Meet our Facilitators
We are very proud to have a pool of highly experienced facilitators. This ensures our programmes are delivered by experts, who can support you to understand the materials and evidence from your chosen programme in context.
Sophie Allchin
Director, Mid Essex ITT and People Strategy Lead, Bridge Academy Trust
Facilitator - NPQ Leading Teacher Development
Sophie is the Director of Mid Essex ITT and the People Strategy Lead for Bridge Academy Trust. After graduating with a BSc in Psychology from University College London, Sophie started her career working in a number of leadership roles in Higher Education. In 2014, Sophie moved to work for Mid Essex ITT, a school-based teacher training provider, where she was first appointed as the Marketing and Recruitment Officer, a newly-created role to help boost the number of trainee teachers in local schools. Sophie took over the Programme Manager role in 2018 and was later appointed the Director of Mid Essex ITT in 2019.
Alongside her day job, Sophie also works for NASBTT as a Support Partner and is a trustee for London Nightline. She also works as the People Strategy Lead for Bridge Academy Trust. As a parent herself, Sophie is passionate about recruiting the best staff for our local schools and developing teacher talent.
In 2023, Sophie completed the NPQ in Leading Teacher Development with Saffron Teaching School Hub and now facilitates the NPQ course for the new programme members.
Andrea Bond
Early Years Education Partner, Essex County Council
Facilitator - NPQ Early Years Leadership
Andrea currently works for ECC as an Early Years Education Partner. Her role is to ensure all settings and childminders provide sustainable, high-quality provision for Essex children, ensuring the connectivity of the Early Years system with particular focus on giving the most vulnerable children the best start in life. Andrea uses her experience from working in the Early Years Sector, alongside her knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and Early Language and Communication to support those working with children 0-5, with a focus on closing the word gap and the impact on quality provision.
Throughout her 30-year career, Andrea has worked in a range of roles from Nursery Manager, Quality Improvement Officer, Tutor, Assessor and Early Years Adviser. She has personal and practice experience of Early Years practice and policy with expertise in delivering training specifically targeted for the Early Years Sector in both the private and voluntary sector.
Emma Carvalho
Deputy Headteacher & SENCO, Beckers Green Primary School
Facilitator - NPQ SENCO
Emma started her career in sales and marketing for magazine publishers in London. Following ten years in a variety of roles and the birth of her own children, Emma gained QTS through Essex ITT and began her change of career as a primary school teacher. Emma taught across KS1 and KS2 before completing the NASENCO in 2021. She subsequently secured a role as Deputy Headteacher and SENCO at Beckers Green Primary School, where she has been driving her passion for quality provision for all pupils, including those with additional needs.
Emma is thrilled to be facilitating the mandatory NPQ SENCO for Saffron Teaching School Hub. This qualification will ensure that current and aspiring SENCOs will understand what drives and underpins successful leadership for SEND provision in their settings. With increasing demand on mainstream settings to meet a variety of additional needs, Emma feels that this role is more important than it has ever been.
Caroline Crompton
Headteacher, Thaxted Primary School
Facilitator - NPQ Headship
Caroline is the Headteacher at Thaxted Primary School and brings 28 years of extensive teaching experience to the role, with a significant portion spent in the diverse and dynamic educational landscape of Inner London. Over the past 25 years, her career has encompassed various positions within the boroughs of Westminster and Newham, where she has honed her leadership skills and developed a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities that arise in urban schooling environments.
Having worked in schools with differing entry sizes, including four-form, three-form, and currently a one-and-a-half form entry setting, she possesses a comprehensive perspective on curricular implementation and management structures that best serve students. Her commitment to fostering an inclusive educational atmosphere is further reflected in extensive experience with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), particularly in relation to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) resource provision.
A strong advocate for continuous professional development, Caroline is actively engaged in the NPQH process, promoting effective leadership within the school and the wider educational community. Her commitment to fostering a collaborative learning environment is evident through their dedication to nurturing teachers’ skills and supporting staff progression.
Joshua Goodacre
Assistant Headteacher - Staff Development, The Sandon School
Facilitator - NPQ Leading Behaviour and Culture
Joshua is responsible for staff development at The Sandon School, having previously overseen student progress and online education as part of the Senior Leadership Teams at two secondary schools in Essex. He is also a Governor at Mid Essex Co-operative Academy alternative provision school.
Prior to his career in education, Joshua worked in the finance division of a pharmaceutical multinational based in Germany and for a small UK marketing agency.
Joshua is a proponent of ‘lifelong learning’, a passion he is keen to share with students and educators alike. He has been involved with ITT and ECT training over a number of years, working with several local training organisations. Joshua was an early adopter of online education, being one of the first academics to research its use when he investigated the subject for his MTEACH dissertation. He still maintains an educational website to this day.
Following the successful completion of an NPQH through Saffron Teaching School Hub, Joshua was delighted to continue his involvement as a NPQ facilitator and hopes to create the same rich development opportunities for new programme members that he experienced.
Paul Hargreaves
Independent Consultant
Facilitator - NPQ Leading Primary Maths & NPQ Leading Teacher Development
Paul worked as a class teacher and in various leadership roles in schools in Essex and East London. He went on to work for Essex County Council as an education consultant, lead consultant, and then education adviser before working for a commercial provider of school support services.
He became an independent consultant in 2020 and works with schools (both maintained and independent), multi-academy trusts, local authorities and other organisations to provide professional development opportunities and to support school development.
Paul has extensive experience in supporting teachers and schools to enhance teaching and learning in a range of subjects, although he is probably known to most schools as having a particular interest in mathematics, science, history and geography.
Paul specialises in supporting the development of curriculum leadership in all subjects, and is an accredited professional development lead with NCETM.
