Jane Owens MBE FRSA

Member & Trustee (Chair)

Jane chairs the Oak Trees Multi-Academy Board and was a founder member.

Jane has several other roles across the region including being is a Member of a Wirral SAT Board, chair of the board at a Wirral Special School, chair of the board at a maintained Wirral school, chair of the board at a Liverpool Primary School, a Member at a Cheshire West and Chester MAT and also chair of the local governing board at a Faith School in Liverpool.

Jane was appointed as one of the first cohort of governors designated as National Leaders of Governance in 2012 and she was re-designated in 2014before the role was removed by the Department for Education. Jane also freely supports and mentors local and national Chairs of Governors. Jane works locally and nationally completing External Reviews of Governance, Health Checks and Performance and Impact Reviews across all sectors and formed her own company Purple Governance in 2014 to cover her wider paid role as a governance consultant.

Jane was awarded an MBE in 2016 for services to education and was awarded the Wirral Award for her work with schools across Wirral. She also holds several personal memberships to ensure that she keeps up to date with current educational thinking and is a proprietor at The Athenaeum in Liverpool engaging with wider communities across the North West. She is also a Guiding Ambassador for Wirral.

Pip Joyce

Pip was born in Wolverhampton and was a former International Ski Racer and British Champion before training to be a teacher at Chester College.

She moved to Wirral and had 29 years experience in primary education. She taught in every age group at Irby Primary School before becoming Advisory Teacher for Humanities, supporting both primary and secondary schools in the Local Authority. After this she became Deputy Headteacher at Great Meols Primary School and subsequently Headteacher for over 15 years. During this time she enabled the school to move from being judged Good to Outstanding by Ofsted. As a successful leader, she was then invited by the Local Authority to be part of the Wirral Locality Board to provide school to school support for struggling schools.

As Headteacher, she worked closely for a number of years with a group of local Headteachers as part of a collaborative network to share and develop good practice. This resulted in the formation of Oak Trees MAT, with Pip being one of the founding Headteachers. Since retiring, she has been working with Liverpool John Moores University to support trainee teachers. Personal interests include skiing, cycling, motor biking, walking and narrow boating along with enjoying her dogs and grandchildren.

Emma Neal

Emma Neal was both Deputy Headteacher and Headteacher at Stanton Road Primary spanning a period of 17 years at the helm of one of our academies. She was one of the original members of the Network group of Headteachers’ whose schools worked together for over 10 years and through which Oak Trees Multi-Academy Trust was formed.

Emma now works as a school and early years setting improvement consultant both within her own business as well as for Chester Diocese Academies Trust. In these roles Emma works both locally, across the Northwest and in London supporting a wide variety of types of school and settings, from very small schools to very large, some independently owned, LA maintained or part of other academy chains. This has resulted in gaining in experience across the full range of deprivation indices and with schools in a variety of Ofsted categories from Inadequate to Outstanding.

Emma’s passions of SEND and EYFS have led her to undertake some specialist work in those sectors. In EYFS Emma leads experts in Wirral and Waltham Forest in the Department for Education Recovery Programme supporting day nurseries, PVI’s and maintained nursery school classes in their recovery work with children post COVID. She acts as a consultant for Early Excellence, a well-known National EYFS Company. Her SEND work has taken her into the special school sector delivering INSET and working with Senior Leaders on aspects of school improvement.

Emma is a co-opted governor of a primary school on Wirral and a parent governor of a school in Cheshire West and Cheshire attended by her two children.

Beverley Greathead

Beverley was born and raised on the Wirral before leaving to study at university. She moved to London and taught in Inner London for 10 years. Whilst there she was invited to support the development of the new role of SEN leader and was also an advisor for BBC Schools’ programmes.

On returning to Wirral she taught in two primary schools before becoming Advisory teacher for English and Literacy for Wirral schools. After this she was appointed deputy head at The Priory CE Primary School and then headteacher at Poulton Lancelyn Primary School. It was here she worked with a group of headteachers to develop a network of schools. After many years working together sharing good practice, she became one of the founding headteachers of Oak Trees MAT.

Her career in education also included Quality Assurance for trainee teachers at Chester University and mentoring newly appointed headteachers.

On retirement she became a trustee at a national literacy charity where she is now Vice Chair of the trust and so continues her passion for encouraging children to become confident, enthusiast readers.

Zoe Wakelam

As a former pupil, Zoe spent seven happy years at Stanton Road and is proud to have been part of the School community since December 2013 as a Parent Governor. Zoe is now a Co-opted Governor at Stanton Road. Zoe has recently been co-opted onto the board of Trustees.

Following secondary education at Wirral Grammar School for Girls, she studied English Literature and Sociology at Liverpool Hope University. After graduation, she joined her current employer, a large accountancy firm in Liverpool. Zoe now works part time advising a portfolio of small and medium sized enterprises and owner managed businesses, both in corporate tax compliance matters and advisory work. She is also responsible for delivering the organisations contribution to local charitable and social enterprise projects. Outside of her work interests, Zoe enjoys spending time with her family and friends, being a School Governor and a member of the Girl Guiding where she is also Bebington Division Secretary.

