Nick Bent Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Expand Nick has been involved with a number of educational and youth work charities for twenty years. He is a Director of the academies charity Oasis Community Learning and was previously Chair of Governors at the Oasis Academy MediaCityUK in Salford. During 2017, Nick was a Clore Social Leadership Fellow. An Associate of the think tank Demos, Nick spent seven years working in Westminster and Whitehall, including four years as a Special Adviser to Rt Hon Dame Tessa Jowell MP during the last Labour Government. He has also served as Director of the think tank Policy Network. In July 2020, Nick received his first public appointment, as a member of the Advisory Board for the Children's Commissioner for England. He has also served as a lay member of the General Assembly of the University of Manchester since 2011. Nick is a graduate of the universities of Oxford (law) and Harvard (public policy).
Abigail Shapiro Co-Founder and Executive Director Expand Abigail has been involved with youth work and charities for many years. Her numerous roles in public affairs and media relations includes extensive experience of the education sector, through spending time working at both the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and the Pre-School Learning Alliance. Abigail's previous role as a freelance communications consultant has included work for GMPTE and Manchester City Council. An alumni of The University of Leeds, Abigail is a graduate of the prestigious Politics and Parliamentary Studies course. Abigail has also worked in Westminster and Washington DC. Abigail is a lay member of the General Assembly of the University of Manchester and a Governor at King David Primary School. Abigail has recently been appointed as a Trustee of Smart Works Greater Manchester.
Jason Heaford Chief Operating Officer and Designated Safeguarding Lead Expand Jason has joined the Tutor Trust with many years’ experience of leading high quality early years provision. His most recent being a Social Enterprise based in Stockport. The setting received an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted Inspection late in 2013. In addition to his work as a Director there he also helped to create and develop the charity ‘ACCES’. In his role as CEO, Jason has helped ACCES in supporting disadvantaged families and children across the Stockport area. During this period Jason was invited to become one of the founding Trustees’ of Anchorpoint Stockport of which he served as a Trustee for 2 years. Anchorpoint followed Stockport’s CVS in providing a voice and support for ‘Third Sector ’organisations. Jason began his working life as a professional footballer most notably with Derby County FC, but had to retire through injury. He went on to work within the Transport Industry becoming the UK operations Manager for the large French company GCA. Providing new learning opportunities for children who could not afford tuition attracted Jason to The Tutor Trust and he hopes to continue and expand on the amazing work that has already taken place.
Matt Wallis Director of Training and Quality Assurance Expand Matt joined The Tutor Trust in summer 2016 with over 14 years of experience working in primary schools and teaching across the primary range. He has always worked in inner city areas in a range of roles, supporting the children and families who live there. He started teaching in Sheffield and spent two years there before moving to London and working in Hackney for two years. He then spent five years in East London working as an Assistant Headteacher responsible for supporting children with Special Educational Needs. This gave him the experience of supporting children and families to overcome barriers for learning which has remained a firm foundation for his ethos to learning and education. Relocating to Manchester in 2011, Matt started as a supply teacher in a large primary school in Moss Side and quickly moved to support the school’s senior leadership team as Assistant Headteacher for over 4 years. He was responsible for various areas such as English, KS2 and Inclusion and was proud to teach in a school that won the DfE’s Pupil Premium Award for the North West region for their work supporting disadvantaged pupils to achieve their potential. Matt is now the Director of Training and Quality Assurance for The Tutor Trust, overseeing training, tutors’ continued professional development and monitoring the quality of tuition.
Jenny Muter Director of Tutor Recruitment and Impact Expand An experienced secondary teacher and middle leader, Jenny joined the Tutor Trust in September 2017, working alongside Matt to ensure that all tuition sessions are of the highest quality. After graduating from the University of Oxford, Jenny went into teaching through the TeachFirst programme, which fit with her commitment to improving educational opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. She stayed in her initial placement school for five years, and undertook a variety of leadership roles, including Assistant Head of English, Head of Humanities, and leader of Key Stage 3 Assessment. She successfully completed the Teaching Leaders fellows programme for high potential educational leaders. Jenny is a keen traveler and has also previously taught in China, as well as having volunteered on educational projects in Belize, Kenya and Sri Lanka.
