Meet the Team

Meet the Team

Executive Team (part of the Executive Board)

Abigail Rourke

Chief Executive Officer

Abigail is the CEO of The Children First Learning Partnership. She has over 30 years of experience in education, with 20 of those years being at a senior leadership level. As a National Leader in Education with expertise in System Leadership, she has overseen the improvement of many schools on their journey to Good and Outstanding.

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She initiated the development of the Learning First Federation in 2016 and in 2019, the creation of the Children First Learning Partnership Trust and the successful onboarding of new member schools.

Jonathan Howard

Chief Financial Officer

Jonathan is the Chief Financial Officer at the Children First Learning Partnership with responsibility for ensuring the financial accountability and long-term viability of the academy trust. Jonathan has a wealth of experience from working 30 years across a range of local authority services and schools and has built a very high-standard finance and administration team at the Children First Learning Partnership.

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Jonathan has experience in financial accounting, business administration, HR, audit, premises management and service delivery. Jonathan’s qualifications include a BA (Hons) degree in Business Studies, AAT, CSBM, DSBM and Certificate in financial reporting for academies.

As Chief Financial Officer, Jonathan ensures the financial health of the Children First Learning Partnership, implementing the financial actions and strategic moves to attain the vision of being one of the highest performing and constantly improving Trusts in the country. A challenge that Jonathan thrives on.

Victoria Mills

Chief Operations Officer

As Chief Operations Officer at the Children First Learning Partnership, Victoria Mills plays a critical role in aligning operational activities with strategic goals, contributing to the overall success and growth of our educational institutions.

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Victoria’s qualifications include a Bsc (Hons) Business Degree from Lancaster University and she later completed a Diploma in School Business Management.

With a robust background spanning over 11 years in the business sector and more than 7 years devoted to education, Victoria has cultivated a diverse and comprehensive skill set. She has strategic and operational expertise in Human Resources, premises management, financial management and her specialist areas include strategic marketing, IT integration, project management, collaborative people management, risk management and business management support.

School Leaders (part of the Executive Board)

Brian Anderson

Headteacher, Springhead Primary School

Brian is an experienced headteacher with 22 years in the role and over 35 years working in education. During this time, he has been a primary class teacher, ICT advisory teacher and deputy head.

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He has been a member of a number of committees and working groups including a member of The Royal Shakespeare Companies Education Advisory Group, North Staffordshire Representative on the Staffordshire Primary Headteacher Forum, a school governor and school IEB member, a member of The All Souls Group which debates national education policy, a member of a Staffordshire SEND working group and he was a member of the coordinating committee for the Stoke ‘One City’ project when it became unitary authority.

Brian is passionate about making learning active and relevant for children and preparing them to become productive members of society.

Lee Anderson-Pugh

Head of School, The Reginald Mitchell Primary School

Lee is Head of School at Reginald Mitchell Primary School.

The school was originally called Butt Lane Primary School but was changed in 1951 as a lasting tribute to Reginald Mitchell, the designer of the Spitfire fighter aeroplane. Mitchell was born within earshot of our school and it was hoped that his immense contribution to our country would inspire future generations.

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The school is located within the Staffordshire Local Authority and caters for the community of Butt Lane and surrounding areas. Children are welcomed from the ages of 3-11 and our aim is to provide the finest educational experience in a caring, safe, bright and stimulating environment.

Elizabeth Goodyear

Headteacher, Castlechurch Primary School

Elizabeth Goodyear is a Headteacher at CFLP and has led extensive CPD and training across our Trust. She has also supported SEND leaders across our schools to develop provision and create a bank of support resources and documents to assist staff and leaders in enhancing teaching and learning within the classroom. She has also supported in quality assurance visits allowing the leaders to demonstrate the impact of the training on provision.

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Elizabeth has led the development of CFLP’s SEND Hub and created highly effective link inclusion roles across all schools in CFLP. This has allowed SEND leaders to share and review good practice as part of our overall school-to-school support.

