Jim Pugh

Jim is currently the Head of Education at Staffordshire University. A hands-on background in teaching and management in the compulsory school sector, Further Education and Higher Education has provided him with a range of experiences and knowledge of education policy and sector demands. In addition to being part of the School of Life Science and Education’s Senior Leadership Team Jim works both nationally and internationally in supporting partner institutions to development educational leadership and management; teaching and student experience.

George Hayes

George has been an elected member of Congleton Town Council (since 2011) and Cheshire East Council (since 2015). He has experience of being a governor and Chair of Governors at local schools as well as supporting improvements in school governance at other schools within Cheshire East. George was elected as Mayor of Congleton in 2013-14 and has previously undertaken the role of Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families at Cheshire East Council. More recently, George undertakes the role of Strategic Lead for Governance working for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Council – supporting schools across these areas to improve their school governance.

Richard Hey

After a long career in secondary education, Richard retired from the headship of Westwood College in 2019. Starting as a teacher in East Yorkshire and then moving to Leek in 1993, he has a broad experience that includes both special needs and post-16 education. He worked closely with many external organisations and was chair of both the Staffordshire Secondary Heads Forum and the local Leek Educational Partnership.

Claire Hambleton

Claire a qualified Accountant, she is the Audit Manager at a local accounting firm in Leek.

Claire chairs the Finance and Audit Committee at the Trust.

Tracey Walklate

Tracey has worked in primary education for nearly 40 years. She has worked across Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 in three different schools as a class teacher in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent, becoming a Deputy Head and then Headteacher for a number of years. She retired as the Headteacher of The Quinta Primary School in 2019. Tracey also undertook the role of School Improvement Partner (SIP) to a number of primary schools, was a Local Leader of Education and pupil premium reviewer. At present she still undertakes some Headteacher Performance Management roles to schools. Tracey was the Chair of the East Cheshire Association of Primary Headteachers from 2019 t0 2024, sharing the role as co-chair for 2023-24. Tracey completed a Masters in Leadership and Management in Education at the University of Manchester.

She is an active member of her local Methodist church; having been a steward and leading acts of worship.

Alex Wolvers

Alex graduated with BEd (Hons) degree from Westminster College Oxford, her main subject being RE. She has taught in Church of England primary and middle schools in the UK and has also taught internationally. She has an MA in Mission and Theology and a diploma in cross cultural studies. She joined the Lichfield Diocese Board of Education in 2017 as a Christian Distinctiveness Advisor and now works across both the LDBE and also the diocese mission team.

Carl Clulow

Carl is a Director of a local IT support company. He’s worked in the education sector for over 14 years providing services to Primary and Secondary Education.

He’s also a Chair of Governors within another local multi-academy trust with over eight years of experience.

His professional career involves consultancy, compliance and problem solving for customers.

Craig Peacock

Craig has a diverse background in HR, Operations, and Sales. In his latest role, he leads a Global Talent Team, focusing on delivering strategic people programs to over 15,000 employees. His responsibilities encompass Recruitment, People Leadership, Development and Partnering, Skills Enablement, Instructional Design, Talent Consultants, Learning Technology and Change Management.

With 15 years of experience in developing and delivering Talent interventions, Craig has catered to a wide range of subjects and audiences, including senior leader, apprenticeship, and graduate programs to leading integration efforts for mergers and acquisitions. His collaborative efforts with internal stakeholders, external vendors, schools, and colleges have been instrumental in delivering effective solutions.

Jane Held