Central Services Team

Wendy Munro is the Operations Director and Chief Operating Officer for Hope Sentamu Learning Trust. She brings extensive commercial experience to the role having worked as an Operations Director in the IT industry until 2005 before leaving to start her own business specialising in transforming organisations to implement core systems and procedures to meet industry standard/accreditation.

After her successful time in the commercial sector, Wendy was passionate about bringing her skills and expertise into the education sector where she would be able to have both a positive and moral impact. In 2011, she joined Vale of York Academy as School Business Manager before joining the Central Team as Chief Operating Officer.

At Hope Sentamu Learning Trust, Wendy’s role includes: Strategic development of the operational service offering within the central team; Support to existing schools within the Trust to ensure operational effectiveness; Compliance; Procurement exercises including tendering; Due diligence process; and academy conversions. 

Simon Bryan-Smith has worked within finance and forecasting in different organisations and roles across various business sectors since 1998. Qualifying through the CIMA accountancy route in 2007 Simon accepted the role of Finance Director at the Leeds based charity Caring For Life taking the charity through a period of considerable change. A 2 year contract with Defra followed before taking on the role in Manor CE School just before academy conversion in 2011.

Mandy is the Human Resources Director for Hope Sentamu Learning Trust with duties around driving people management strategy and managing the HR functions across the Trust.

Mandy first became a HR professional in 1994 at a large aerospace manufacturing company. This was followed by eight years as a HR consultant working with small businesses in a variety of sectors before joining Archbishop Sentamu Academy as a HR Manager in 2010.  Mandy’s role has grown in line with the expansion of Sentamu Academy Learning Trust and its merger with Hope Learning Trust. 

Mandy has been a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development for more than 20 years and shared her passion for Human Resources with CIPD students as a part-time lecturer at Beverley College for a number of years.

Karen is the Trust Operations Manager. Her roles includes: supporting the Chief Operating Officer; providing operational services within the Central Team; supporting the schools within the Trust; overseeing procurement, maintaining safe and healthy work environments by establishing, following and enforcing standards and procedures; complying with legal regulations. Before joining the Central Team, Karen was Premises Manager at Manor CE Academy.

Liz is the Compliance and Executive Support Officer for the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust. Her role includes: having oversight of Trust policies and procedures and ensuring compliance, a full range of administrative functions, the coordination and communication of issues relating to compliance and governance across the Trust, she is the primary contact for GDPR, Subject Access Requests and Freedom of Information requests, Liz also manages the meeting calendar and schedules meetings for SLT colleagues.

Liz joined the Trust in September 2019. Prior to this Liz worked for the City of York Council as a Governance Advisor/Support Officer. Originally trained as an Archaeologist Liz started her career working in the museum sector as a Finds Specialist.

Chris is a HR Officer for the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust. Her role includes supporting all the primary and secondary schools within the Trust with disciplinary investigations and hearings, grievances, sickness absence, recruitment and selection, policy and toolkit development, face to face, telephone and written advice and guidance, restructures, TUPE transfers, safeguarding and child protection concerns etc.

Chris joined the Trust in March 2017. Prior to this Chris worked for Wakefield Metropolitan District Council for 14 years supporting schools and services.

Chris has a Postgraduate Diploma in Personnel Management and a BSc (Hons) in Psychology. She is an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Laura is a HR Officer for the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust. Her role includes supporting all the primary and secondary schools within the Trust with a range of HR matters including employee welfare, disciplinary investigations and hearings, sickness absence management, recruitment and selection, by providing face to face, telephone and written advice.

Laura joined the Trust in June 2019 and prior to this worked within the HR function for Logistics and Hospitality companies for 11 years.

Laura is CIPD Qualified and she is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Tania deals with all the Purchase ledger duties for the Trust and is responsible for payments and bank reconciliation for all schools within the Trust. Tania has a vast amount of experience working within Accounting from Military, Private Hospital, Construction to IT software company and holds Qualified Association of Accounting Technician – Level 4.

I have worked in a finance function role since graduating from The University of Humberside in 1995 with a BSc (Hons) in Finance with Business. My most recent role was in the print and technology sector where I worked for 18 years, managing a small finance & payroll team. I have experience in all areas of the finance function, from purchase ledger right through to the preparation of monthly management accounts.

Since completing my AAT level 3 and gaining my AATQB qualification I am also looking to complete my AAT level 4.

