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.
James Brewer (He/Him) Recruitment and Communications Coordinator Expand James first joined Tutor Trust in 2016 whilst studying BA French & Spanish at the University of Manchester. He has since been involved in many aspects of tuition, having tutored in Secondary Maths, Primary and AP/LAC and been part of the Brand Ambassador Team. Moreover, he participated in the NatCen Online Tuition Pilot in Summer 2020, delivering around 150 hours of tuition during the COVID-19 pandemic, and The Transition Project in Summer 2017. In 2018, James spent a year abroad to improve his French and Spanish language skills as part of his undergraduate degree, during which he studied at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and worked as a Corporate Assistant/English Teacher in Paris. James speaks fluent French and Spanish as well as basic Portuguese, Catalan and British Sign Language. James is passionate about making a difference in his community, especially with children from disadvantaged backgrounds. He participated in the ‘Languages XP’ Spanish Outreach programme organised by the University of Manchester which involved planning and delivering short language taster sessions in schools and running engaging foreign language activities on the university campus. Moreover, James worked as a Lead Maths Tutor in an Alternative Provision in Greater Manchester from September 2020 to December 2021 whilst studying an MA in Film Studies at the University of Manchester. In addition to tutoring and university studies, James has varied corporate experience, having worked in Customer Service and Complaints Management in different industries. He started his career handling correspondence on behalf of the CEO and company directors for a European airline. During this experience, he was seconded to Cape Town, South Africa for three months to oversee the transition of services and building of a new contact centre. In his role, he assisted with operations, team management, quality coaching and training. Having thoroughly enjoyed his experience as a Tutor and Brand Ambassador with The Tutor Trust and after having completed his MA degree, James joined the Tutor Trust staff team in January 2022.
Leoni Taylor (She/Her) Tutor Recruitment and Processing Coordinator Expand Leoni first began working for The 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 Brand Ambassador for The Tutor Trust and then continued on in January 2021 to become the new Recruitment and Impact Administrator. 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.
Lauren Usher (She/Her) Tutor Recruitment and Training Coordinator 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. As Recruitment and Training Coordinator, Lauren is excited to be involved in ensuring that the best tutors are selected to help The Tutor Trust tackle educational inequality.
Theo Hall (He/Him) Tutor Training Coordinator Expand Theo first joined the 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 Brand Ambassador Team, and after graduating in 2022 he joined the Tutor Trust staff team as a Tutor Training Coordinator. In his free time, Theo is a keen hobby ornithologist, bird ringer, and wildlife illustrator.