabel has extensive experience as an executive headteacher leading outstanding schools. Previously she was the National lead for early years on the teaching school council. As a national leader for education Isabel has supported leaders to improve their schools. Most recently she has held the role of His Majesty’s Inspector for Ofsted.
Laura Black
SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPIST
Laura is responsible for leading the strategic plan for speech and language support across the trust. With over 10 years of experience in supporting children and young people with speech, language, and communication needs across diverse settings, she brings extensive expertise to the role. Her strong commitment to empowering individuals and advocating for children with communication and interaction challenges is a driving force behind her work.
Nicole Wood
EDUCATION BUSINESS SUPPORT
Nicole has extensive experience in Administration, HR, Payroll, Training, and Recruitment roles across a variety of sectors.
As Business Support for the whole Education Team, her expert administration and organisational skills ensures that everything runs smoothly in the background, so the team can be its best. She enjoys new challenges, writing procedures and project management.
Safeguarding & Health
Victoria Blackmore
HEAD OF SAFEGUARDING, HEALTH, CHILDREN & FAMILIES
Victoria was formerly Education Safeguarding Lead at Central Bedfordshire Council, and prior to that a Family Support Worker. Having started her journey in safeguarding a decade ago, Victoria has a real passion for both safeguarding and SEND. She has worked in a variety of education settings, and this has given her vast experience and a focus on maintaining a ‘child-centred’ approach.
Vicky Gidman
DEPUTY DESIGNATED SAFEGUARDING LEAD
Vicky began her policing career as a HOLMES Indexer in the Major Crime Unit, gaining experience with serious and complex cases. Inspired by her colleagues, she transitioned to a police constable role, focusing on supporting victims and seeking justice for the vulnerable. With over nine years in the Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) command and a passion for addressing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Vicky recently started a Master's degree to deepen her expertise. She now serves as Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead at IFtL.
Finance
Rob Tite
CFO
Rob oversees the financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and strategic financial decision-making. He works closely with other executives and department heads to ensure that the organisation's financial goals are aligned with its overall business objectives.
Emma Matthews
HEAD OF FINANCE
As an experienced qualified accountant with nearly two decades in the field, Emma is well- positioned to advise colleagues across the trust on accounting issues. Emma has a proactive approach in ensuring that the trust is compliant with HMRC regulations, offers guidance on accounting and the Trusts financial reporting responsibilities. Emma has worked with academy schools to help them navigate their way through finances and also holds a governor position at one of the schools in Milton Keynes.
Bridget Daffern
TRUST BUSINESS MANAGER
Bridget possesses a wealth of knowledge in education finance, governance, and compliance. Her expertise as Finance Manager has included overseeing all aspects of financial management in supporting schools with their budgets without compromising the education. This includes budgeting and forecasting, financial reporting, audit preparation, internal controls, procurement, payroll, and managing relationships with external stakeholders.
Donna Davidson
TRUST BUSINESS MANAGER
With over a decade of experience in the education sector, Donna has worked closely with senior finance and leadership teams in schools and colleges. Her expertise includes preparing and reviewing management accounts, producing accessible financial commentary, and managing statutory accounts. She is dedicated to improving efficiencies across the IFtL and supporting budget holders throughout the academic year. Her role also involves liaising with internal and external auditors and navigating the complexities of SEN income. Committed to continuous professional development, Donna enjoys expanding her knowledge through various podcasts.
Emma Windsor
TRUST BUSINESS MANAGER
With over 18 years of experience in the secondary education sector, including 11 years as an independent bursar and 6 years as a school business manager, Emma brings extensive expertise in budgeting, financial management, and strategic business leadership. Her comprehensive experience covers all aspects of school operations, and she has a proven track record of strengthening financial systems and driving sustainable outcomes. In previous roles, Emma played a pivotal part in turning around a school’s financial position, showcasing her commitment to excellence and her impactful leadership. At IFtL, she is dedicated to enabling schools to thrive by ensuring resources are managed effectively to support the best possible learning experiences for all children.
Nicola Molloy
FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
Nicky brings over 30 years of financial experience spanning public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Her expertise range from budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis and Financial reporting. Nicola understands the need to align financial goals with business objectives with a pragmatic, unique and collaborative approach generating innovative solutions by communicating clearly and transparently.
