James Brewer (He/Him) Recruitment Communications Lead Expand James joined the Tutor Trust staff team in January 2022, after having tutored part-time since 2016, whilst also studying BA French & Spanish and MA Film Studies at The University of Manchester. In his role as Recruitment Comms Lead, James oversees social media content (organic and paid), market research pertaining to our exiting/potential tutor pool and manages a team of university student Brand Ambassadors to further the outreach of the charity and encourage more individuals to train to become tutors. Additionally, the role involves writing, creating, and improving assets for tutor recruitment marketing (emails, job ads, physical and digital marketing assets, etc.) James brings with him an experience of content creation and management, focus groups and market research, process improvement, client relations, and languages (French/Spanish).
Leoni Taylor (She/Her) Deputy Tutor Recruitment Manager Expand Leoni first began working for Tutor Trust in 2019 as a Primary Tutor whilst studying an English Language and Literature degree at The University of Leeds. After graduating, she moved back to her home city of Manchester and became a Tutor Trust Outreach Team member and then continued on in January 2021 to become the new Recruitment and Impact Administrator. Leoni is now Deputy Tutor Recruitment Manager. Leoni is passionate about social equality and is excited to continue her professional journey at an organisation where she is able to have a positive effect on educational inequality.
Theo Hall (He/Him) University Recruitment Coordinator Expand Theo first joined Tutor Trust as a Secondary Science Tutor in 2020, whilst studying for his MA in Art in Science at Liverpool John Moore’s. His research focused on visual language and its use as an accessibility tool in Science education. This in turn influenced his tuition, where he enjoyed making his own resources. In 2021 Theo joined the Tutor Trust Outreach Team, and after graduating in 2022, he joined the Tutor Trust staff team as a Tutor Training Coordinator. He is now our University Recruitment Coordinator. In his free time, Theo is a keen hobby ornithologist, bird ringer, and wildlife illustrator.
Lauren Usher (She/Her) Deputy Tutor Recruitment - Training, Data & Impact Manager 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. Lauren joined as Recruitment and Training Coordinator, and is now Deputy Tutor Recruitment -Training, Data & Impact Manager. Lauren is excited to be involved in ensuring that the best tutors are selected to help Tutor Trust tackle educational inequality.
Jason Heaford (He/Him) Chief Operating Officer 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 Tutor Trust and he hopes to continue and expand on the amazing work that has already taken place.
Rachel Bray (She/Her) Tutor 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.
Ellie Cross (She/Her) Tutor Engagement Manager Expand Ellie became a tutor in 2018 while studying a BA of Arts in Creative Writing and Film at LJMU, before moving into the role of Liverpool Schools and Systems Coordinator at Tutor Trust. In 2022, she moved into a new position as Tutor Engagement Manager, with a key focus on streamlining recruitment processes and improving all support for our tutors. Outside of Tutor Trust, Ellie volunteers as a Youth Leader with the Fair Education Alliance in their Youth Steering Group to tackle the issues of socioeconomic inequality. She coordinates their Youth Bulletin group monthly, which has a large readership among school partnerships and education stakeholders in the FEA alliance.
Will Simms (He/Him) University Partnerships Manager Expand Will started at the Tutor Trust in February 2021. He graduated from the University of Manchester in 2019 with a PhD in English Literature. Coming from a disadvantaged background in Bristol, he has always shown a commitment to empowering young people through education, a commitment borne out in both his teaching roles and his recent work in widening participation. He is a firm believer in the emancipatory power of education and is looking forward to tackling educational inequality in his new role at the Tutor Trust.
Mollie Hesketh Recruitment Coordinator Expand Mollie joined the Tutor Trust in January 2023 as Recruitment Coordinator. Before joining the Tutor Trust, Mollie worked in various roles in the charity sector, including as a Caseworker at Citizens Advice and as Anti-Trafficking Advocate at Causeway. It is these experiences that have shaped Mollie’s passion for wanting to help tackle inequality, and she is excited to continue to do this in her role at the Tutor Trust.