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Trust Leadership Team

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Steve Taylor

CEO

Steve is the CEO of Robin Hood Multi Academy Trust and passionate about taking risks within education and learning from failure rather than ignoring it.

 

As the CEO, Steve led Robin Hood in gaining MAT status and has a clear understanding and insight into how to grow a MAT from a stand alone academy. Within his role Steve has supported a variety of schools from those needing to move out of Special Measures to Good/Outstanding schools that require guidance on how to innovate and move forward.

 

Robin Hood Multi Academy Trust has a rich history of innovation in ICT, independence and languages which has enabled it to be at the forefront of developments within education. Mandarin is taught from Nursery to Year 6 and the school has Confucius Classroom Status which sees it work closely with Beijing No.2 Experimental School in China.

 

Previously Steve worked as headteacher of Park Hill Primary School in Coventry where, in the last inspection OFSTED graded leadership as outstanding. Steve has worked at a national level to deliver CPD on a variety of topics including how to plan for strategic risk and instigated ‘Pair and Share’ on Twitter which saw over 150 schools nationwide link up to share effective practice. He has hosted #SLTchat on numerous occasions on Twitter and currently sits on the SSAT Primary Headteacher steering group.

 

John McDermott

MAT Finance and Operations Director

John is the Finance Director of Robin Hood Multi Academy Trust and has been in post since September 2017. John has a rich financial background in schools and has worked across the West Midlands region in local authority schools, church schools and academies including several other multi academy trusts.

 

John  leads on academy conversions and interacting with the DFE and EFSA for the MAT as the strategic financial lead at Robin Hood Trust.

 

Previously John worked for the DRB group as a Senior Finance Consultant and has spoken nationally on issues related to school finance. John’s wealth of experience means that he has a wide overview of the educational landscape and finances and is a governor at two schools where he holds the post of Chair of Finance.

 

Joe Purnell

Director of School Improvement

Joe is the Director of School Improvement for Robin Hood Trust. Previously as a Headteacher within the Trust, Joe worked in a variety of schools that required targeted leadership to help them improve. In his last post, Joe guided Cedars Academy to an OFSTED judgement of Good with Outstanding features which was an excellent achievement given that the school had never been classed as Good in its history.

 

As Director of School Improvement, Joe is passionate about evidence informed pedagogy and especially the processes for working with staff to ensure that all children have an exciting and innovative learning experience in school.

 

Before his career in teaching, Joe worked as a pâtissier and following his degree worked in the pharmaceutical industry before finding his vocation. He started teaching in the late nineties and was lucky enough to cut his teeth in an outstanding school with Beacon status, which fuelled his passion for school to school partnership work.

 

Chris Heath

MAT Strategic Safeguarding Lead

Chris joined the Robin Hood Multi Academy Trust Central Team in May 2024 as the Safeguarding Lead for the MAT. Prior to joining Robin Hood Multi Academy Trust, Chris was the Safeguarding Lead for Star Academies and has vast experience in strategically leading safeguarding at a national level and across a large number of schools.

 

Chris is passionate about safeguarding and child wellbeing, and has spent his working life in the pursuit of ensuring that all children have the right to be safe and heard. Within Chris' role at the Trust he leads the DSL network group and oversees the strategic development of safeguarding at a Trust level. Additionally, and as part of the Central Team, Chris is a key strategic decision maker on all Trust strategy.

 

 

 

Faye Glendinning

School Improvement Lead

Faye holds the position of School Improvement Lead within the Trust and works directly with Joe Purnell and Charlene Farrell. Faye is currently seconded to Yorkswood as DHT for two terms.

 

In addition to School Improvement Lead, Faye is the strategic Maths Lead for the Trust and works closely with all of our schools to ensure that Maths Mastery is delivered as a consistent and effective approach. Faye currently holds a national role with the NCETM of Primary Maths Mastery Specialist and benefits from receiving not only the very latest CPD but also working with a wide variety of schools outside of the Trust.

 

Prior to becoming the MAT Maths Lead, Faye held the role of Assistant Headteacher within the Trust.

 

Charlene Farrell

School Improvement Lead/MAT English Lead

Charlene is the strategic English Lead for the Trust and works closely with all of our schools to ensure that all aspects of the English curriculum are delivered consistently, effectively and to the highest standard.

 

Prior to becoming the MAT English Lead, Charlene held the role of Assistant Headteacher within the Trust.

