Meet Our Members

As an autistic man and father to five children, who also have disabilities, I am dedicated to standing up for and championing individuals with special educational needs. I am proud to be a member of the Board of Trustees at Esteem and my understanding of the difficulties faced by children with disabilities, and their families and carers, inspires me to always help others and apply my experience and knowledge to the benefit of the trust.

As well as being a trustee, I undertake several voluntary roles in education including being a Parent Governor and SEN&D Governor at a local school.  I am also a Commission member of two Parliamentary groups, advising and working alongside MPs and key stakeholders, defending the rights of people with dyslexia and neurodiversity. I passionately believe in everyone having the same chance in life and, as a person with disabilities, I understand the challenges that a school has to ensure children are well looked after and that their needs are met. This is what inspired me to become a trustee and why I proactively work across the trust to support the development of the organisation; work with the board ensuring effective governance and,most importantly, make a positive difference to the lives of our students.

I have been a Trustee at Esteem since October 2022.  Sitting on the Trust Board allows me to be part of the strategic work that takes place within the Trust and, in turn, this allows me to have a personal impact upon the quality of our schools and our pupils’ learning environments. For the last 10 years I have worked within the charity sector for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and I am currently the Regional Director overseeing Central England within the Charity. My work is focused on strategically supporting the development of young people, providing accessible opportunities that enable them to learn, grow and build lifelong belief in themselves. My role brings me into contact with many types of organisations and frequently involves working with trusts and SEND organisations, so I have seen the benefits being part of a trust can bring to a young person’s formal and non-formal education.

Being a Trustee enables me to utilise my leadership experience and business acumen to the benefit of the schools and young people who are part of Esteem. My previous roles have included working in retail as a Store Manager at Woolworths, and then as a House Manager and an Inclusion Manager at a secondary school, an experience which led me to want to ensure that I use my skills and experience wherever possible, to enable positive outcomes for young people. 

I have a passion for supporting young people and believe in the importance of promoting physical and mental health and wellbeing. I am a very active person and when I’m not at work you will often find me out enjoying the great outdoors and exploring the countryside with my partner and our dog – Burt. Being part of an inclusive organisation that aligns to my own personal values is very important to me and seeing pupils enjoying their own personal learning journeys makes my voluntary work all the more worthwhile. I feel privileged to be part of Esteem as I get to see first-hand the high standards of education that are offered and the positive impact that the Esteem values and vision has on our pupils.

I was thrilled to join the Esteem Trust Board in October 2023 and value the opportunity to make a personal difference to the lives of the pupils and communities our schools serve. I am committed to putting children, young people, and families first and my own values and motivations echo the ethos and values of Esteem. I work as an education consultant, and I am involved with other charitable organisations including being the Chair of the Traveller Movement. From 2016 to 2023 I worked as a Director for Derby City Council and played a pivotal role in developing partnerships which led to improvement programmes ,a reduction in permanent exclusions and a transformation of SEND services as recognised by the CQC and Ofsted. I am proud to say that In 2019 I was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) from the Queen for my services to children and young people in education.

My background is in education, and I have held senior SI roles in both Oxfordshire County Council and Sheffield City Council.. Fulfilling the voluntary role of a trustee with Esteem allows me to bring my experience and skills to the table for the benefit of the pupils in our schools and alternative provisions. Keeping all pupils at the heart of our decision making and strategic planning helps ensure we support a more inclusive education for all.