Andy is the School Improvement Leader for Maths at Stour Vale. Andy has previously been a successful Head of Department and Senior Leader in different schools and is now focusing his passion for developing mathematics within the cross-phase Trust and through the local authority. Andy is part of the Secondary Maths Mastery Specialist cohort and also works with Pearson as a Senior Assessment Associate at both Key Stage 2 and GCSE.

 Lead for Teacher Training and Development

Tom leads on teacher training and development at Stour Vale, working with a range of schools and HE providers to coordinate and deliver high-quality professional development for both trainee and experienced teachers. He has taught and led across EYFS, KS1 and KS2 in a variety of Dudley primary schools, having most recently been Assistant Headteacher at Olive Hill Primary Academy. Tom is also a Maths Mastery Specialist for the Central Maths Hub where he supports primary teachers and schools to develop their practice.

Lead for Teacher Training and Development

Vikki has worked as part of the Stour Vale ITT programme as Senior Mentor. She is currently a history teacher at Ridgewood High School and is Assistant Team Leader for Learning and Teaching. Vikki successfully completed her NPQ for Leading Teacher Development and is a trained Teacher Educator.

Chief Operations Officer

Louise is Chief Operations Officer at Stour Vale. She moved into the Central Team from one of the founding member schools in 2017 following several years spent working in the translation and localisation industry as a senior translator and editor for government and commercial clients.

Head of HR

Alison joined Stour Vale in 2024 as Head of HR. Alison’s previous roles include a senior HR role with a MAT in the South West, HR consultancy for the Education Sector as well as HR roles in the Charity and Defence sectors. Alison is a Chartered Member of the CIPD and accredited Safer Recruitment Trainer.

HR Officer

Satty started work at Wolverhampton City Council in 1997, where alongside work she continued to study to gain her CIPD qualification. In 2005 Satty moved to working in Education within HR roles; she worked in a SEN school and in three large secondary schools before moving to the Central Team.

Trust Estates and Procurement Lead

Dean has been working in secondary education for just over 15 years. For the last 5 years Dean has been the Operations Manager at one of our trust schools, Oldbury Academy. Dean has held a number of roles throughout his 15 years ranging from Learning Support Assistant to Non-Teaching Head of House. As Trust Estates and Procurement Lead Dean is responsible for ensuring all of the school sites are safe, sustainable and suitable for different learner needs. Using his knowledge of the different operations in education, Dean is able to ensure the buildings and services are tailored to each school need and also help develop the learners in them.

Dean is dedicated to working with staff, students and governors to ensure that the buildings we use to deliver outstanding teaching also enhance the learner experience.

Executive PA

Donna joined Stour Vale in September 2021, providing administrative support to the Executive Leadership Team. Prior to that, Donna held a number of administrative and business support roles in public sector bodies including the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Dudley Children’s Safeguarding Board and the National Probation Service.

Trust Administrator

Kelly joined Stour Vale in May 2023, providing administrative support to the operations team and the Initial Teacher Training programme. Prior to that, Kelly worked as a bank manager in branches across the West Midlands.

Administrative Assistant

Emma joined the central team in November 2024, having previously worked at one of the member schools, Huntingtree Primary School. Prior to that, Emma worked in a variety of sales administration and export roles.

Head of Finance

Jo is the Head of Finance at Stour Vale Academy Trust. She is a Chartered Accountant, originally qualifying with one of the Big 4 accounting firms. Jo worked in the insurance industry for 17 years, before moving into education. Jo supports the CFO in determining the strategic financial direction and management of financial operations of the academies within the Trust and member schools. She also works with the school business managers and others within schools to provide financial support.

 Trust Business Leader

Trust Finance Manager

Vic joined Stour Vale in February 2025 as the Trust Finance Manager, having previously worked as the Finance Team Leader at an IT company based in Worcestershire. Prior to this she worked as an Insolvency Examiner at The Insolvency Service.

Finance Assistant

Claire joined Stour Vale in 2019 as a Finance Assistant at Ridgewood High School before moving to the Central Team in May 2022 as Trust Finance Assistant. Prior to that, Claire held finance positions in the automotive and retail sectors.