The Central team of the Diocese of St Albans Multi Academy Trust includes:

Carole Bennett

Carole Bennett is the Chief Executive Officer.  She has overall responsibility for the DSAMAT and is accountable to the Directors' of the Trust.  Carole has more than 25 years' experience in the education sector, leading and delivering educational development, teaching and learning and school business support services.  She has worked within local authorities and the third sector, supporting a wide range of maintained, academy and free schools.  Most recently, she was a Director of the largest schools' company in the UK, providing education and business services to over 600 schools.

Paula Burgess

Paula Burgess is the Chief Operating Officer. She has overall responsibility for all financial and operational matters, including training and strategic financial planning.

Paula has 21 years’ experience in the education sector.  She has worked both supporting maintained schools, academies and Local Authorities.  Her last role was as Assistant Principal – Finance & Operations.  Paula is excited about  the role she will play as Chief Operations Officer in ensuring that the academies within the MAT are well supported and guided through the transition period and going forward.

Email Paula Burgess

Charlotte Johnson

Charlotte Johnson is the Chief Education Officer. She has responsibility for coordinating and leading the day to day educational work of DSAMAT and has a background in working in Multi-Academy Trusts. Charlotte also advises headteachers and governors on school effectiveness, and is link officer for certain schools in East Hertfordshire. She is also the Diocese lead for school reorganisation.

Email Charlotte Johnson

Julie Garstang

Julie Garstang is the Trust Secretary.  She has overall responsibility for the governance and organisational management of the Trust.  Julie has more than 15 years' experience in the education sector, providing organisational support and managing business services to schools'.  Prior to this, she worked in the commercial sector, managing retail establishments.  Most recently, she was a Business Services Manager of the largest schools' company in the UK, supporting key development projects, IT, GDPR, financial and governance services for maintained, academy and free schools.

Karen Dyer

Karen Dyer is the Senior Administrative and Operations Officer.  She has over 10 years' experience in Primary Schools starting her career as Administration Support & Receptionist before becoming HR Administrator/PA to SLT.  Karen is enthusiastic about the challenges ahead and looks forward to the new venture in supporting the schools and staff.

Rachel Palmer

Rachel Palmer is Senior Finance and HR Officer.  Rachel has more than 12 years' experience in the education sector, providing finance and business management support to schools and academies.  Rachel's last role was School Manager.  Rachel is excited about working closely with the schools within the Trust and supporting them in Finance and HR.

Gemma Barber

Gemma Barber is the Cross Phase Lead working closely with the Chief Education Officer and Primary Education Lead on school improvement.  She started her career as a primary school teacher before becoming the head of a village Church of England school.  Gemma then decided to diversify and move into secondary education where she ran the Accelerated Curriculum on Entry for under-performing students in Year 7.  Her most recent challenge has been to set up a Teaching School Hub in one of the Opportunity Areas, organising and delivering high quality CPD for both primary and secondary practitioners.

Email Gemma Barber

Laura Gregory

Laura Gregory is the Primary Education Lead for the Trust and works closely with the Chief Education Officer and Cross Phase Lead on school improvement.  She started her career as a primary school teacher before becoming the Principal of an outstanding Primary Academy within a multi academy trust; the school was a designated Teaching School. Laura has also been a practicing Ofsted inspector for primary education as well as Early Years.  She then decided to step away from her Principal role and work as a School Improvement Advisor where she oversees twenty-four schools.

Email Laura Gregory

Mannewar Hussain

Mannewar Hussain is the Trust IT Network Technician and joined the Diocese of St Albans Multi-Academy Trust.  Prior to joining the Trust, he has over 10 years' experience within the education sector working closely with Senior Leadership Team and IT Managers in providing, supporting and implementing best practice for IT supports, infrastructures and customer services.   Working for the Trust provides him with opportunity to utilise his skills.

Michael Ward

Michael Ward is an IT Network Technician for the Trust.  He works within the IT Networks Team, across the Trust to maintain and develop the standards of ICT within the Trust's academies.  Michael started his career as an IT Apprentice within a senior school before moving onto the role of IT Technician.  After the opportunity arose, Michael moved on to join the Trust in September 2018.

Daniel Roderick

Daniel Roderick is a Leading Practitioner - Maths for the Trust and a class teacher and Maths Lead at a Primary Schools in Bedfordshire. He has experience as a class teacher across Early Years, Key Stage 1 and 2 education. This experience has enabled him to develop a comprehensive teaching style with a wide array of teaching strategies and a good understanding and knowledge of primary education.

Complementary to his primary class teaching role, he has also been appointed to several roles of responsibility both within the school and region. These roles include PE Coordinator, PTFA member and School Governor. The role of School Governor has included taking an active role in governing body meetings and the development of the school as the school has transitioned from Lower to Primary status. He has also taken on roles of AfA (Achievement for All) Champion, leading change and improvement within the school, mentor for several students through their teacher training in association with Pilgrim Partnership Teacher Training, and last year attained the National Professional Qualification for Middle Leadership.

For the past four years Daniel has held the role of Head of Maths at the Primary School. He is responsible for conducting and coordinating termly planning and book scrutinies, observations of colleagues and regular staff training. As part of the Enigma Maths Hub, he has been overseeing a change in approach towards the Mastery curriculum for Maths, including the implementation of White Rose Maths.

Daniel is incredibly proud and excited to take on the role of Trust Leading Practitioner - Maths and is looking forward to working with and helping to support the Trust teachers and schools.

Deborah Harris

Deborah Harris is a Leading Practitioner - Maths for the Trust and an experienced teacher and senior leader who has a proven track record of working alongside others to build capacity through knowledge growth and increased confidence. Deborah recently completed a masters degree in leading teaching and learning and has a passion for deepening and enriching pupils’ learning experiences.

Deborah reads widely to stay abreast of current educational thinking and has written articles herself for TES. Her particular area of expertise is in maths and she has led the subject for many years and driven significant change in both her own school and other schools.

She is a maths specialist leader in education (SLE), a trained coach and has the Maths Specialist Teacher qualification (MaST).

Jane Broadis

Jane Broadis is a Leading Practitioner - English for the Trust and a self-taught primary practitioner who began life as a secondary Geography teacher.  During the education cuts of the 1990s, she morphed into an International Middle School teacher and spent time teaching in Tanzania, East Africa as Head of Year 9 and then as a Curriculum Director in an international school in London.

Jane joined the primary state sector whilst raising her three sons (who are now at secondary school) and after two years, became English Subject Leader where her love of reading, books and writing became 'work'! She relishes the challenge of a new situation and her experiences have taught her that all children can make progress, regardless of background.

Her Head Teacher calls her a Year 6 and English specialist, though, as Music Subject Leader she works with children across the school.  Jane says she is one of those strange teachers who quite likes the challenge of KS2 SATs and believe all children can succeed with passionate and enthusiastic teachers behind them.  She has been a KS2 writing moderator for HfL for the last two years.

Jane is looking forward to working with new colleagues in DSAMAT.

Kerry Ingle

Kerry Ingle is a Leading Practitioner EYFS and KS1 English for the Trust and a small, village CofE (VA) school and has taught within a range of settings in Hertfordshire, from large three form entry Primary schools, down to the small village school she is currently in.

Kerry has a huge passion for all things Early Years and as Literacy Leader within her current setting, she feels passionate about developing literacy skills through a creative curriculum, the development on fine motor skills and instilling a love of reading from an early age!

Kerry is thoroughly excited to work within the DSAMAT to share ideas and new initiatives and be able to work alongside the staff and English leaders within the EYFS and KS1.