Executive Team (ID 1218)

• Kevin Sexton
  Chief Executive Officer
  Kevin Sexton

  Career summary

  • Executive Headteacher Leading Chesterfield High School where Kevin has been since 2012; Headteacher for last 5 years. Before that role Kevin was the Deputy Head responsible for Progress, Attainment & Standards. Kevin started his time at Chesterfield as an AHT in charge of Behaviour & Personal Development. Currently an Ofsted Inspector with particular focus on Secondary, AP, SEND and Independent Schools.
  • Currently on a number of Local Authority Boards including Sefton Education Coordination Group, Sefton's Emotional Health & Wellbeing Group, Sefton Safer Community Group and Sefton Youth Offending Board. Kevin delivers ECF Training and NPQ Training for Best Practice Network and previously Ambition Institute.
  • Before Kevin entered Teaching he worked in Training and Development work with NHS Public Health, Social Services and NHS Trusts in Bedfordshire and Manchester.

  Skills, knowledge and experience

  • Public Sector Leadership
  • Finance & Staffing
  • Governance & Oversight
  • Marketing & Public Relations
  • Educational Leadership
  • School Improvement

• Mel Wright
  Chief Finance & Operations Officer (interim)
  Mel Wright

  Career summary

  • Business Manager just under a year in a large secondary academy leading the finance, HR, estates and compliance functions; programme leadership role for the development and implementation of governance, core service offer, systems and processes for an emerging multi-academy trust.
  • Fourteen years in the NHS leading a range of system and infrastructure transformation programmes.
  • Twenty years’ experience in senior administrative roles and business management across a range of sectors including legal, construction, manufacturing and racing.

  Skills, knowledge and experience

  • Programme and project leadership specialist.
  • Held several senior programme management roles within the NHS, working in complex systems and across multiple organisations developing, implementing and embedding strategy, governance, policy and risk management.  
  • Extensive experience in corporate governance, leading the corporate governance function for statutory NHS bodies and has led the internal processes in relation to authorisation of two NHS statutory bodies, as well as forming ‘place partnerships’ between NHS, local authority and voluntary sector as mandated in national guidance. 
  • Leadership of regulatory assurance processes in relation to large scale transformational change and public consultation. 

Headteachers (ID 1220)

• Ruth Baldwin
  Waterloo Primary School
  Ruth Baldwin

  Career summary

  • Ruth has been a Senior Leader in her current school for nearly 20 years. She is currently Headteacher of a primary school with four specialist ASD bases, a family well-being centre and a newly opened nursery.

  • Ruth also works for Sefton School Improvement Board as a professional partner supporting schools who are RI or inadequate supporting them make the journey to good. Ruth is also on the Sefton School Improvement Group and Sefton Forum, Ruth sits on an extensive range of LA committees to support the work of schools on SEND and Special Schools.

• Karen Lynskey
  The Rowan Schools
  Karen Lynskey

  Career summary

  • Karen has been Headteacher in her current school for over 12 years. Moved the school from good to Outstanding; and maintained this for a further two inspections. During this time, she has served on a number of Boards for the Sefton LA, including SEND Forum and Sefton LA School Improvement Board. She led the Teaching School and ran an ITT programme for QTS Primary with SEND.
  • Karen has extensive experience of working in the SEND field and supports schools across the North West in her work as a NASEN SEND Reviewer and Trainer. She regularly contributes to the work of Whole School SEND School report.
  • Karen Chairs the Sefton Special Schools network leading a number of School Improvement Projects currently on the curriculum; especially Maths and English. Karen has Chaired the Merseyside Special Schools Forum. In this role she coordinated CPD for 18 Special Schools and led projects on CEIAG/Enterprise and Peer reviews. She is currently supporting new MATs develop their SEND work in the Salford Diocese area.

• Paul Lindley
  Chesterfield High School
  Paul Lindley

  Career summary

  • Paul was appointed as Acting Head Teacher in July 2023 to support the school’s development within the MAT. He was previously Deputy Head Teacher in charge of the daily operation of the school following a range of roles within the senior leadership team during the past 8 years. 
  • In recent years, he has been strategic lead for Attendance, Safeguarding and Behaviour and been part of local and national networks to maintain the development of the school in these areas. He has worked closely with Behaviour Hubs to develop new approaches to improving attendance post pandemic.

• Paul Swift
  Forefield Junior School
  Paul Swift

  Career summary

  • Paul has been a Headteacher for over 14 years in schools across the North West. In his current role he has been actively involved in the development of the Mathematics Curriculum across the local area Teaching & Learning partnership.
  • Paul has been a Headteacher for ten years and a senior leader for over twenty, in schools across the North West. He represents other headteachers on Sefton’s SACRE and has a keen interest in developing provision for well-being – for pupils, staff and families. As part of his Senior Mental Health Lead training he has introduced the principles of therapeutic classrooms at FJS. The impact is now being shared with Sefton schools.

• Beverley Roberts
  Forefield Infants & Nursery School
  Beverley Roberts

  Career summary

  • Newly appointed as Headteacher at her current school, however Beverley has previously worked in the same school as Snr Assistant Headteacher since 2012 with responsibility within that period for EYFS and more recently KS1. Within that period, as snr assistant headteacher, Beverley has led on Teaching, learning and assessment and Curriculum design and development.
  • Previously worked for Knowsley LA in 2 different schools. Worked as a Children’s Centre Teacher, supporting PVI’s in providing high quality Early Year’s provision across different Children Centre sites and PVI’s within the borough.
  • Beverley has worked as an EYFS Moderator for both Sefton and Knowsley and has supported schools with provision, assessment and moderation outcomes.

  Skills, knowledge and experience relevant to trustee role

  • Experience and knowledge in EYFS - working across both the private and maintained sector with children from birth to 5 with a wide range of training, qualifications and experience in this area.
  • More recently Beverley has focused on leading on primary curriculum design and development.

• Helen Tantouri
  Valewood Primary School
  Helen Tantouri

  Career summary

  • Helen has been a Headteacher for over 14 years in her current school. The school is now the most oversubscribed school in Sefton.
  • Helen has held roles in the Sefton LA School Improvement Service as a Lead Primary Strategy Consultant and the Lead LA Moderator for Reading and Writing. She has led on leadership support in schools judged to be ‘causing concern’ by the LA and has provided support for curriculum leaders in the run up to school inspections.
  • Previous to this work for Sefton LA, Helen held a number of leadership positions in schools across the country, including Deputy Headteacher in a Greek Orthodox Primary School in London.
  • Helen leads and hosts the Sefton Deputy Headteachers’ & Assistant Headteachers’ termly forums, organising and hosting the annual conference. She also plays a key role in the Crosby Teaching & Learning Partnership; leading on the Art curriculum across the cluster, as well as engaging schools in community Art projects, regionally.
  • Given Valewood’s outstanding inclusion practice, Helen is a member of Sefton’s SEND Forum. She is called upon to support other schools address and improve issues of SEND and to also develop pupil voice, via the UNICEF accreditation programme, as Valewood is a Rights Respecting School- Gold.
  • Helen also attends Sefton’s Education & Mental Health Group, working with North West NHS partners and Sefton’s Children’s Services to cascade good practice across the sectors.