 

Greg Ward

MAT Estates Lead

Greg has been the Trust Estates Lead since September 2020 and has the responsibility for ensuring that Health and Safety along with the smooth running and maintenance of the school premises takes place across the Trust.

 

Previously Greg has worked as the Principal Safety Manager for Birmingham City Council and is a member of both IOSH and CIEH.

 

Manisha Vadgama

MAT EYFS Lead

Manisha is the strategic EYFS Lead for the Trust and works closely with all EYFS Leads in the MAT in order to ensure a consistent Early Years provision in all of our schools. 

 

In conjunction with this role, Manisha is an Assistant Headteacher at Yenton Primary.

 

Anna Stevenson

Birches Green Headteacher

Anna is the Headteacher of Birches Green Infant and Junior School and comes with a rich experience of working with a range of schools in the Erdington area of Birmingham.

 

Over the past five years, Anna has guided the Infant School to a good OFSTED and more recently played the lead strategic role in supporting Birches Green Junior School ahead of amalgamating the two schools to form an all through primary. 

 

Anna has a real passion for working with the community.

 

Kevin Medway

Broadmeadow Headteacher

Kevin is the Headteacher of both Broadmeadow Infants and Nursery School and Broadmeadow Junior School. Kevin is playing a central role in uniting the two schools as they progress to one day become an all through primary school. Kevin is currently overseeing a £1,500,000 development of the school site.

 

Mark Pratt

Cedars Headteacher

Mark Pratt is the Headteacher of Cedars Academy and has been in post since September 2025. Prior to this Mark led  Ulverley School in Solihull for 13 years. Mark has a wealth of experience and has worked extensively across Solihull including in the capacity of a literacy specialist for the local authority prior to going into headship.

 

 

Alex Harris

Robin Hood Academy Headteacher 

Alex is the HT of Robin Hood Academy and brings a wealth of leadership experience to the role. In previous roles Alex has worked as a strategic lead for Teach First as well as holding leadership positions within school settings.

 

Paul Smith

Ulverley Headteacher

Paul Smith is the MAT Data Lead for the Trust and also holds the position of Headteacher at Ulverley School where he has been in post since September 2025. During his career, Paul has played a significant role in supporting schools in special measures and has helped them to overcome a wide range of barriers. Paul has worked closely with a variety of HMI inspectors and has a clear understanding and track record for delivering high impact support. Paul is the previous Headteacher of Yenton Primary which he led for 7 years.

 

 

Kerrie Bailey

Story Wood School Headteacher

Kerrie is the Headteacher of Story Wood School and in addition to this she is the MAT Curriculum Lead. Over the past three years, Kerrie has played an integral role in curriculum development across the Trust.

 

Jablai Saleh

Yenton Headteacher

Jablai is the head teacher of Yenton Primary and has been in post since September 2025. Prior to this Jablai led Story Wood School and in July 2025 achieved a number of Outstanding areas in the inspection of the school. Jablai is passionate about curriculum and pedagogy, and is interested in innovative educational approaches.

 

 

Ryan Lawrence

Yorkswood  Headteacher

Ryan is the Headteacher of Yorkswood Primary School and has been in post since September 2025. . Prior to becoming the Headteacher of Yorkswood, Ryan led Cedars Academy for five years and achieved a number of Outstanding areas in the October 2024 inspection of the school.

 

Previously Ryan worked as Deputy Headteacher of an effective school in Coventry and played the lead role in their curriculum design and teaching and learning development

 

In this section

  • Our Vision
  • Bright Future
  • Mindset
  • Trust Leadership Team
  • News
  • Contact Us
  • Our Journey
  • Our Goal
  • Our Video Message

Contact Details

Robin Hood Multi Academy Trust home page

Contact us on 0121 464 2187 or PA@robinhoodMAT.co.uk

  • Our Trust
    • Our Vision
    • Bright Future
    • Mindset
    • Trust Leadership Team
    • News
    • Contact Us
    • Our Journey
    • Our Goal
    • Our Video Message
  • Collaborate
    • Free AI Resources for Schools
    • Why Join?
    • Our Schools
    • Join Our Trust
    • Trust Teaching and Learning Strategies
  • Key Info
    • Trustees and Members
    • Articles of Association
    • Governance Structure
    • Scheme of Delegation
    • Statutory Documents
  • Careers
    • Vacancies at our Trust and in our schools
    • Professional Development
  • Podcast CPD
    • Listen to our Podcast
    • Find out how to use Podcast CPD

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