Leadership & Operations Team
Tracy Swinburne OBE
English Hub Strategic Lead
Tracy Swinburne is our Trust Leader for the Accomplish MAT & our Strategic English Hub Lead. As a National Leader of Education, an experienced Executive Headteacher of a National Support School with over 23 years of teaching & leadership roles in inner city, urban, rural and international schools and most recently as the Head of School Improvement of a large LA and Regional Director of a large MAT.
Tracy has served as a Headteacher in 2 schools which have all reached optimum success. She has an extensive track record of supporting school improvement at local, national and international levels for schools and has led DFE Phonics & Curriculum initiatives in her schools. Leadership roles have included leading a whole local authority for school improvement, coaching leaders to improve their schools from special measures or requiring improvement to good or outstanding, leading teaching across the curriculum including in the EYFS, strategic development of senior and middle leaders and developing the culture within schools
Tracy has a particular passion for English and has led both national and international projects to ensure that children have the necessary early literacy skills to become fluent readers. Tracy has a relentless drive to ensure all Leaders and Teachers have a determined focus on reading in ensuring that every child becomes a confident reader in every Primary School. Tracy has a passion for strategically driving the work of the Jerry Clay English Hub to ensure that schools in the region are supported to raise standards in early reading and is excited about all future developments as the hub widens its delivery.
Leah Charlesworth
English Hub Lead – Delivery
Leah has diverse experience within the maintained and academy education sector spanning 31 years at local, regional and national level with over 20 years in executive positions. Her experience ranges from successful school leadership, leading a range of schools in challenging circumstances and through transformational leadership supporting them to improve significantly, to working within three different Local Authority teams in lead roles.
Leah works with a range of schools and academies, providing support, challenge and quality assurance for leaders. She delivers continuing professional development for leaders and staff at all levels that supports them to build the foundations of outstanding provision. Leah is a National Leader of Education (NLE), having led two schools from categories of concern to Ofsted Outstanding, securing and building the latter as a successful Teaching School.
Leah has played a key role in developing and implementing policies, liaising with DfE, RSC and Ofsted. She is passionate about securing the best possible educational provision for all children and has a particular passion for developing reading. Leah has led successful training and development in the leadership and teaching of reading, and is excited to join Jerry Clay English Hub on the next stage of their exciting journey.
Sally Mayman
Deputy English Hub Lead
Sally has over 22 years experience both teaching in the classroom as well as supporting colleagues in numerous schools, trusts and within the local authority. She has worked tirelessly in the delivery of effective phonics teaching, ensuring that EVERY child, regardless of their starting point, becomes a happy and successful reader. She has been instrumental at ensuring that colleagues know how to not only implement change, but that these changes are sustainable and effective for future success.
Sally has a wealth of experience and a proven track record of driving change and raising standards. She is relentless in her approach and will always lead by example and makes people believe that they too can make that change happen. Sally believes that all children have the right to an education which instils in them the belief that they will achieve. She is driven to succeed through providing an engaging, dynamic environment which breaks down barriers to learning where children know that anything is possible.
Sally joined the Jerry Clay English Hub as a Literacy Specialist and will now serve as Deputy Hub Lead. Sally works closely with the people around her to build strong relationships to ensure that every child gets through the reading gateway. She has supported many schools on their journey of effective phonics teaching and has been instrumental at developing others to believe that, with the right vision anything is possible. She is truly excited by the challenges that this role involves and by the potential huge impact that she can have in transforming early reading for ALL children across the region.
Yvonne Wells
Chief Finance Officer for Accomplish & Lead for Finance at JCEH
Yvonne Wells is an experienced Business Manager, having worked as a member of the SLT at Jerry Clay Academy for over 10 years. She is passionate about supporting school improvement. She has a strong financial background, prior to moving to the education sector she worked for O2 in Customer Service Finance and Strategy roles and she is a qualified chartered accountant.
Vicki moss
English Hub Administrator
Vicki Moss is the Administrator for English Hub. Vicki has joined the English Hub team alongside working in an Administrative role at Jerry Clay Academy. Vicki as Office Manager at JCA, has a vast experience of working in the academy sector. Vicki is passionate about the education of children and giving them the best opportunities to succeed.
Mandy Wood
English Hub Administrator
Mandy Wood is the Administrator for the English Hub.
