Phil Mellen Greater Manchester Schools Partnership Manager Expand Phil has worked in the education and local authority sector since completing his teacher training at Leeds Trinity University in 1994. He has been a Headteacher, an Executive Headteacher, Head of Virtual School for Looked After Children and, most recently, Deputy Director of Children's Service for Leeds City Council. Phil has successfully led both primary and secondary schools and has worked for Multi Academy Trusts, Church and Local Authority schools. He has served on several national boards and panels, most recently an advisory board for the Children's Commissioner for England concerned with exclusions and attendance. Phil is excited to be joining the Tutor Trust at the crucial time of change and demand for the best support for children and young people.
Cliona O'Hanlan Manchester Secondary Schools Manager 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 decided to continue her role as a tutor, whilst undertaking the new challenge of secondary tuition, by joining the staff as Manchester Full-time Tutor in September 2020. In January 2021 Cliona moved up once more, this time to the role of Secondary Schools Coordinator. In June 2022 Cliona progressed to the role of Secondary Schools Manager. She looks forward to the direct impact she can achieve through tackling educational inequalities.
Alex Wood Manchester Primary Schools Manager 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.
Samantha Meynell Manchester Primary Schools Coordinator Expand Sammy joined Tutor Trust in summer 2021 as a Secondary English tutor whilst studying for her Master’s degree in Philosophy at the University of Manchester. A couple of weeks after she completed her degree, Sammy began working on a full-time tuition assignment at St Damian’s RC Science College, which was an incredibly fun and rewarding experience. She has always been passionate about education and minimising the system’s inequalities, and is excited to play a part in making a difference at Tutor Trust as a Primary Schools Coordinator. Philosophy is one of Sammy's biggest passions, and throughout her four years studying it at university, she recognised that female philosophers and thinkers are severely overshadowed. Thus, in her spare time, Sammy is also working on creating her own online platform dedicated to empowering women in academia.
Madeleine Foster Manchester Primary Schools Coordinator Expand Madeleine joined the Tutor Trust as Manchester Primary Schools Coordinator in 2022. She graduated with a BA (Hons) in History and French from the University of Manchester in 2019, and subsequently worked within widening access to higher education. She later gained experience in cultural education, delivering learning and engagement sessions at museums across Greater Manchester. She is incredibly excited to work with the Tutor Trust to combat educational inequality, as she believes that access to education can be utterly transformational.
Aaron Hughes Manchester Primary - Transition Coordinator Expand Aaron joined Tutor Trust in March 2021 as a part-time Secondary and English Tutor in Greater Manchester. He had obtained a First-Class degree in English Literature and Creative Writing in 2019, and was invited to continue his studies at Manchester Metropolitan University under the partly-funded Postgraduate Excellence Scholarship. Basketball is a big part of Aaron's life, both coaching and playing, and has been since he was 15. This has provided him with essential skills that have guided him through difficult situations and allowed him to witness first-hand some of the struggles young people face on a daily basis. Alongside this, due to the constraints of the pandemic, he knew many younger students across the UK were at a serious disadvantage and wanted to give back to his local community. He is proud to be in a position where he can take a proactive role in tackling educational inequality, ensuring every child receives a fair and fulfilling education.
Jason Rose Manchester Secondary Schools Coordinator Expand Jason re-joined the team as Manchester Secondary Schools Coordinator in June 2022. Jason originally joined the team as a Secondary Tutor in 2018 whilst studying Biology at the University of Manchester. Since then, he has also worked as a full-time tutor before leaving to complete a Master’s in 2021. Outside of work, Jason enjoys photography and playing guitar.
Charlie Whelan Full-time Tutor - Transition Project Expand Charlie joined Tutor Trust in 2021 as a part-time Secondary English tutor, delivering tuition while he studied English Literature at the University of Manchester. After graduating, Charlie decided to increase his time working as a tutor and at the end of 2021 decided to join the charity full-time as a tutor for the transition project, teaching Maths to Year 6 and 7 students. He is very excited to be part of The Tutor Trust team and work on such a fantastic project.
Kerys Henry Manchester Secondary Schools Coordinator Expand Kerys joined Tutor Trust in 2021 as a full time Secondary School Tutor straight after graduating in English Language and English Literature. As a tutor she was dedicated to helping and inspiring young people who had lost out on vital in-person teaching throughout the pandemic. She joined the Manchester Secondary Schools Team after tutoring across KS3 and KS4. After her own experience of programmes aimed at closing the gap in participation for higher education; Kerys hopes to help challenge education inequality for others in her role as Manchester Secondary Schools Coordinator.
Francesca Riley Manchester Full-Time Tutor Expand Based in Leeds after university, Fran qualified as a Modern Foreign Languages teacher in 2018 with the Gorse SCITT programme. She chose this training provider because of their strong focus on combatting educational disadvantage in the South Leeds area. After relocating to Manchester in 2020, Fran gained a wealth of experience in SEND, specialising in autism support at secondary level. She joins the Tutor Trust as a full-time Tutor for English and Science and is excited to continue striving for greater equity in education.
Maseelah Shahzada Manchester Full-Time Primary Tutor Expand Maseelah joined Tutor Trust in early 2022 as a full-time tutor in primary literacy and maths. She has always had a passion for helping children who need that little bit of extra support and has spent her time getting experience in a school for children with special needs. She is looking forward to joining the great team at Tutor Trust and can't wait to make a difference to every child she works with.