Jo Meredith Director of Alternative Provision Expand Jo joined Tutor Trust in January 2019 as Quality Manager, responsible for our work in Alternative Provision. After graduating from Bangor University Jo began her career as a teacher of Chemistry. Jo has over 20 years’ experience in senior leadership including Headship, with wide-ranging involvement in both mainstream and Alternative Provision settings. Having worked in senior positions in both mainstream and Alternative Provision settings across Greater Manchester, Jo is well placed to lead and drive the quality of teaching and learning in the Department for Education funded project in Alternative Provision, ‘The Right Angle’, in collaboration with TLC; Talk, Listen Change. Jo has now taken on the role of Director of Alternative Provision and will oversee this rapidly expanding area of the work of The Tutor Trust across all three cities.
Sarah Horne Finance Director Expand Sarah joined the Tutor Trust as Finance Director in November 2020, having spent most of her career with the Co-op working in senior finance, tax and governance roles, initially in her home town of Stoke-on-Trent then later in Rochdale and Manchester. She is a both a chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser, and trained with Price Waterhouse in Manchester. Sarah has been involved in the charity sector for many years and is currently a trustee of three charities - AidCamps International, a small charity which delivers international volunteering projects; Northern Broadsides Theatre Company, a touring theatre company based in Halifax; and We Love MCR Charity, the Lord Mayor of Manchester's charity which supports communities and young people within the City of Manchester. She also chairs Northern Broadsides' Finance, Risk and Audit Committee.
Deborah Reid Manchester Office Manager Expand Deborah joined the Tutor Trust team in January 2017. She has always lived and worked in Greater Manchester, knowing many of the schools we work with. Previously, she has worked in finance administration roles for over twenty years with her last position being Credit Premium Unit Manager in the Manchester branch of an insurance company for thirteen years. Her role involved dealing with and developing all aspects of their direct debit collections. Moving away from the corporate insurance field, Deborah still wanted a role which could utilise her expertise in financial administration and office management. She is very much enjoying assisting The Tutor Trust in its work with young people throughout Greater Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool.
Rachel Bray Recruitment and Training Manager Expand Rachel was born and bred in Stockport and graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2016 with a degree in Education Studies. During her time studying, Rachel worked in a lot of schools in the area. She has always had a keen interest in education and working with children, and has completed over 10 years volunteering for Girl Guiding and Scouts. Having worked in schools throughout Manchester and seen the work that tutors do first hand, Rachel is passionate about The Tutor Trust ethos, and knew that it was something she would love to be a part of. She was delighted to join the team as Manchester Primary Schools Coordinator in February 2018. In July 2019 Rachel moved across to the role of Recruitment and Impact Coordinator; she has now been promoted to the role of Recruitment and Training Manager, where she will oversee the recruitment and training of tutors.
Lauren Usher Recruitment and Training Coordinator Expand Lauren joined The Tutor Trust team in September 2020, having recently graduated from The University of Manchester with a degree in Medical Biochemistry. During her time at the University, she developed her interest in the education sector through mentoring students, delivering academic skills workshops and completing a teaching internship across Manchester schools. She has always been interested in working with children and has been volunteering with Girlguiding for over 7 years. As Recruitment and Training Coordinator, Lauren is excited to be involved in ensuring that the best tutors are selected to help The Tutor Trust tackle educational inequality.
Katie Flett Recruitment and Training Coordinator Expand Katie first began working for The Tutor Trust in 2018 as a Primary Tutor whilst studying Politics and Sociology at The University of Manchester. Before returning to the The Tutor Trust in her new role, Recruitment and Training Coordinator, she worked at GM Higher delivering outreach activities to schools and colleges in Greater Manchester. Katie has always been interested in increasing social mobility due to her own educational experiences and interest in the sociology of education. She is excited to be continuing working for an organisation that helps to reduce educational inequality in the North of England.
Lucy Farnan-Stone Secondary Quality Manager Expand Lucy joined us in January 2020. She has worked in several secondary schools across Merseyside, where she undertook numerous leadership roles including, Head of House, Mastery Coordinator and Lead Practitioner in Mathematics. During her time studying in Scotland, she joined the Saltire foundation where she had the opportunity to work for GE Oil and Gas. It was during her project teaching new recruits, that she realised her passion for teaching and leadership and later joined the Teach First programme working towards the mission of providing exceptional education for young students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Hannah Cunningham Secondary Quality Manager Expand Hannah first joined the Tutor Trust as a Secondary English Tutor in 2016 whilst studying Psychology at the University of Manchester. She later went on to train as a Primary English and Maths tutor. Hannah is passionate about helping children to thrive and was awarded an ESRC funded grant to assist with research in child language development at the LuCiD Child Study Centre at The University of Manchester in 2017. After graduating in 2018, she joined the Teach First programme due to her passion for tackling educational inequality. She worked as a Secondary Geography Teacher in the North West where she gained QTS and a PGDE. She has now rejoined the Tutor Trust team as a Secondary Quality Manager and is excited about using her skills and knowledge gained from her time on the Teach First programme and past experience as a tutor, to help tutors to develop their practice and deliver high-quality tuition.
