Senior Leadership Team
MARK COLE
CEO
- Mark is the lead officer in the Trust.
- He works with headteachers and the central team to make sure they are doing the right things, in the right way, to get the best educational outcomes for all pupils.
- Mark has been teaching, leading and inspecting in education for 25 years.
- He is a qualified teacher, holds the National Professional Qualification for Headship and a Master’s Degree in Leadership.
- Mark has been a Headteacher, Executive Leader, Local Authority Advisor and was one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors. Mark remains an Ofsted Lead Inspector.
DAVE ELLISON-LEE
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
- Dave is the Director of Education for the Trust and the Trust Safeguarding Lead. He has strategic oversight of school improvement across the Trust, and is responsible for ensuring a high quality of education for all pupils, in line with the Rise vision.
- Dave has previously worked as an Executive Headteacher, Headteacher and school improvement partner for a large multi academy trust. He has successfully led both schools in crisis and those moving from good to great.
- Dave has led a variety of schools, ranging from growing free schools with small pupil numbers, to large inner-city schools with over 700 pupils. He is a trained primary school teacher, but has also been a headteacher of an all-through free school.
- He holds a Masters in Educational Leadership and is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. Dave has also worked with the Department for Education and Standards and Testing Agency on primary assessment and chaired a review of assessment practices for the National Association of Head Teachers.
HAMID RAVAT
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
- Hamid works with the trustees, senior leadership team and schools to lead and manage the Trust’s financial operations.
- He has worked in the education sector since 1999. His previous experience includes working for two further education colleges and a large multi academy trust.
- Hamid is a qualified chartered accountant and a fellow of the ICAEW. He has a strong track record of providing robust financial management and delivering operational efficiencies.
KERI HARVEY
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
- Keri has worked in the education sector for over 15 years and has gained a raft of knowledge and expertise in school finance and operations across both Primary, Secondary and Special schools.
- Keri is a qualified Accounting Technician (MAAT) and has recently completed the CIPFA Level 7 Certificate in School Financial and Operational Leadership.
- Keri is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and a Fellow of the Institute for School Business Leadership (ISBL).
BHANDNA BAGGA
DIRECTOR OF PEOPLE
- Bhandna works across the trust to ensure HR compliance and consistency, leading to enabling children and adults to succeed and flourish.
- She has a real drive and hands on approach in ensuring that we appoint the right people to create positive experiences for our young children.
- Bhandna comes with significant HR experience of working in the education sector where she has helped deliver HR strategy across a large multi academy trust.
- Bhandna is fully CIPD qualified with an active involvement in her own CPD.
MARIA BRADLEY
DIRECTOR OF GOVERNANCE & COMPLIANCE
- Maria is the Trust governance and compliance lead.
- She has been working in education since 1991, initially working in the Further Education sector and then moving into Primary in 1996.
- Maria achieved the CSBM in 2007 and went on to achieve the DSBM in 2010.
- She also achieved the TAQA in Business Administration and is about to embark on the Senior Leaders degree for school business professionals.