Trust Team (ID 1112)

• Mr P Drew
  Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
  Mr P Drew

  Paul is an experienced system leader with over 20 years’ service in primary education, having taught across the full primary age range. His leadership is underpinned by a strong belief that collaboration and partnership working are central to sustainable school improvement, and that high-quality outcomes are achieved through shared accountability and collective responsibility.

  Paul has held leadership roles at every level, from Assistant Headteacher to Executive Headteacher, including two substantive Headteacher posts and four Acting Headteacher roles. He has frequently been deployed to support schools facing significant challenge, providing focused leadership to stabilise provision, strengthen leadership capacity, and secure rapid improvement.

  He is an award-winning Headteacher, having been recognised as Primary Headteacher of the Year, and successfully led Beacon Primary School from a Notice to Improve judgement to Outstanding. This work reflected his strengths in strategic leadership, improving the quality of education, and developing high-performing teams.

  Paul was the driving force behind the establishment of the Lighthouse Federation, which he grew to become the largest federation in the country. He now serves as Executive Leader of the Lighthouse Multi-Academy Trust, where he provides strategic oversight, supports governance, and leads collaborative improvement across schools to ensure consistently high standards and strong pupil outcomes.

  In addition to his trust leadership, Paul is a RISE Advisor for the Department for Education, working nationally to support schools and trusts in strengthening leadership, improving standards, and securing sustainable improvement.

• Mrs S Addison
  Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
  Mrs S Addison

  As Chief Financial Officer, Sarah is responsible for maintaining the financial stability and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Trust.

  With over 17 years of experience in the education sector, Sarah has built her career within schools and now within the Trust, combining financial stewardship with strategic leadership and a deep commitment to supporting schools to thrive. Her journey began in school business management, where she developed a strong appreciation for the vital role that effective financial leadership plays in enabling positive outcomes for children and young people.

  Throughout her career as a School Business Manager, Sarah gained extensive insight into the operational and financial complexities of the education sector. Her qualifications include AAT, the Certificate and Diploma in School Business Management (CSBM and DSBM), and a Degree in Chartered Management. This combination of technical expertise and strategic acumen equips her to lead confidently at a senior level.

  Sarah brings a proven track record in preparing and managing multi-year budgets, ensuring financial resilience while creating opportunities for sustainable growth. She is particularly focused on the effective use of resources and the responsible management and replenishment of reserves — ensuring that the Trust remains well-positioned to meet both current needs and future priorities.

• Mr D Sandy
  Executive Director of Operations
  Mr D Sandy

  Dan is the Executive Director of Operation for Lighthouse, leading on school improvement across its academies. With a focus on strengthening teaching, leadership and curriculum, he works closely with senior and subject leaders, teachers and support staff to drive standards.

  Dan holds a Master's degree in Education, with a specialism in Leadership. His action research informed the design and implementation of the Trust's ELLP (Emerging Lighthouse Leadership Programme), recently featured in the Times Educational Supplement. The programme includes guest speakers from the BBC, ITV and senior business leaders, and was recently delivered for DRB.

  With over twenty-five years of experience in education, Dan has taught across Years 1 to 6 in a range of settings, from church schools to those serving areas of high deprivation. He has held senior leadership roles for the last nineteen years, leading a wide range of subjects and overseeing curriculum development.

  He is an experienced Advanced Skills Teacher and KS2 moderator, having supported both primary and secondary schools across Staffordshire, Walsall and Birmingham to improve teaching and learning in KS1 and KS2, as well as transitions into KS3.

  Before his career in education, Dan worked in print, television and broadcast radio as a journalist and researcher for flagship national programmes. He brings his research expertise and analytical skills to the role, supporting curriculum design, staff development, and strategic planning through an evidence-informed approach.

• Mrs E Wanglin
  Director of Early Years and Curriculum Development
  Mrs E Wanglin

  Emma is the Director of Early Years and Curriculum Development for the Trust working across all academies to review and adapt their curriculum and practise to ensure all pupils receive quality first teaching, new experiences and opportunities to learn and succeed and prepare them for the next stage in their educational journey to adulthood. With nearly 20 years of experience in education, Emma has extensive leadership and has experience of teaching in all Key stages including Early Years, Key stage 1 and Key stage 2 in a range of schools across the West Midlands.

  Emma has significant experience of successful school improvement and has developed and created a range of teaching materials that are used effectively by teachers in schools across Walsall to support pupils across all abilities including SEN. She has supported many schools with reviewing and developing their core and non-core curriculum as well as developing the skills of curriculum leaders, the provision in Early Years and preparing them for OFSTED.