Emily Parkes Quality and Impact Coordinator Expand Emily joined the Tutor Trust as a tutor in Leeds in 2017. She has always had a strong interest in education and has worked with young people in a range of settings on behalf of other educational charities, including spending 12 months as a volunteer TEFL teacher in Malaysia. Emily feels passionate about the Tutor Trust’s goal to help tackle educational inequality. As Quality and Impact Coordinator, she is excited to be involved in ensuring the Tutor Trust provides a high standard of tuition which truly benefits those who need it.
Yomna Gharib Data and Systems Coordinator Expand Yomna first joined The Tutor Trust in 2016 as a Secondary Mathematics tutor whilst studying Spanish and Arabic at the University of Manchester. Following graduation, she went on to qualify as a teacher of Modern Foreign Languages and worked in the West Midlands. Yomna joined The Tutor Trust in 2020 as Data and Systems Coordinator. She is passionate about developing educational experiences for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and is delighted to be part of an organisation which focuses on tackling educational inequality.
Will Baldwin-Pask Communications and Tutor Engagement Coordinator Expand Will became part of the Tutor Trust team in July 2018. He worked as an English tutor for us whilst studying at the University of Manchester. The time he spent working around the city as a tutor helped him decide to stay in Manchester after graduating with a First Class Honours and work for us as Manchester Tutor Coordinator. After having worked with us for a year, he coordinated in all three cities to help with the recruitment and quality of tutors, as well as maintaining our tutor network. In his current role, he will be planning and running Tutor Trust's communications, advertising and marketing strategies. Since February 2020, Will has been participating in a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship in Manchester, learning skills that he will us to enhance Tutor Trust's communications strategy. In his spare time, he likes to train for marathons and edits a cultural commentary website based in the North of England.
Rachel Douglas Finance Assistant Expand Rachel started at Tutor Trust in December 2019. Rachel knew she wanted a career in Finance after spending a couple of years working in a Foreign Exchange Bureau. This led to her getting a job as a trainee Finance Assistant in the private care sector whilst studying and completing her AAT; after years of hard work, she progressed to the role of Senior Finance Assistant in the company. New horizons and new challenges have brought Rachel to the Tutor Trust team and she is excited about this next chapter in her career.
Cara Simm Senior Secondary Schools Coordinator - Manchester Expand Cara first began working for The Tutor Trust in 2016 as a Primary Tutor whilst studying English Language for Education at The University of Manchester. After graduating with a First-Class degree, Cara was delighted to join the office team in 2018 as a full-time member of staff. Cara has worked in various roles within the organisation and has now been promoted to lead on all of our work with Manchester Secondary Schools. Cara has always had a passion for education and after spending time in various schools across the North West she is delighted to continue working for an organisation that tackles educational inequality and really makes a difference to the lives of young people. In her spare time, she also runs an interior blog and enjoys volunteering for other Manchester based charities, such as Feed Manchester.
Alex Wood Secondary Schools Coordinator - Manchester Expand Alex first joined the Tutor Trust as an English tutor in 2017. He tutored throughout his time at the University of Manchester whilst studying for his B.Sc. Psychology degree. Alex joined the Tutor Trust team in November 2019 as Schools Coordinator. During university, he volunteered, helping run a listening service that supported vulnerable people. Alex is excited to join the team and work with tutors to deliver fantastic tuition.
Alice Taylor Senior Primary Schools Coordinator - Manchester Expand Alice joined The Tutor Trust in 2016 as a tutor, working throughout Greater Manchester for two years with multiple tuition assignments and a particularly keen interest in LAC assignments. As a recent graduate from the University of Manchester she joined the charity in a new role, Leeds Coordinator, 2018. From September 2019, Alice will be in her new role, Manchester Primary Schools Coordinator. Alice has always been interested in the education sector and The Tutor Trust marries her interest with social welfare and teaching.
Skye Demar Primary Schools Coordinator - Manchester Expand Skye became a primary and secondary tutor for the charity in 2017 whilst studying for her undergraduate degree in history. After finishing her studies at the University of Manchester, Skye joined the office team as the Primary Schools Coordinator for Manchester. This role combines her passion for education equality with her desire to work in the charity sector, and she is looking forward to making a long-lasting impact on disadvantaged students in Greater Manchester.
