Mark Mallender

Lucy McCaig

Sue Vasey

My sixteen-year teaching career has been spent exclusively in secondary schools with higher-than-average proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals.  I have had the privilege to work in schools in very different contexts.  My subject specialism is geography and humanities.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to join a team of teaching and learning consultants in a local authority and then a senior school improvement officer across both primary and secondary schools.  Much of my work focused on supporting schools in challenging circumstances and those causing concern.

In 2018 I joined a large multi-academy trust within Derby and Derbyshire again working with both primaries and a secondary in the trust as well as focusing on outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, safeguarding, developing an extensive training programme and working closely with governors.

Alongside these roles I continue to be a lead inspector which brings a wealth of experience that helps me support our schools.

My 35 year career in education has been driven by a passionate belief that excellent schooling is the right of every child, and a determination that such a vision is achievable.  In order to deliver this, I believe schools must be truly inclusive.  That is, they must have high expectations of and for all pupils, an insistence on excellent behaviour and equal access to a rich curriculum taught by highly skilled teachers.  We must never accept that family background, socio-economic circumstances or prior attainment will inevitably limit young people’s potential and so the profile of a school’s intake must always be a reason for provision, and never an excuse for outcomes.  The importance of investing in quality CPD for the workforce and strong purposeful collaboration is essential so that both staff and in turn the pupils have a sense of belonging and can flourish.

Edward Moore

I have over 18 years’ experience in education, fulfilling a number of varied and exciting teaching and senior leadership roles.  A specialist leader in raising achievement, I have worked Derby City wide to improve teaching and learning, review, design and develop curricula, raise student achievement, and lead staff development.

With a strong track record of school improvement, I passionately believe in improving the life chances of all children and young people, in particular the most disadvantaged, and am committed to driving further improvement in QEGSMAT schools to enable that.  I am relishing the opportunity to have a wider positive impact on the communities that our schools serve.

Zhidan Cai

Jo Porteous

After completing my university education, I worked in a variety of roles in the water industry including auditing the income base and billing.  After having children I undertook a variety of roles both paid and supporting the community, including book-keeping for local businesses and Treasurer to a village toddler group.  I then spent ten years working in education administration at Waterhouses CE Primary.  I joined the Central Finance Team in February 2023 and am looking forward to using my skills and knowledge to support QEGSMAT as it continues to grow.

Tracy Adams

I joined the Finance department within the central team at QEGSMAT in March 2023.  My previous roles include working within the healthcare e-learning sector and in the NHS.  I’m looking forward to this new challenging role and my focus will be to support the Finance Manager in all their responsibilities in relation to managing the assets of the Trust. 

Jo Shenton

I joined the QEGSMAT HR Department in January 2023, having worked within an office environment for over 30 years.  I have worked in HR in retail for 9 years and the last 7 years for the NHS in a GP Surgery.  I am excited to restart my HR journey within an education setting at QEGSMAT, developing my knowledge and skillset.

John Harrison

I have worked in facilities management for the last 16 years, having moved into education from a leisure background approximately six years ago.  I have a passion for delivering safe, user friendly environments to pupils, staff and visitors to academy sites.  I am keen to embrace technology, in both the modernisation of academy sites and the monitoring of health and safety across the Trust. I believe in the vision of QEGSMAT and am looking forward to being part of the team moving forward and continually improve sites to offer the best possible outcomes for pupils in our care.

Dominic Hudson

I have worked in education as a teacher, leader, coach and author for over fifteen years. I have always been passionate about creating conditions where all children benefit from an exciting curriculum, whilst developing their desire for, and, love of learning.

My subject specialism is mathematics. I have taught 11 to 18 year olds in three large secondary schools across Derby city and Derbyshire. In addition to teaching, I have also worked on many exciting projects: I have been an ambassador for the National Centre for the Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), had my teaching videoed to launch the regional Maths Hubs across the UK and have worked on international projects developing the teaching and learning of students’ problem solving skills with numerous countries including the USA, South Africa and several European countries. I am currently the External Examiner for the School of Education at the University of Nottingham, assessing their initial teacher education programmes.

I have vast experience in senior leadership driving forward school improvement, focussing primarily on ensuring that teaching, learning and the curriculum offer is right for each and every student. I know the importance of classroom focussed professional development and enjoy working collaboratively with teachers and leaders to maximise student outcomes in the broadest of senses. I am an active member of Japanese lesson study cycles – a process that considers all aspects of student learning, crucial to development of their knowledge, skills and understanding. I have been fortunate to experience lesson study in Tokyo and have since performed the role of Koshi across the UK. Lesson study was also the main focus of my Master’s Degree.

I am relishing the next exciting challenge in my career working closely with the central team, leaders and teachers within the QEGSMAT academies and wider partnerships, to give all of our students the best opportunities both whilst they are at school and in their future lives.