Phil Mellen (He/Him) 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 the 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 has been Greater Manchester School Partnership Manager since March 2021. Phil says: "I enjoy the challenge that working at Tutor Trust brings, working with multiple schools, local authorities, and dioceses to ensure that as many children and young people as possible get the benefit of working with our excellent tutors. "Away from work, I enjoy spending time with my family and our four cats! I also play a range of musical instruments and write, record, and perform songs and enjoy giving concerts around the Northwest."
Jason Rose (He/Him) Manchester Secondary Schools Coordinator Expand Jason first started working with us as a tutor in 2018 before working as a Tutoring Plus Full-Time Tutor, and most recently as a Manchester Secondary Coordinator. He is also the editor of our very own podcast, Tutorcast. Jaso says: "Growing up in Greater Manchester, I was aware of the inequalities around me at school and was able to help counteract this when I took on a tuition assignment at my old primary school. Although I decided I didn’t want to teach in a classroom environment, I still enjoy working with young people and am glad to be able to help people from working-class backgrounds achieve their full potential. "Outside of work I am a volunteer editor for a mediation charity. I also spend a lot of time in the studio practising guitar and am a bit of a photography enthusiast!"
Lola Kirwan Albarn (She/Her) Manchester Full-Time Tutor Expand After completing her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Manchester, Lola made the decision to move to South Korea to teach English. After two years working in local primary schools as the EAL teacher, Lola knew she wanted to further her career in education. She returned to the University of Manchester once again, to earn a PGCE in Primary Education. Her PGCE coincided with the height of the pandemic, an experience that made Lola realise that she wanted to focus her teaching on the pupils who needed it most, which led her to Tutor Trust. After working for a year as a part-time Primary tutor, Lola successfully applied for the position of Full-Time Tutor. Since then, she has been working in a range of Primary and Secondary schools across Greater Manchester. Lola says: "Working for Tutor Trust has been a wonderful and rewarding experience! I was very nervous when I earnt my PGCE, as I knew, having worked in different classroom environments, that I wasn’t looking to become a teacher as such, but did want to continue to help young people to learn. "Tutor Trust offered the perfect environment for me to work in my desired profession. It has been incredible working with so many different pupils to increase their knowledge and confidence!"
Cliona O'Hanlan (She/Her) 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 at the University of Leeds. Working as a tutor Cliona realised that 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 and joined the staff teams as a full-time secondary tutor in Manchester in September 2020. In January 2021 Cliona moved up once more, this time to the role of Secondary Schools Coordinator where she was able to enhance her expertise in partnership development and organisation set-up, actively advancing the Tutor Trust's objectives. In June 2022 she progressed to the role of Secondary Schools Manager. Clion says: "I am enthusiastic about the prospect of continuing my journey with the charity. I am committed to using my expertise and passion to make a meaningful difference in the lives of students and contribute to the important mission set out by Tutor Trust."
Kerys Henry (She/Her) MESME and Manchester Secondary Schools Coordinator Expand Kerys joined Tutor Trust in 2021 as a full-time secondary school tutor straight after graduating with a degree in English Language and English Literature from the University of Manchester. 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, and in her role works on both secondary tuition programmes and MESME Maths Circles. Kerys says: "I began working as a Secondary English Tutor in 2021 and Tutor Trust has played a large part in my career. I enjoy working with tutors and schools and I find great satisfaction in knowing that my efforts directly contribute to closing the education inequality gap for people in my community. Working at Tutor Trust allows me to continually grow both professionally and personally while making a meaningful impact on the lives of others. "Part of my job is supporting the MESME Maths Circles. This is an excellent programme that challenges young mathematicians, and hearing feedback from the tutors and pupils is often a highlight for me. Alongside Coordinating, I organise the Tutor Trust Staff Book Club which has been going for over a year, I also embroider in my spare time, and I have studied abroad in Copenhagen."
Alex Wood (He/Him) Manchester Primary Schools Manager Expand Alex joined Tutor Trust as a tutor in 2017. After graduating from The University of Manchester in 2019, he joined the team full-time as School Coordinator, and became Manchester Primary Schools Manager in February 2021. Alex also serves as a governor at a local primary school which provides resourced provision for children with ASD. Alex supports staff with wellbeing, literacy, and outreach within the community they serve. Alex says: "During my time as a tutor, I worked with vulnerable learners who needed extra support to catch up on some lost learning. Being able to mentor them 1:1 was incredibly fulfilling and sparked my belief that Tutor Trust is an amazing agent for change within the city where I grew up. It’s this commitment to tackling educational inequality head-on that led me to join the team full-time. I enjoy belonging to a vibrant, inclusive, and passionate team of people, all connected by Tutor Trust’s mission. "Over the past four years, I’ve been able to play a part in Tutor Trust’s rapid growth and I’m excited to see how we continue to innovate and grow our presence within the communities we serve."
Sammy Meynell (She/Her) 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 now works as a Primary Schools Coordinator in the Greater Manchester team, meeting with school partners to set up tuition and supporting tutors to help them feel confident in delivering the best tuition they can. Sammy says: "I have always been passionate about playing a role in minimising educational inequalities. One of my favourite things about my role as a Coordinator is the fact I am making a difference to the lives of many young people in my local community who otherwise wouldn’t have access to the extra support Tutor Trust provides. This makes the job extremely fulfilling, and I am proud to be a part of this amazing organisation. I also enjoy working alongside our tutors to help them settle into their roles and boost their engagement, through organising social events and facilitating drop-ins. "When I’m not coordinating tuition, I enjoy watching football and I co-host my own FC Halifax Town podcast! I also love to read, and I’m currently on the Tutor Trust Book Club committee, where we organise monthly meetings with our fellow office bookworms."
Hannah Tomlinson (She/Her) Manchester Primary Schools Coordinator Expand Hannah joined Tutor Trust in May 2023 as a Manchester Primary Schools Coordinator. With a degree in Applied Performance (Community and Education) from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Hannah is passionate about equity and accessibility. Hannah has experience coordinating a team for a large charity and prior to working for Tutor Trust, worked in theatres and cchools exploring creative arts with vulnerable adults and young people. Hannah says: "I enjoy bringing my knowledge, experience, and friendly Yorkshire accent into my role as Manchester Primary Schools Coordinator. Outside of work, I love having little adventures every day, that usually involve good food and nature!"