Anthony Hull
Deputy Headteacher, Katherine Semar Schools
Facilitator - NPQ Senior Leadership
Anthony is a seasoned deputy Headteacher with a track record of over 22 years on leadership teams in which the last 3 schools have moved to Ofsted Outstanding. Anthony has played a pivotal role in shaping the academic landscape of numerous institutions both in the UK and abroad.
As an NPQSL facilitator, he has seamlessly blended his extensive experience with a passion for mentoring aspiring leaders, facilitating them to navigate the complexities of school management effectively. Anthony's commitment to fostering professional growth and his unwavering pursuit of educational equity make him ideally placed to lead and develop educational communities.
Nicola Morgan-Soane
School Effectiveness Partner, Essex LA
Facilitator - NPQ Leading Primary Maths
Nicola has worked as a School Effectiveness Partner for Essex Local Authority since January 2022. She was the headteacher of a large primary with an enhanced provision for 6 years, leading the school on a journey of development, through two good inspections. She has also been an executive head of a school in special measures, moving this school to Good.
Nicola has 23 years' experience working in primary schools with 13 years in school leadership in schools in East London and Essex. As a headteacher, Nicola was vice chair of the Essex Primary Headteachers Association for Mid Essex and worked as a member of the leadership group for her school partnership.
Since working for the Local Authority, Nicola has enjoyed working with primary and special schools on school development. She loves working with school leaders at all levels and takes a coaching approach to school effectiveness work. In addition to her Local Authority role, Nicola works as an intensive support partner for the Venn Essex Maths Hub. She has a passion for maths, music, inclusion and diversity awareness and has led on a variety of school reviews.
Duncan Roberts
Independent Consultant
Facilitator - NPQ Headship
Duncan is proud to be a facilitator for Saffron Teaching School Hub with the aim of inspiring the next generation of school leaders and supporting them in tackling the exciting challenges which lie ahead in their leadership career. Duncan's career in education has spanned over 18 years across inner-city and rural settings.
Most recently, Duncan was Principal of a secondary school in Essex for seven years. During that time, Duncan led the school to its best ever outcomes, consistently achieving attainment scores well above the national average, secured three 'Good' Ofsted inspections, rejuvenated the facilities through selling a small piece of school land in order to build a state-of-the-art multi-purpose sports pitch and tennis courts, expanded the curriculum by creating new subjects such as dance, economics and media studies and successfully navigated the school through the perils of the global pandemic never losing sight of the key purpose; to provide the best educational offer for the young people that the school serves.
Duncan also has experience of range of leadership responsibilities including, teaching, learning and assessment, pupil outcomes and safeguarding. Duncan has also been a Head of English and Advanced Skills Teacher of English. Having completed an NPQEL, Duncan has now enrolled on the ILM Level 7 coaching certificate with the British School of Coaching. Duncan has been a facilitator Saffron Teaching School Hub for three years, leading on the NPQ in Headship programme. He is a Specialist Leader in Education and provides bespoke coaching for a range of education leaders and training for a range of organisations.
Rebecca Tarplett
Independent Consultant
Facilitator - NPQ Senior Leadership
Rebecca is an established educational practitioner and consultant with nearly two decades of experience working with schools across the East of England and London, as well as abroad through various TEFL teaching projects in Africa and Asia.
Rebecca works in school improvement and collaborates with a number of Teaching School Hubs in the Eastern Region. She is an ECF Primary Lead and an ITT facilitator and delivers NPQ training. She works with an Appropriate Body to support schools and induction processes and as a pathway tutor for an ITT provider. Alongside this, Rebecca continues to teach in Primary Education.
Her work in school improvement and as an SLE has enabled her to support colleagues through the delivery of face to face and online CPD for Early Years, primary and secondary practitioners, carers and parents. Rebecca is an experienced and current practitioner who has worked as both a designated safeguarding lead and as an Early Years designated safeguarding lead.
Rebecca recognises that high quality early education is the pinnacle of fostering a lifelong love of learning; she is an enthusiastic and approachable person who works creatively with others to ensure that both adults and children feel supported, upskilled and nurtured.
Katie Vanderpere-Brown
Assistant Headteacher, Saffron Walden County High School
Facilitator - NPQ Senior Leadership
Katie is keen to work with schools to ensure that every student in the Saffron Teaching School Hub area has access to a high quality education. By providing teachers with the space, time and high quality research we can empower leaders to make the right decisions leading towards the best outcomes for students.
Katie is an Assistant Headteacher at Saffron Walden County High School and leads on KS3 development within school.
Richard Wilkin
Headteacher, Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School
Facilitator - NPQ Headship
Dr Richard Wilkin has been Headteacher of Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School since 2012; prior to that he was Headteacher of St Bede's Inter-Church School in Cambridge.
He has experience of Executive Headship and leadership development for various organisations.
Richard has had his research into educational leadership published in a number of books and periodicals.
Emma Vincent
Headteacher, R A Butler Academy
Facilitator - NPQ Headship
Emma is delighted to be able to use her experience as a headteacher to support new and upcoming leaders into the wonderful and privileged world of headship. She values the opportunities that the NPQH offers colleagues to engage with current topics and thought-provoking scenarios to develop the multi-faceted skills needed for headship.
Emma is a primary headteacher at the three form entry R A Butler Academy in Saffron Walden, Essex. Prior to this, Emma was headteacher at two smaller schools in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. These very different headships in very varied catchment areas have enabled Emma to develop a wide range of leadership skills and experiences, including dealing with extensive school growth, redundancy, moving an RI school to Good, leading a Church school and leading with vision and values at the heart of school development. Emma is also Deputy CEO of the Saffron Academy Trust.