Bill is one of the founding members of the Primary First Trust and was the Chairman of our Board of Trustees until September 2024. He has a background in effective governance and as a governor worked with the local authority and other stakeholders to establish a successful school partnership model to enable schools that were struggling to succeed.

Bill has professional qualifications in portfolio, programme and project management and a breadth of experience in managing large budgets, building high performing teams and developing strategic vision. He has expertise in leading business change at scale and is an Academy Ambassador. Bill is probably best known, however, for his passion to improve outcomes and life experiences for children.

Steve has spent almost 40 years of his career working in the financial services industry both for BlackRock, T. Rowe Price and Legal & General Investment Management.​​​​  He has also owned his own business for 9 years offering his pensions knowledge on a consultancy basis.  Steve has held various directorships including BlackRock’s Life Company (over 10 years) which is responsible for managing £70+bn of client assets.

Steve recently retired from full time work to focus on his Trustee and Non-Executive Directorships. 

Andrew is a qualified solicitor and Partner at a busy City practice and is Head of Family Law.  He is best known and distinguished in the legal sector for his specialism in international surrogacy law and modern family structures.  He is frequently in the High Court and Court of Appeal on cases and representing clients for their children.

Andrew has been a Trustee of the PFT since 2014, with previous experience as a governor for two primary academies and an appointment by the Secretary of State of Education as the Chair of an IEB for a school in difficult circumstances with responsibility for overseeing public consultations, OFSTED inspections and rapid improvement.  He champions the continued rise in standards of primary children’s education and accelerated progress.

Alison Hales is a Senior Lecturer in primary education at the University of Greenwich.; she also jointly leads the Initial Teacher Education programme working with trainees, schools and settings to develop practice-based learning and partnerships. She also has overall responsibility for the wider curriculum provision and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

After completing her degree with Southbank Bank University, she worked as a primary class teacher and as a member of the senior management team for several years having experience across the primary age phase. Her area of expertise is within humanities and has written and published widely on primary history, in particularly using local people and places as a way to develop historical knowledge and understanding with children. 

Alison is currently studying for her PhD and is researching young children’s understanding of controversial issues and is looking specifically at war and conflict. Other research interests include the character education of teachers and children, identity and the use of the local in primary history teaching.

Alison is an Honorary Fellow and a Quality Mark Assessor in Primary History for the Historical Association, working across schools in South East England.

Steve is a founding member of The Primary First Trust and was previously a Member. He has a background in Local Governance with over 12 years experience, holding both Vice Chair and Chair roles in that time and is passionate about educational development and equality.

Juliet Thorburn

Trustee

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Juliet Thorburn is Group HR Director for Scott Bader, a speciality chemicals company based in Northamptonshire.  Juliet has held a variety of HR Director roles in the manufacturing, engineering, construction and chemical industries over the past 20 years and has worked for large multi-national organisations as well as SME's with responsibility for HR Teams in the UK & EIRE, Benelux as well as globally.

 

Juliet holds a BA (Hons) Degree in Business Studies, an MBA and an ILM Level 7 in Executive Coaching.  Juliet is a member of the UK Association of MBA's.  In addition to her HR experience, Juliet has served as Chair of Trustees of numerous pension schemes.  

Professionally Steve is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and is a Programme Manager leading delivery of large, complex infrastructure programmes in the transport sector. He has significant experience in managing large budgets, building, developing and leading teams and loves to combine his professional and voluntary roles by engaging in STEM ambassador activities with schools.

Nigel Richards is a Fellow of the ACCA, the global body for professional accountants and currently Chief Finance Officer of Catch22 a charity working with local authorities and other commissioners to deliver more than 120 public services that meet local needs and support individuals within their community.  As CFO Nigel is responsible for Catch22’s corporate governance, risk and financial sustainability, ensuring that the charity manages its resources effectively, and is a stable and well funded organisation. He was vice-chair at Mayplace Primary School, within the PFT for many years before being invited to join the Board for his financial expertise in 3rd sector operations.

Soumaya is the Head of HR and Operations for the Whitehall and Industry Group in London. Her passion is cultivating a culture of lifelong learning, education and inclusion. Over the last 5 years, Soumaya has worked across the consulting, tech, hospitality and education sectors, embedding HR practices in start-up/scale-ups and partnering with founders, entrepreneurs and C-suite leaders to facilitate leadership and organisational development to drive business growth and expansion. She has held director-level roles and was responsible for overseeing the operational and HR expansion of teams across the UK, SSA and Europe. 

With over three decades of enriching experience in the field of education, Emma brings a wealth of diverse expertise to her multifaceted roles. Her professional journey spans pivotal positions, including that of an Advanced Skills Teacher, a Headteacher overseeing specialist resource provision, and a dedicated school governor within primary and nursery settings. Emma's academic background includes a B.Ed (Hons) degree in mathematics with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), a Masters in Children's Literacy, and a National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH).

Presently, Emma serves as a Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Greenwich, where she plays a pivotal role in co-leading the primary team as an Academic Portfolio Lead. In addition to her teaching responsibilities on Initial Teacher Education programs, Emma also facilitates NPQ delivery. Her commitment to professional development extends further as she holds certification as a coach with the Chartered Management Institute, actively fostering the growth of colleagues across primary, secondary, and higher education sectors.

Emma's unwavering dedication to inclusive education serves as the cornerstone of her professional ethos. Her profound interest and expertise in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) are evident through her senior leadership role with a National inclusion charity and her position as Programme Leader for the SENCO postgraduate qualification at the University of Greenwich. Emma's impact transcends borders, as she has shared her expertise with colleagues in UK universities and has been invited to speak at international conferences and webinars in Indonesia and Vietnam.

As an active member of the National NASENCO forum, Emma collaborates with colleagues from other Higher Education providers to advance inclusive practices. Additionally, in her role as an Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) Assessor, she remains steadfast in her commitment to championing inclusive education, ensuring equitable opportunities for all learners.