Cliona O'Hanlan Manchester Full-time Tutor Expand Cliona joined the Tutor Trust in 2017 as a Primary tutor in Leeds, whilst completing a degree in Childhood Studies. Working as a tutor she realised she was highly interested in mitigating inequalities children face, and this interest resulted in her completing the Graduate Diploma in Law. She hopes this will allow her to effectively advocate for children’s needs one day. Cliona has decided to continue her role as a tutor, whilst undertaking the new challenge of secondary tuition. She looks forward to the direct impact she can achieve through tackling educational inequalities.
Sharon Sadler Leeds Schools Partnership Manager Expand Sharon joined The Tutor Trust in July 2020 with over 20 years of experience in primary education. After graduating from the Institute of Education, University of London, Sharon began her teaching career in a multi-lingual primary school in Tottenham, North London. Gaining Advanced Skills Teacher status whilst teaching in Bradford enabled Sharon to support and develop the teaching of literacy within a range of schools faced with their own unique challenges such as, high percentages of EAL, SEND learners and disadvantaged families. Following the successful completion of a SpLD Post Graduate Certificate and Diploma in Dyslexia and working as an ITT Link Tutor at Bradford College Sharon is now a teaching and learning consultant, coach and mentor. She develops bespoke training and development packages for schools, in order to transform practice, impact on pupil progress, strengthen the quality and effectiveness of senior management teams and facilitate teacher career progression. Sharon is passionate about making a difference to the educational experiences that learners from disadvantaged backgrounds receive, so is thrilled to be a member of the Tutor Trust team. She is keen to nurture and develop inspiring school partnerships aimed at reducing the attainment gap for the young people of the future.
Lewis Howell Senior Schools Coordinator and Office Manager - Leeds Expand Lewis joined The Tutor Trust in March 2014, having spent the previous 2 and a half years working in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert. Lewis was the Field Project Manager at the Kalahari Meerkat Project for 18 months, a behavioural research project run by the University of Cambridge looking at the evolution of cooperative breeding in meerkats. He was responsible for managing both the day to day research of the project and the team of international volunteers who collected the data. Prior to this, Lewis was one of the research volunteers for 12 months. Lewis graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2010, having studied Wildlife Conservation.
Kerry McCormack Schools Coordinator - Leeds Expand Kerry became a Primary tutor in January 2017 while studying Advanced Psychology at the University of Leeds. She has worked with multiple schools, and took part in our pilot of online tuition over the summer in 2020. Outside of her tutoring work, she has worked as a Pastoral Care Lead, and has helped run a university creative magazine which put on open-mic nights. She is passionate about everyone receiving equal opportunities and is excited to now be working as part of the Leeds team full time.
Poppy Reilly-Stitt Leeds Full-time Tutor Expand Poppy joined the Tutor Trust team in 2017 as a Secondary English tutor whilst studying English and History with International Study at the University of Leeds. Her interest in education was sparked during a placement at an English Language school in China in the summer of 2017, where she obtained a TEFL qualification. She joined the Tutor Trust team as a Full-Time Tutor in September 2020. She looks forward to working with more EAL students after spending a year abroad studying in France.
Mark Wyss Liverpool Schools Partnership Manager Expand Mark joined Tutor Trust in January 2019 as Schools Partnership Manager. Mark has worked in secondary education for over 20 years, teaching Modern Foreign Languages, as well as spells of English, PE and ICT. He is an alumni of the Future Leaders Accelerate to Headship programme and has been a Senior Leader in the North West for nearly a decade. This includes leading Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy in Runcorn as Principal. Mark is now a North West Area Leader and Associate for the Partners in Excellence (PiXL) school improvement organisation, working with Headteachers and Senior Leadership Teams in over forty schools to raise aspirations and improve outcomes. Mark is deeply committed to enhancing the life chances of all young people, irrespective of circumstance or postcode. Mark is delighted and honoured to join The Tutor Trust Team and looks forward to driving their impact on the next leg of their amazing journey.
Steffani Wardell Senior Schools Coordinator - Liverpool Expand Steff became a tutor in Leeds in 2017 while studying for her MA in Race and Resistance. Her interest in the work of The Tutor Trust came from her own experience of school and how she thought tuition from students in HE could have benefited her and her peers at school. Drawn to the charity’s desire to end educational inequality, the position of Liverpool Coordinator seemed perfect as she was hoping to return to her hometown after university and work in education.
