Lewis Howell (He/Him) Risk Manager and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead Expand Lewis joined Tutor Trust in March 2014 as a Schools Coordinator and worked across both the Manchester and Leeds schools teams, including leading the original Leeds tuition pilot. In Spring 2022 Lewis moved across to the newly created role of Risk Manager covering various operational areas including Safeguarding, Health & Safety, and Data Protection. Lewis is also one of Tutor Trust's Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads. Before to joining the charity, Lewis had spent the previous two-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. Lewis says: “I have always enjoyed working at Tutor Trust. The mission is vital and necessary; we’re making a difference and we’re very good at what we do to boot! Just as importantly, I’m surrounded by people who care and help to create a wonderful working environment.”
Jo Meredith (She/Her) Director of Tutoring Plus and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead Expand After graduating from Bangor University Jo began her career as a teacher of Chemistry. Jo has over 20 years’ experience in senior leadership across Greater Manchester and Lancashire 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 our tutoring programmes within our Tutoring Plus offer. Jo is the Director of Tutoring Plus, which provides a bespoke service of one-to-one tutoring and other supportive interventions for the children and young people with even greater barriers to overcome than their peers. This may include cared-for children, those at risk of exclusion, those excluded and children and young people not attending school regularly. Jo is also Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead. Jo says: "The Mission and Values of Tutor Trust align perfectly with my own and this is what drew me to working with Tutor Trust initially. However, this has strengthened and developed as we have grown. It is so rewarding to know that you are part of a team of like-minded colleagues all working together to make a difference to the lives of children and young people who need it most."
Jason Heaford (He/Him) 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 Tutor Trust and he hopes to continue and expand on the amazing work that has already taken place.