Francis Hedges is currently a School Improvement Advisor across the Trust after many years as a secondary school senior leader. In this role he is supporting the Trust in raising standards through leading, implementing, monitoring and evaluating strategies, policies and provision, including the effective use of whole school data. He is also using his years’ of experience to develop and mentor newly appointed trust staff in a leadership role.

Francis was Head of School at Aldersley High School before his retirement in 2017, after previously being Deputy Vice Principal for Attainment and Standards there for 8 years. During this time he has also supported the Trust in its school improvement work at a local primary school and as Acting Headteacher at a special school for pupils with behaviour difficulties in Wolverhampton. Francis also has experience of leading on Attendance and Behaviour at senior level and line managing mathematics and science departments. Earlier on in his career, he was also a successful Head of Science at a secondary school in Walsall.

Francis is passionate about teaching, learning and assessment which he considers one of the key drivers in continual school improvement. Although he has been a successful teacher of science and mathematics throughout his career, he believes that there is so much more to find out about how pupils learn best so that they enjoy and achieve at school and develop into lifelong learners.

Lisa is currently Senior Assistant Vice Principal and is also working for ConnectED Partnership as Secondary Teaching School Lead as part of her leadership role with and beyond the Trust. ConnectEd is a partnership of over 100 schools, including all of the secondary schools in Wolverhampton. Lisa’s role includes the following :
• To provide professional leadership for the Connect Ed Teaching School; developing and maintaining partnership working, ensure all secondary schools know and understand how to access school to school support, CPD and SLE provision and providing quality assurance, monitoring and evaluating the policies, priorities and targets.
• To champion professional learning across the City with the coordination of CPD activities, developing the strategic offer and coordinating national programmes. Brokering local solutions and opportunities to share best practice.
• To increase school to school support thorough leading and managing the work of SLEs in line with key priorities, needs and strengths across the City and developing mechanisms to share effective practice and collaboration with others to raise standards.
Lisa has held a variety of roles at Aldersley High School, leading ebacc subject development, line management of SEND as well as Assistant Vice Principal for post 16, she currently teaches Psychology and Sociology at Advanced level. Lisa has school experience from two other local authorities; in Birmingham, developing from geography teacher, to Head of Department and whole school Key Stage 3 Strategy Manager, and in Staffordshire as a Director of Teaching and Learning.
Lisa’s expertise related to curriculum development stems from eight years working as a National Strategies Consultant where she worked with foundation subjects to enhance curriculum and assessment practice. She led the Assessment for Learning initiative across the city of Wolverhampton and coordinated network groups for geography, history and RE. With ConnectEd she has built the secondary provision for partnership schools, developing curriculum network hubs across the City and in particular supporting NQTs, RQTs and middle and senior leader programmes as a facilitator for NPQML and NPQSL courses. From Autumn 2020 the Trust will be part of the School Direct provision in the city for Initial Teacher training, working with other ConnectEd schools and in partnership with the University of Wolverhampton.
Lisa is passionate about providing an educational experience for students across the Trust which stimulate a love of learning, with activities that enhance life chances and encourage curiosity and ambition in young people. A focus upon establishing links across trust schools, and beyond with her work across the City and beyond. Developing opportunities to support professional development, to create dynamic and creative lessons is a key feature of Lisa’s role.