Ellie Cross Schools Coordinator - Liverpool Expand Ellie became a tutor in 2018 while studying Creative Writing and Film Studies at Liverpool John Moores University. She was driven to become a tutor after seeing the difference it makes for children and enjoyed making creative sessions for her students. Ellie also has a keen interest in the charity’s goal to diminish the educational barriers against disadvantaged students in the country. It was because of this that Ellie was thrilled to join the team in September 2020 as a Liverpool Schools Coordinator; with the aim to get more children and young people the support they deserve. She hopes to continue working in education with an aim to earn a TEFL certificate and teach English abroad in the future.
Suzy Vanezis Schools Coordinator - Liverpool Expand Suzanne joined the Tutor Trust as an English tutor in 2019, then became Liverpool Schools Coordinator in September 2020. She graduated from the University of Oxford where she studied the importance and impact of education programmes at arts organisations and museums in the North of England. Previously, she was Deputy Editor and Creative Director of The Isis Magazine, Oxford University’s termly arts and culture magazine. She was also a young producer and ambassador for FLUX Liverpool, a creative arts festival produced by young people to showcase creative talent in the city. As Liverpool Schools Coordinator, Suzanne hopes to further develop the inspiring work that the Tutor Trust provides in supporting and enriching the lives of young people in the Liverpool region.
Jodie Jones Liverpool Full-time Tutor Expand Jodie joined The Tutor Trust in 2018 as a Primary and Secondary English Tutor during her Psychology degree at The University of Liverpool. After graduating in 2020, Jodie decided she would like to continue working within The Tutor Trust full-time as a Full-time Tutor. The prospect of working to promote educational equality was the driving factor behind Jodie’s interest in working for The Tutor Trust.
Penny Mitchell Alternative Provision Coordinator Expand Penny started as a Primary and Secondary English tutor in 2016 during her second year at University of Manchester. Since then she has enjoyed conducting tuition in numerous schools and across a range of ages, as well as advocating for The Tutor Trust at University. She has always been actively involved in roles and projects that help young people to develop their confidence and it was the core values of compassion and equality that initially drew her to the Charity. She is excited to continue to be a part of The Tutor Trust as a member of the office.
Cailum Finnegan Alternative Provision Tutor and Lead Tutor Expand Cailum joined the Tutor Trust in 2018 as a Secondary Tutor for Science and Mathematics following his completion of the PGCE at the University of Manchester. He took on the role of a part-time tutor whilst exploring musical pursuits to continue applying his skills and passion for education. Upon obtaining his Masters degree in Physics from the University of Manchester, Cailum decided to pursue a career in education. He went on to complete a PGCE in Secondary Science with teaching placements in the Greater Manchester area. Having completed over 200 hours of tuition for young people in Alternative Provision whilst working as a part-time tutor, Cailum began in the role of full-time Alternative Provision Tutor in 2019. Cailum has since taken on the role of a Lead Tutor to support our tutors throughout the academic year.
Sarah Thrussell Alternative Provision Tutor Expand Sarah joined the Tutor Trust in October 2017 after graduating from the University of Manchester with a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy. Since then she has tutored both Primary and Secondary Maths across a variety of schools in Greater Manchester. She has also enjoyed taking part in previous Tutor Trust projects including the Transition Project and working with The Teenage Cancer Trust. After tutoring part-time in Alternative Provision, Sarah has decided to pursue tutoring in this area of education on a full-time basis as she believes this is one of the areas that tuition can have the biggest impact.
Jason Rose Alternative Provision Tutor Expand Jason joined the team as a secondary tutor in 2018 whilst studying Biology at the University of Manchester. As someone raised in the North West, he knows the difficulties faced by students from low-income areas and is dedicated to giving everyone an equal chance to receive a quality education. After tutoring part-time for 2 years, Jason became a full-time Alternative Provision tutor in October 2020. Outside of tutoring, Jason was involved in the University of Manchester peer support team, and is currently learning Japanese and working towards a TEFL qualification.
Jovariya Ahsan Online Schools Coordinator Expand Jovariya joined the Tutor Trust as the Online Coordinator in September 2020. She has previously lived and studied in India, teaching English to disadvantaged youths whilst completing her BA (Hons) in Linguistics. Jovariya led in charity work, helping educate disadvantaged people across a range of ages. Jovariya previously worked for The Tutor Trust in 2019, as a tutor in Leeds whilst completing an MA in TESOL at Leeds University. In a previous life, she was an English Lecturer at a college in Bradford.