I was born and raised in Scarborough and attended Graham School before moving on to college. I worked in the tourism industry before completing a Business Administration apprenticeship in the Motor Trade where I spent the next 4.5 years working through the different accounting roles and working through the AAT levels. I joined the education sector in May 2021 becoming a Finance Assistant at a Trust in Scarborough before becoming a Finance Officer at HSLT in November 2021. I am looking forward to this next step in my career and also to continuing to develop my accounting skills and knowledge.

Margarita is the Purchase Ledger Clerk for all schools within the Trust and has a Level III Diploma in Manual and Computerised Bookkeeping and is a Member of The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers. Before joining the Trust Margarita spent over 10 years’ working in a biotech company where she managed purchase and sales ledgers.

Megan joined Hope Sentamu Learning Trust as an Accounts Apprentice, working with the Purchase Ledger Team. She is currently looking forward to training with the team and working towards her AAT qualifications. Prior to joining the Trust, she worked within Retail.

Shan Brough Jones works on a part-time basis for Hope, supporting the primary schools in the Trust. She will continue her independent consultancy, alongside her work as a Diocesan Adviser. She brings a wealth of experience and understanding of the primary and early years phase to the work of the Trust.

Anouska joined Hope Sentamu Learning Trust in February 2021, as the Trust Inclusion Lead, as part of the School Improvement Team.

She has extensive experience at senior leadership level, having held multiple pastoral roles for over a decade. She has specific and specialist knowledge in safeguarding, behaviour systems and management, attendance and student personal development. Anouska is also a specialist leader in education.

Working with the Trust, Anouska’s primary focus is to work across all phases, ensuring all students can meet their full potential.

Anouska role is to provide senior and middle leaders, with the support and challenge to ensure outstanding practise pervades all aspects of pastoral care and safeguarding.

Heather Wright is acting Director of English and joins the team from her senior leadership position at Hope Sentamu Learning Trust’s Barlby High School. Her role is to provide Leaders of English and their teams with the support and challenge to ensure that outstanding teaching and learning is taking place across the Trust’s secondary schools and that students leave education with their very best outcomes. Heather is a Specialist Leader of Education and, prior to working for Hope Sentamu Learning Trust, she has worked with several schools in improving English and literacy provision at all secondary key stages. Heather is also experienced in working with early careers teachers and works closely with English teams across the trust to support high quality training. 

Jim joined the Trust as Director of Mathematics in September 2018 and has over 20 years of experience working at numerous schools at all levels of mathematics and senior leadership. He works closely within the Secondary Schools Improvement Team to raise the teaching of mathematics standards across the Trust. He supports the schools mathematics leader to identify areas for improvement and provides quality assurance measures. He leads on providing one-on-one support for colleagues who require it and also works closely with ITT maths students within the Trust’s teaching school.

Jim believes passionately in raising standards of education thus enabling all students to achieve so much more than they thought was possible, providing them with the very best of opportunities for their future. Jim is married to Claire and has 3 older teenager girls who provide his support and drive.

Kirsty Mills is the Lead Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinator for the primary sector of Hope Sentamu Learning Trust. Kirsty works to ensure that all children with special educational needs or disabilities can access the high quality provision across the Trust.

Kirsty has been a primary school teacher for over 25 years in York and North Yorkshire. Kirsty has a BA Honours in English Literature and Psychology, a postgraduate certificate in Education and has recently finished her National Award for SEN Co-ordination. This has enabled her to take up the exciting post of Lead SEN Co-ordinator across the five Hope Trust primary schools.

Originally from Ireland, Brian joined the Trust in 2015 as an English teacher at Manor CE Academy, and is currently the Trust’s ITT (Initial Teacher Training) and Early Career Lead. Brian completed a PhD in English Literature in 2010 at University of Stirling and holds a MA and BA from University College Dublin.

Brian has taught both young people and adults in secondary and tertiary education environments in Ireland, Poland, Scotland and England and has worked in four different secondary schools. As ITT and EC Lead, Brian oversees the School Direct and Early Careers programmes our Trust offers, liaising with key partners such as York St John University, Teach First and Pathfinder Teaching Schools Hub to monitor and support our schools, mentors and early career teachers to flourish and thrive.

In particular, Brian enjoys facilitating ITT and Early Career training sessions as well as developing mentoring and coaching materials to support staff’s professional development, such as the Trust’s Mentor Development Series.