Mandy has joined the English Hub team alongside being the Pastoral Support Assistant at Jerry Clay Academy. Mandy is passionate about the teaching of Phonics and is trained to deliver Phonics with fidelity & precision. She has extensive experience in fast track coaching with our lowest 20%. She brings this passion for early reading to her role as administrator, supporting our schools to be the best they can be for their children.
She joins the quest to ensure every child gets through the reading gateway.
Our Literacy Specialists Team
Liz Bellis
English Hub Literacy Specialist
Liz Bellis began teaching within the Early Years in 2006. Her experience includes teaching Nursery and Reception children. She is currently the Nursery Manager of a school’s off site Nursery. During her career she has also worked as a leading teacher for Communication Language and Literacy for Wakefield Local Education Authority. This role gave her the opportunity to work alongside other colleagues and advisory teachers and leading teachers to support schools in developing effective Phonics and CLLD throughout school to raise standards.
Liz has been an SLE since 2015. In this time she has worked in a number of schools. Recently she was part of the SSIF ‘Every Teacher a Reading Teacher’ project to develop reading and phonics amongst schools in Wakefield.
Liz has a passionate aim to inspire others to develop a love of Reading and develop phonics teaching that will inspire children’s love of reading and writing.
As an SLE she enjoys supporting others to develop their skills and knowledge as an enthusiastic and approachable colleague.
Ellenor Dixon
English Hub Literacy Specialist
Ellenor Dixon is an experienced Teacher across KS1. As a middle leader, she has a particular passion for Literacy and ensuring that every child becomes a fluent reader.
Ellenor has a passion for school-to-school support, most recently leading NQT training for 85 NQTs across Wakefield. The opportunity has allowed her to have a wider impact by supporting NQTs through a crucial year in their teaching career.
Ellenor thrives in mentoring and coaching other practitioners. Teachers from other settings often observe her teaching of Literacy, in particular, she has worked closely with them to develop their understanding of phonics and the impact a well-planned and established structure can have on children’s early reading. She strongly believes in improving practice and inspiring practitioners to be the best they can be.
Ellenor’s biggest motivation is ensuring all children achieve their very best. She is passionate that all children learn to read fluently and develop a love for reading.
Grace Slater
English Hub Literacy Specialist
Since qualifying as a primary school teacher in 2010, Grace has taught mostly in the early years and key stage one classrooms; she has an interest in early years education and has been an early years subject lead for the past twelve years. She loves being able to support the children from their very first days in school and see the progress that they make – particularly in the areas of language and literacy.
As phonics lead, Grace has worked with staff across her school and they continue to achieve a PSC trend well above the national average.
Grace understands the importance of quality interactions and working as a team to help to ensure that every child is ‘ready for life.’ She has worked with many trainee teachers and has completed the ‘Advanced mentor training programme’ certification with the local university.
With a continued passion for learning and literacy, in addition to working in school, Grace completed the TEFL qualification and has worked as an English consultant online to support EAL learners with the development of their literacy skills. She has also recently completed the new national professional qualification in leading literacy.
Grace loves how books can enthuse children and she is enjoying working collaboratively with the hub and reading leaders to help to ensure that a love of reading is fostered across schools.
Filippa England
English Hub Literacy Specialist
Filippa England has a wide experience of supporting pupils and staff across a multi-academy trust and as Specialist Leader in Education. She is currently the Learning and Achievement Leader for Every Child Matters Academy Trust in Barnsley and enjoys sharing effective practice within her schools, across Barnsley and local areas.
Having implemented and supported a successful phonics programme across the trust, she is passionate to ensure all children are successful, fluent readers with a passion for books and reading. Through diagnostic support and precise coaching, Filippa has supported schools build upon a strong start in reception and key stage 1 to ensure they receive consistent and high-quality teaching throughout their primary education. As such, she has been influential in improvements in literacy across each of the schools in the academy and across her local authority.
Her wealth of experience at supporting teachers and senior leadership teams, means she is able to support schools drive standards through a supportive and systematic approach. Filippa loves to share her love and passion for reading and language with schools across the region.
Laurabeth Kilkenny
English Hub Literacy Specialist
Laurabeth Kilkenny has been teaching for 15 years, and is an experienced Infant practitioner. She has been in her current role as Head of School for the last 2 years. Laurabeth believes that Reading is ‘the heart’ of the Curriculum and is passionate about ensuring that all children learn to read and develop a love of reading.
