Matt Wallis (He/Him) 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.
Vicky Sadler (She/Her) Deputy Director of Training Expand Vicky has over 18 years of experience in education. She has worked in a variety of schools, mainly in the Greater Manchester area. She began her career in KS2, with a number of years spent teaching Y6 in a large, inner-city Primary School. She joined the senior leadership team and came out of class to lead the Diversity and Inclusion Team and train as a SENCO where she was able to support and develop the provision for disadvantaged, SEND and EAL learners. Vicky's experience has also included leading on Literacy, Art and Design, PE, Assessment and Data, and coaching and mentoring students and Newly Qualified Teachers. When her own children were very young, Vicky set up her own Ofsted rated 'Outstanding' Childcare business where she provided exceptional care with a Forest School ethos to young children and their families. She worked as a Network Childminder for Stockport and ran a sensory playgroup at a Stockport Surestart Centre. Vicky's passion for the Early Years led her to take up a post as Early Years Leader in a Stockport Primary School where she worked up until 2018 when she and her family went to live abroad for 2 years. Since retuning home to Stockport, Vicky has been tutoring online during the pandemic. Vicky is passionate about working with local communities to tackle inequalities in education and was delighted to join The Tutor Trust Team as a Primary Quality Manager in January 2021. She is excited about using her skills and knowledge to help tutors to develop their practice and deliver high-quality tuition that really makes a difference.
Cailum Finnegan (He/Him) Quality Manager-Secondary/Part-Time 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. He also took on the role of a Lead Tutor to support our tutors throughout the academic year. Cailum is now using his tuition and Science expertise in his role as Quality Manager-Secondary/Part-Time Tutor.
Jennifer Jones (She/Her) Coaching Quality Manager Expand Jennifer joined the Tutor Trust as Coaching Quality Manager in 2023 after almost 10 years working as a primary school teacher. She has taught in various year groups across KS1 and KS2 and worked with Year 7 teachers for transition to KS3. Alongside this, she has been a Literacy co-ordinator with responsibility for Phonics, Reading and Writing, and has been both a Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 phase leader. Jennifer’s experience at primary has also included leading on the curriculum development and delivery of Art and Design, Design Technology, Geography, History, PE and Modern Foreign Languages (MFL). Over the last decade, she has coached and mentored many qualified teachers, Newly-Qualified Teachers (NQTs) and School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) trainees in various capacities. Having gained a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Management, she is excited to work with Tutor Trust to support tutors to deliver the best possible tuition and help them realise their true potential.
Lucy Farnan-Stone (She/Her) Quality Manager - Secondary 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.
Trixie Whittell (She/Her) Quality Manager - Secondary Expand Trixie joined us in January 2021 and brings with her 10 years of experience as a Secondary Maths Teacher. Whilst studying Economics at the University of Cambridge, and on placement with WaterAid India, Trixie conducted research into the links between education and economic inequality. This experience deepened her passion for tackling educational inequality and led her to pursue a career in teaching. Trixie has worked as an Associate Lecturer and Tutor for the Open University and as a Maths Teacher in Secondary schools in Newcastle and currently in Liverpool. As a Secondary Quality Manager (Maths) with the Tutor Trust, Trixie is excited to help tutors develop their practice and deliver high-quality tuition which truly benefits those who need it.
Helen Clarke Quality Manager - Secondary / Part-Time Tutor Expand Helen joined Tutor Trust in 2023 after a successful career in secondary English. Helen has taught across a variety of schools in Yorkshire, ranging from Y6 up to Further and Higher Education. She has been a whole school Literacy Co-Ordinator, transition manager and KS3 English lead where she explored different ideas around curriculum design and implementation, developing engaging schemes to be disseminated across the region and beyond. Alongside this, she also conducted research into creating an active reading culture within secondary school and increasing attainment within literacy. Helen has written articles for the English Association and has been invited to speak on a podcast for the same association, exploring abilities in literacy and the importance of literacy as a life-long skill. She has partnered with a charity, writing and implementing schemes of learning to develop literacy and the English language both in Britain and abroad, paying particular interest to the development of emotional and cultural literacy and the accessibility of education overall. More recently, Helen has undertaken roles in Teacher Training and continues to lecture for Huddersfield University on their PGCE course, coaching, mentoring and supporting new and prospective teachers across a range of subjects.