MEET OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
JOANNE HARPER
CEO ALET
Joanne has a teaching career spanning over 20 years, which begun as a mathematics teacher in London, progressing to Principal of a school in West London which she took to an Outstanding OFSTED grade, then to UTC Reading as the school was created. She worked closely with lead sponsors Activate Learning and lead multi-national partners including Microsoft and Cisco, taking a crucial role in setting up Activate Learning Education Trust in 2015.
Jo is a strong believer in personal growth and development, and has added an NPQH and a masters degree in education, leadership and management to her qualifications. She has been recognised by the Department of Education as a National Leader in Education. She is incredibly proud to be CEO of ALET, driving it in its mission to Transform Lives Through Learning.
Read more
Joanne has a teaching career spanning over 20 years, which begun as a mathematics teacher in London, progressing to Principal of a school in West London which she took to an Outstanding OFSTED grade, then to UTC Reading as the school was created. She worked closely with lead sponsors Activate Learning and lead multi-national partners including Microsoft and Cisco, taking a crucial role in setting up Activate Learning Education Trust in 2015.
Jo is a strong believer in personal growth and development, and has added an NPQH and a masters degree in education, leadership and management to her qualifications. She has been recognised by the Department of Education as a National Leader in Education. She is incredibly proud to be CEO of ALET, driving it in its mission to Transform Lives Through Learning.
WAYNE EDWARDS
Executive Principal UTC Reading and Heathrow
Read more
Wayne started his journey with STEM focused education in 2013, helping to found UTC Reading with Jo Harper, our Trust’s CEO. He moved on sabbatical to what would become UTC Heathrow as Vice Principal in 2017, becoming its Principal when it became UTC Heathrow in 2018 and joined the Trust. Prior to this, Wayne worked in other education settings since he started teaching in 1998 as an Advanced Skills Teacher, Head of Faculty and Head of Department.
Wayne returned to UTC Reading in March 2023 as Executive Principal: the school has a special place in his heart and is part of his community, having lived locally for over 26 years. His vision for the school is ensure that every student enjoys and feels safe at school, that they get the most enriching and effective experiences, and start to gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the world of work. He is immensely proud to be Executive Principal of both schools and to help ALET schools deliver their vision of Transforming Lives Through Learning.
SAM KNOWLTON
Executive Principal UTC Swindon and Oxfordshire
Read more
Sam has hugely varied experience, having worked in the communications industry, where she used her knowledge of geophysics and satellites on the analogue and digital phone networks, been Managing Director of a manufacturing company and even trained for the Olympics, all before becoming a Headteacher. She became Principal of UTC Oxfordshire in 2020, and Executive Principal in 2022 of both UTC Oxfordshire and UTC Swindon. Sam is very passionate about the power of lifelong learning, and has a definite thirst for knowledge and a love of research.
TONY RUSHWORTH
Executive Principal The Bicester school
Read more
Tony has extensive experience in secondary education. He qualified as a teacher in 1992 in Avery Hill College, London, and completed an MA at Kings College, London University.
Tony spent the first 10 years of his career in London schools, teaching Economics and Mathematics. In 2013, he was seconded as Interim Headteacher to The Bicester School from The Cooper School, Bicester, where he had been Deputy Headteacher and then Head of School. Tony was appointed Headteacher at the Bicester School in 2014 after a successful Ofsted inspection, where the school was graded ‘Good’ in all categories.
Tony said: “I am delighted to be working with our partner and sponsor Activate Learning in building what we expect to become an exceptional school. Our staff are incredibly committed and highly professional with a willingness to ‘go the extra mile’ for our students.”
Tony is married and has a daughter. He is a keen Brompton enthusiast (a type of cycling) and enjoys the writing of CS Lewis.
MARK BLACKMAN
ALET Director of Secondary Education
Read more
Mark has wide experience of school improvement, headship, CEO and director roles in education.
He is a trustee in a multi-academy trust, a corporate member representative in others, and works nationally as an educational leadership consultant for his company Leadership Together Limited.
He has operated at a strategic level in education across leadership at all levels, including central and local government, NHS England, Public Health, CQC, Ofsted, schools, academies and academy trusts.
As well as teaching and headship roles at schools including Shaftesbury School (boarding), Royal Wootton Bassett Academy and Abbeyfield School, Mark has been CEO of two academy trusts – Southern Academy and Southerly Point, and Director of Education at Dorset Council.
Mark is an engaging leader who counts among his successes the delivery of strategic change and improvement projects in the academy sector; SEND service strategic improvement in local government; and rapid, sustained school improvement and growth.
WORK FOR US
JOIN OUR TRUST
