Trust Education Leads

The Trust have a team of Local and Specialist Leaders of Education (LLEs/SLEs) from our Teaching School Alliance who are deployed across our academies sharing their expertise to promote and support school improvement. These are outstanding Middle and Senior leaders who have the skills to develop the leadership capacity of individuals and teams in schools, using coaching or facilitating that draws their knowledge and expertise in their specialist area.

Samantha Wakeling - Executive Headteacher for Catalyst Academies Trust 

Samantha has worked with a wealth of colleagues and coached and supported them in developing an aspirational approach to teaching and learning, ensuring that every child is offered the very best education, encouraging them to reach their full potential, regardless of background or starting point.

She is incredibly passionate about ensuring that this ethos is inherent in any school in which she is deployed and believes that no leader should accept underperformance and actively endeavours to ensure that all staff adopt the key principles that every child can make outstanding progress if nurtured and taught by outstanding practitioners.

Her own drive to ensure the very best for all pupils is clearly communicated to all staff, and she always leads by example. Samantha is dedicated in her role as Executive Headteacher for Catalyst Academies Trust and Headteacher at Quarry Hill Academy and believes that as a senior leader, we need to ensure that the training of all staff provides the opportunity for developing the future system leaders.

All staff and pupils have embraced the mantra that they can be the best, and with such self-belief and a limitless growth mind-set, success inevitably ensues.

Rhys Latham - Deputy Executive Headteacher for Catalyst Academies Trust 

Rhys, Deputy Executive Headteacher for Catalyst Academies Trust and Headteacher at Dilkes Academy, has been part of the team since 2005. In his role as a trainer for National Science Learning Centre, and Strategic Lead for our Teaching School, his passion and drive to improve Teaching and Learning, and make a difference to other schools in the delivery of the curriculum has shone through. Teaching, for Rhys, is a child-centred activity, focusing on development academically, socially and emotionally.

Rhys also oversees the highly successful Personalised Learning Centre which supports  pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans for SEMH to develop socially and emotionally, enabling them to become resilient and self-regulate.

Rhys recognises the importance of learning as a continuous journey and has completed a Master’s in Education, exploring the impact of action research on professional development.  Rhys is proud to lead an outstanding school, initiating and supporting further improvements and  sharing these with others, particularly embracing outreach opportunities to other schools

Sam Oxley 

In her role as Head of School, Sam has led a successful OFSTED in 2023 achieving a 'Good' judgement and overseen the growth of Benyon from a one to two form primary school. As a leader working in the Trust, Sam believes in the vision that all children can achieve, inspiring her staff to have high aspirations, through providing quality CPD and leadership development opportunities.

Through her work as a PPG Reviewer she has supported SLTs to evaluate their provision and create a bespoke action plan, and improve their practice, drawing on her own experience of leading a school with high deprivation, where outcomes are well above National expectations.

Furthermore, Sam has developed a culture within the school that actively supports mental health and wellbeing with the introduction of a number of successful initiatives to ensure that pupils, parents and staff are well supported, with a positive impact on all areas of school life.

Sinéad Viner

Sinéad, Head of School at Aveley Primary, has been in education for over 25 years and has significant leadership experience. A sharp focus on school improvement resulted in the school achieving the best KS2 outcomes in 2024. In June 2023, Aveley Primary School secured an improved Ofsted judgement of 'Good' from Ofsted from the previous judgement of 'Requires Improvement'. 

During her career to date, Sinéad has taught in all year groups in primary, has lead a number of subjects and was previously a SENCo. Sinead lead the opening of the highly successful Aveley Resource Centre, a specialist provision within the school for 10 children with Autism in 2022.

Sinéad is dedicated to ensuring that all children are provided with the very best educational experience. She effectively uses assessment and data analysis as an integral part of securing good progress for all pupils. She has been a Local Authority KS1 Moderator for a number of years, ensuring this process is robust and fair. Sinéad is passionate about developing staff and has skills in mentoring and coaching teachers, LSA's, trainee teachers and staff in leadership roles. 

Martin Curtis

Martin is the Head of School of Somers Heath Primary School and leads the Trust Appropriate Body work in partnership with the local Teaching School Hub, leading the school to achieving a 'Good' Ofsted rating in December 2021. Martin has worked in a number of schools leading CPD with a focus on developing the use of technology to support the school community in excellent teaching & learning. He also has a passion for the use of assessment for learning to make lessons relevant to the needs of the children.

Helen Rice - SEN

Since working within Catalyst Academies as a SENCO and currently as Lead SENCO for the Trust, Helen has worked at putting clear systems in place, and refining them on an ongoing basis to support a whole school, outcomes based, graduated approach to special educational needs. The OFSTED report for Quarry Hill Academy from June 2016 where Helen was then SENCO, states that “The special educational needs coordinator rigorously tracks the progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teaching assistants are highly trained and effective in supporting pupils’ learning. Consequently, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress.” Helen has detailed knowledge around many aspects of special educational need, gained through prior experience over a number of years working as an Area SENCO for Thurrock Local Authority, alongside her current role as Lead SENCO where she has been supporting SENCOs within the Trust in their role and leading on whole school SEND reviews across the Trust. Helen also has experience in and can offer training around various aspects of special educational need, offering advice on practice and provision in these areas. Helen is motivated to lead in the development of systems and processes within other schools, and to see the impact of them in improving outcomes for children with SEND.