  Emma's background includes mentoring staff, preparing and delivering staff training materials, supporting ECT's, creating interventions and lots more. Emma is also a qualified Early Years Specialist Leader of Education, and has supported many schools across Walsall LEA who have commissioned her on many occasions to lead initiatives such as ‘Schema Play' and ‘The Early Years Practitioner', create ‘Home Learning Projects' to engage parents in their learning and deliver training to all Early Years practitioners.

  She understands child development and offers realistic and practical advice to improve outcomes and provision for all pupils including vulnerable, SEN and more able pupils. She is very passionate about Early Years and the Curriculum and has a philosophy that ‘every' child should be provided First Quality Teaching opportunities to enable them to succeed through a well-planned curriculum.

• Mr R Rose
  Director of Safeguarding and Attendance
  Mr R Rose

  Richard is an experienced safeguarding and attendance professional with over 20 years of experience of working with children, young people and families.

  His career spans both primary and secondary education, and he has a proven track record of supporting schools to establish and maintain strong safeguarding, attendance and pastoral care practices.

  He previously led safeguarding, attendance, and pastoral care at an Academy Trust level, providing strategic oversight and hands on support to academies across the Trust.

  As a former Designated Safeguarding Lead, Richard has in -depth and knowledge of both operational and strategic safeguarding and now works across The Lighthouse Multi Academy Trust to ensure that statutory responsibilities are met and that effective systems are in place to support all children and families.

  Richard has extensive experience in managing complex safeguarding issues, developing policies and procedures and working closely with multi agency partners.

  He regularly delivers high quality training to school staff and has also delivered multi agency safeguarding training to wider service providers, helping to build strong collaborative approaches to safeguarding and child protection.

• Mr J Newton
  Director of People and Culture
  Mr J Newton

  Jack is our Director of People and Culture, leading our HR strategy and developing our people, from predominantly the private sector but also in his role as a school governor outside of the Trust.

  Having held roles in both HR and operations across various sectors including retail, property services and student accommodation, Jack brings a wealth of experience, new ideas and a forward thinking approach to the Trust. Holding an CIPD qualification in people management he has broad knowledge of all aspects of HR including employee relations, recruitment, engagement, reward and change management. In addition to the HR side, Jack brings with him a strong understanding of day to day business operations; which includes customer service, facilities management, and developing strong stakeholder relationships.

• Mrs S Hayre
  Trust Finance Manager
  Mrs S Hayre

  Sangeet is a Qualified School Business Manager and the Trust Finance Manager, bringing more than 20 years of dedicated experience from her role at Beacon Primary. She began her career in a secondary school before moving into the primary sector, which has given her a strong, practical understanding of how different school environments operate and the unique challenges they face.

  Sangeet has developed extensive knowledge across all key areas of school operations, including finance, HR, health and safety, site management and whole-school administration. Her broad expertise allows her to see the bigger picture, how systems, people and processes fit together and to identify improvements that make day-to-day school life run more smoothly. She understands the operational pressures on staff at every level and works closely with teams to ensure they have the right structures, support and resources in place.

  Known for her approachable manner and calm, solutions-focused mindset, Sangeet is recognised for her ability to streamline workflows, strengthen compliance and guide colleagues through organisational change. Her leadership style is supportive, clear and rooted in a strong belief that well-managed operations allow schools to deliver the best possible outcomes for pupils.

  Sangeet is committed to maintaining high standards across the trust and plays a key role in creating efficient, well-organised and financially secure schools that are equipped to thrive

• Miss J Kaur
  Attendance Officer
  Miss J Kaur

• Mrs M Perager
  Finance and Business Administrator
  Mrs M Perager

  Mariya's academic excellence, demonstrated through her achievement of three A* grades at A-level, provided a strong foundation for her future career in accounting and finance. Motivated to pursue a professional pathway that combined practical experience with continued learning, she began her career at Barcroft Academy through an 18-month Accounting and Finance Apprenticeship. Her dedication and consistent high performance led to her progression into the role of Finance Administrator, a position she held for five years.

  During her time at Barcroft, Mariya supported both HR and finance operations, gaining valuable experience across a broad range of administrative and financial processes. She played a significant role in strengthening the school's financial procedures, improving internal systems, and contributing to the efficiency of wider administrative functions. This period established a solid professional grounding and allowed her to develop the adaptability and organisational skill needed within a busy educational environment.

  Mariya's growing expertise and commitment to professional development led to her appointment in November 2025 as Finance and Business Administrator at The Lighthouse Multi-Academy Trust. In this role, she contributes to the Trust's financial procedures, supports HR and payroll processes, and assists with essential business operations including transaction processing, financial record-keeping, procurement, and compliance across the academies.

  Recognised for her reliability, attention to detail, and dedication to maintaining high professional standards, Mariya continues to play an important role in supporting effective finance and business administration across the Trust.

• Miss A Suttle
  People and Culture Advisor
  Miss A Suttle