Carolyn Hodson

Headteacher, Kingsfield First School
Carolyn Hodson is the newly appointed Headteacher at Kingsfield First School from September 2023.

Carolyn’s 20 years in primary education have provided her with a wealth of experience in teaching and leadership. She is a Specialist Leader in Education for Maths, and qualified as a Maths Specialist Teacher.

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Carolyn previously taught at Knypersley First School for five years, which means she understands the dynamics and strategic workings of the Children First Learning Partnership. She was previously the Assistant Headteacher and then became the Head of School, which gave her both a taste of the challenges and the joys that leading a school can bring.

Carolyn is very much looking forward to working in partnership with the staff, children, governors and parents to help Team Kingsfield to be the best that they can be.

Lorraine Jukes

Headteacher, Oxhey First School

Lorraine Jukes is Headteacher of Oxhey First School and joined CFLP in 2020. Her experience includes Head of School in a two-form entry primary school in Stoke on Trent and was an Early Years Ofsted Inspector for several years as well as a local authority moderator and support partner.

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Lorraine has led Oxhey from Good to Outstanding in their most recent Ofsted inspection. Lorraine is strategic lead for Safeguarding across our Trust and has led the development of a Trust-wide safeguarding audit tool and the creation of highly effective link safeguarding roles across our schools and Safeguarding Champion. She works closely with the LA safeguarding team providing feedback on policy and the impact of key agency work.

Central Support Team

Lucy Siddorn

Senior Office & Financial Services Manager

Lucy Siddorn is a seasoned and dynamic Senior Office and Financial Services Manager with a proven track record of excellence in the financial and educational industry.

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With a solid foundation in project management working for Barclays Bank for 14 years, Lucy has honed her skills in financial analysis, risk management, and strategic planning. Having worked in schools for the past 15 years, the previous skillset has been utilised to ensure the smooth running of the business administration, HR and Finance aspects of the school offices.

Lucy adeptly communicates processes and procedures in a clear and concise manner, fostering trust and transparency. Her attention to detail, effective communication skills and ability to build good relationships with all stakeholders means she thrives in challenging environments, excelling in problem-solving and decision-making. The Service Level Agreements for all CFLP schools are managed by Lucy to ensure that maximum cost savings are achieved whilst still providing the best service.

Lucy holds a foundation degree in Project Management, a certificate in ITIL principles and a Diploma in School Business Management.

Nicki Smith

Office & Financial Services Manager

Nicki has worked for the past 3 years as Office and Financial Services Manager for Knypersley First School and Kingsfield First School. Responsibilities cover a wide range of finance and HR areas.

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She has worked in Education since 2011 previously being based at Reginald Mitchell Primary School as Office Manager. Before moving into education, Nicki worked in the banking sector for 24 years in many varied roles.

Over the years, Nicki has developed many transferable skills that she implements successfully within the Trust and still loves a spreadsheet!

Sarah Lloyd

Office & Financial Services Manager

Sarah joined the Trust in June 2022 as Castlechurch’s Office, Finance & Service Manager. She is a dedicated and focussed finance and human resources professional with over 10 years of experience in managing financial operations and providing strategic guidance.

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Sarah has proven expertise in streamlining office procedures, implementing financial solutions, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. She oversees the invoicing processes within the trust as well as auditing, the PTFA accounts for all schools.

Sarah’s attention to detail allows her to conduct financial analysis to support decision-making processes, identifying areas for improvement and efficiency.

April Edge

Data Officer and Clerical Support

April plays a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth operation of the school’s administrative machinery and leads the functionality of the schools MIS systems for the CFLP trust.

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April ensures compatibility and seamless integration of the MIS across multiple schools and end users. This involves working with all schools to ensure that complex data sets are transformed into clear and actionable reports that provide valuable insights and key information to all stakeholders within the CFLP.

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