In her role as an SLE, Laurabeth supported schools across Wakefield as part of the SSIF ‘Every Teacher a Reading Teacher’ project, developing reading and phonics across EYFS, KS1 and KS2. For the past 5 years, she has been a KS1 moderator for Wakefield Local Authority and was part of the team that developed the Wakefield Local Authority Writing Exemplification Materials for Year 1 and Year 3.
In her second year with the hub, Laurabeth loves supporting schools across the region as part of the Jerry Clay English Hub, driving high standards of phonics and reading so that every child achieves their full potential.
Amy Beadnell-Bevan
English Hub Literacy Specialist
Amy Beadnell- Bevan is now in her second year as a Literacy Specialist at Jerry Clay English Hub.
For five years, she has worked as an English lead, with a passion for the development of phonics and reading within her school. Having worked extremely hard to raise the attainment and standards in her own school, she now relishes the opportunity to support other schools on their journey.
Floppy’s Phonics is the SSP she has been working with for seven years. She was instrumental in introducing the programme into her previous school five years ago after experiencing its success in the previous school I worked in.
Amy understands that every school’s journey is unique; hers has been far from easy. She therefore knows how tough it can be to make the necessary change and understands that with support you can overcome the obstacles in the way of your success. As well as being a key member of the delivery team, Amy is the Phonics & Reading Lead for a large trust in Wakefield.
Emilia Henton
English Hub Literacy Specialist
Emilia is an experienced KS1 teacher and reading lead and is enthusiastic about championing early reading in schools. Emilia is passionate about every child becoming a reader and has worked hard to build a love of reading within her school through magic of stories and high-quality texts. Since becoming reading leader as an RQT, Emilia has led staff to drive a ‘whatever it takes’ vision for reading within her school. Emilia was instrumental in supporting the transition to RWI phonics within he own school in 2019 were she has worked alongside her staff to raise attainment and target the bottom 20% of learners. Having worked hard to raise the attainment for reading with her own school, from 82% in 2019 to 98% in 2021, she looks forward to supporting other schools on their reading journey.
Lucy Stephens
English Hub Literacy Specialist
Lucy Stephens is an experienced Year 1 teacher, with a love for phonics and all things Little Wandle. As a middle leader, she has passion for Early Reading and ensuring that every child becomes a fluent, confident reader.
Lucy’s love of phonics and her fidelity to her school’s chosen SSP led her current school to achieving 100% in their phonics screening check. Lucy was instrumental in supporting the implementation of Little Wandle within her school, she worked with staff to raise attainment, ensuring staff felt confident in ensuring every child becomes a reader.
Lucy thrives off supporting other practitioners, mentoring, and coaching them to be there most confident selves. Teachers from other settings and teachers within her own school often observe Lucy’s phonics practise, to help them develop their own delivery of their chosen SSP.
Lucy joined the Jerry Clay English Hub in September 2023 and has loved supporting schools across the region, ensuring standards of phonics and reading are high, giving every child the opportunity to achieve fantastic things.
Becki Price
English Hub Literacy Specialist
Joanne Frost
Medium Level Support & Audit Lead
Joanne Frost has been teaching in Wakefield for over 25 years, and has taught all year groups across KS1 and KS2. She has been in her current role as a Head Teacher for over 10 years. During that time, the school has moved from RI to Good and in 3 of those years, has been recognised as being in the top 20% of schools nationally for progress in Reading, Writing and Maths.
Joanne has a real passion to ensure that every child’s experience in primary school enables them to be motivated, engaged, with a love of learning and success across the curriculum.
Joanne believes that reading opens doors. This is the driver for the high level of investment in the Early Years’ experience and early reading and phonics curriculum in her school, where she prioritises early language acquisition skills through high-quality learning environments and interactions.
Joanne has been fortunate to support other schools in Wakefield in her role as a Local Leader of Education. Joanne has been with the hub since inception, successfully delivering support to partner schools. She now looks forward to extending this work through leading medium level support & carrying out audits on behalf of Jerry Clay English Hub.
Amy Stone
Literacy Specialist- Auditing Team
Danielle Edwards
Literacy Specialist- Auditing Team