Murray Freeman

Murray has worked for the NHS since 1977. He was a GP in Birkenhead until March 2019. His main interests are mental health and wellbeing. Murray has held a wide range of management posts over the last 30 years to improve patient care. He was involved in undergraduate and post graduate medical education for over 20 years. Murray is currently a non-executive director of Mersey Care NHS Trust – a mental health and community services trust based in Liverpool. He is also a specialist adviser to the Care Quality Commission and a trustee of Autism Together. Murray is very pleased to be working with the Oak Trees MAT and contributing to its continuing success.

Paul Aitchison

Paul is an experienced secondary school leader, having taught History and Law at Wirral Grammar School for Girls since 2014. He is currently an assistant headteacher and the Head of Sixth Form, having previously been a head of department and the school’s Head of Careers.

Sean Hennelly

Sean has a background in technology companies and is currently the Chief Operating Officer for Intoware, a company specialising in software tools that enable companies to carry out inspections, health and safety checks, maintenance procedures and more. Sean grew up in Nottingham, attending state schools and then going on to study Law at the University of Sunderland and on to study for a Masters degree in Law (with a specialism in Human Rights) at the University of Nottingham. Sean also spent some time working as a legal academic at the University of Leicester prior to moving into the technology sector.

Sean is passionate about education and has a young family. When he is not working, Sean enjoys playing golf at Upton-by-Chester Golf Club where he is a member and a director of the golf club’s board, and spending time with family and friends.

Gary Turner

Gary is a retired Chartered Surveyor. He was a partner in a Liverpool based surveying practice and has 40 years experience dealing with commercial property throughout the UK.

He was a governor at Heswall Primary School for over 20 years, including 10 years as Chair

Alyssa Rhymes

Alyssa has 35 years’ experience as a Senior Executive Board member within blue chip FTSE 100, 250 corporations, SME and not for profit organisations. She brings a strong track record of building corporate strategy, leading major transformational change, and cultural ethos, running large operational businesses in the UK & Internationally and working within customer and people focused organisations.

Alyssa lives in the North West and is delighted to be working alongside the Oak Trees team and Board to support delivery of the Trust’s strategic objectives and aspirations for the future.

Neil Millar

Neil is an experienced IT Professional who is currently working within the Higher Education sector for a University, responsible for driving and developing IT operational performance, strategy and governance, for a number for functions across the University.

Neil is passionate about providing young people with every opportunity available to realise and maximise their own potential, whist building confidence and skillsets to equip them to excel.

He has been a member of the Air Training Corps for many years with a vast amount of experience collaborating with multiple teams, functions and governing bodies to provide a fantastic range of activities, leaning and opportunities for ages 12-18.

Vicky Leary

Vicky has 36 years experience in education and has made it her mission to make the education experence accessible and inclusive to all. After art and dance projects during her degree which inspired her to go into education, it became her career goal to work towards improving inclusion and bringing equity to the educational opportunities available to children whose life challenges impact on their learning – emotionally, socially and academically.

Early in her career she studied with the Dyslexia Institute for a P.G Dip in Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) then moved onto Masters level study of Autism, Speech and Language, Thinking and Learning and Research Principles at Liverpool University before moving to Chester Universtiy to study Masters Level modules in Emotional Aspects of Learning, Behavioural Aspects of Learning and starting her dissertation. She has pursued professional development by attending many courses and conferences including a NASEN Conference in Bristol, Alternatives to Punishment in Ashbridge, multiple ADHD Foundation Courses in Liverpool, completing an ELKLAN course in Language for Autism, Trauma Super Confrence online during the pandemic, a Thrive presentation, ACES Awerness Taining and continually adding to her self-education with wide reading and engagement with online opportunities including those on Sensory Integration awareness, Transactional Analysis, PDA, Attachment and Trauma. Grief and Loss and many other relevant topics.

Stacia Pettersen

Stacia Pettersen is an experienced education leader, who brings extensive multi-agency and school improvement expertise to her role as a Trustee of Oak Trees Multi Academy Trust. Her background spans headship, executive leadership and local authority advisory roles, all focused on improving outcomes for children and young people.

Stacia is an experienced Director of Education, Executive Headteacher and former Head of SEND services for a local authority, with a substantial track record of school improvement across Early Years, primary, secondary, special and alternative provision. She is CEO and Director of Education of a specialist school improvement organisation, leading a national network of senior education professionals who support multi-academy trusts, local authorities and individual schools with leadership development, teaching and learning, SEND, behaviour and safeguarding.

She is an NPQH and NPQEL holder and also holds the National SENCO Award, QTS and Early Years Professional Status, reflecting a strong commitment to ongoing professional learning. Stacia is passionate about inclusive education, improving behaviour and attendance and reducing exclusions, and is delighted to be working with Oak Trees Multi Academy Trust to support its strategic aims and the success of all its pupils.

Leanne Ruth

I am a qualified lawyer, currently working for the Civil Service. I have lived on the Wirral all my life. My youngest daughter attends Thingwall Primary. We, as a family, have been impressed with the direction of the school since it joined the Oak Trees Multi Academy Trust, and we value the Trust’s ethos.

I have strong ties with Thingwall Primary School and the school parents’ association. I regularly attend their AGMs and volunteer at their school events.

I am passionate about making a difference and shaping the future of children and young people.

I feel that the skills I have built up throughout my legal career, such as team working, problem solving and leadership, are transferable in my role of a trustee.