Lucy Soell
FINANCE ADMIN
As the Central Finance Assistant for the Trust, Lucy deals with all finance-related administration. Her administrative tasks also include processing invoices for the trust and re-charging schools centrally. She has more than 13 years' experience and she prides herself in providing friendly service and ensuring efficiency and timely payments of all invoices. She is also the voice at the end of the telephone for finance queries.
Operations
Jason Smith
HEAD OF OPERATIONS
Jason joined IFtL in 2017 and is responsible for estates, facilities, health and safety, sustainability, data protection, supporting schools to ensure that buildings are operational, safe, and fully equipped to maximise educational opportunities for pupils, as well as driving the vision and strategy across his areas of responsibility.
Paul Whitlock
HUB SITE MANAGER
Paul is employed as a Hub Site manager, supporting six of our Milton Keynes schools. His main responsibilities include ensuring schools remain compliant, and facilities management support to ensure that the schools are well-maintained, and any repairs are taken care of in a timely manner. Additionally, he is responsible for ensuring the safety of the schools' occupants by monitoring health and safety standards.
Marketing & Governance
Stephanie Boak
HEAD OF GOVERNANCE
Stephanie joined IFtL in 2016 and currently serves as the Head of Governance. As a member of the senior leadership team, she contributes significantly to the strategic direction and vision of the trust. Stephanie is passionate about governance and strategy, and as such, she also serves in governance roles outside of IFtL. With a proven track record in managing complex projects and driving organisational priorities, Stephanie's expertise in policy development and compliance is highly regarded.
Phili Jones
MARKETING MANAGER
Phili is a qualified and certified Marketing and Communications expert with several years’ experience in both corporate and education sectors. Phili is a high-level Digital Marketing provider for Executives, and Managers enabling them to make informed decisions at an executive level. Phili aims to achieve excellence through teamwork within dynamic organizations where she can be challenged daily while continuously honing her Marketing skill set.
Varsha Pankhaniya
BUSINESS & MARKETING SUPPORT
Varsha has over 18 years of experience working at The Open University. She is a conscientious and responsible team worker with a 'can do' approach. Varsha likes to be professional, remaining calm and positive under pressure. She enjoys sharing ideas for improving processes.
Varsha is a strong advocate for equal opportunities and believes that every person is unique and special. In her spare time, she enjoys walking, exploring new places and travelling abroad.
HR
Lynette Houghton
CPO
Lynette Houghton has extensive experience in HR and organisational development. With 9.5 years at Milton Keynes City Council as Head of HR Operations, Lynette has a proven track record in driving organisational change and streamlining HR processes. Prior to this, Lynette spent 25 years in retail, where she developed expertise in talent development, succession planning, and staff engagement.
Passionate about creating inclusive work environments, Lynette is dedicated to implementing practical HR strategies that will help IFtL become the employer of choice.
Amelia Perrin
HR MANAGER
Amelia is the HR Manager at IFtL. She has worked within the HR sector for 10 years of which 8 have been with the education sector. Amelia works with Headteachers and school HR across the Trust providing support, advice and strategic direction. In her role Amelia promotes the visions and values of the Trust through positive employee relations and ensuring Safer recruitment procedures align with the Trust’s commitment to Safeguarding.
Chelsea Angelos
HR ADMIN
Chelsea has extensive experience overseeing various administrative and human resource tasks. She possesses a keen eye for detail and data accuracy. Throughout her career, Chelsea has streamlined hiring processes, trained new hires on HR procedures. through automation and improved documentation. Chelsea has a proven track record of delivering results through process improvements and technology solutions.
IT
Ray Smith
ICT SYSTEMS MANAGER
Ray joined IFtL in February 2023, and brings a passion for all things electronic. Ray’s background and career path is within the local authority and education/school sectors. He previously worked for a different Academy Trust for 17 years. Ray is driven by providing the best possible opportunities for each and every child to succeed and ensuring teachers and staff have the tools required to do it.
Sam Daubermann
IT TECHNICIAN
Sam Daubermann is an experienced IT Technician who has worked in the education sector for several years. Throughout her career, Sam has gained valuable experience in various school roles. Her passion lies in helping both children and adults become more comfortable with the constantly evolving world of technology.