Paul Cronin MEd NPQH

Paul has worked in Special Educational Needs with both children and adults in four different coutnries and for 40 years.

Between 1981 and 1987, Paul worked with adults and children with learning disabilities in France, Ireland, the UK and Australia.  He qualified as an RNMH (Registered Nurse for people with learning disabilities) in 1985.

Between 1987 and 1991, he completed a 4-year BEd in Outdoor Education and Environmental Science at Liverpool Polytechnic.  (Paul also completed a MEd in Education Management at Hope University in 1998, and the NPQH in 2000.)

From 1991, Paul worked for four Local Authorities (Wirral, Bolton, St. Helens and Liverpool), always in the field of SEND, in primary, secondary and all-age schools.  He served as a Headteacher for 20 years, initially at an all age school for pupils with severe learning difficulties for in St Helens, and latterly as Headteacher at Redbridge High School where he led the school through four consecutive ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted inspections.  The school was awarded Specialist School Status for Cognition and Learning, Teaching School status, and delivered the Schools Direct programme as part of the Merseyside SEN Alliance.

At various times Paul was seconded to St Helens and Liverpool Local Authorities, and he also worked for Lancashire as a School Improvement Partner.

He chaired the Merseyside SLD Schools Network for a number of years and also served as the chair of the Association of Liverpool Special School Headteachers.

Stuart Haynes

Stuart has worked for 30 years in various communications roles.  He started his career working for various housing associations, and for the last 12 years he has worked for the Church of England in Liverpool.  As Director of Communications for the Diocese of Liverpool and Liverpool Cathedral he has built a small team of communications professionals to develop and manage the reputation of both communities.  Stuart has been involved in a wide range of communication events, such as supporting the announcement of the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s findings. 

Over the last five years Stuart has served as Assistant Diocesan Secretary to the Diocese of Liverpool with an operational brief to find improvements in organisational performance and to oversee a range of internal delivery teams.  He also has operational responsibility for asset management across the diocesan portfolio including the management and maintenance of vicarages.

Angie Holden

Angie is a qualified and experienced Human Resources professional whose career has spanned over 30 years in the education sector.

During her career she has held a number of senior HR positions within the Local Authority focussing on school improvement.  Angie has a proven track record of having worked successfully with leaders and governors in a range of settings including early years, primary, special and secondary schools and academies.  She has forged trusting and productive relationships with trade unions at both local and regional level.  Angie is experienced in dealing with all aspects of employee relations and has a full understanding of School Teacher’s Pay and Conditions, and the Burgundy and Green Book conditions of service.

Since 2005, Angie has been working on a self-employed basis as an HR Consultant successfully supporting schools across a number of local authorities.

Jane Griffiths                                 

Jane Griffiths has served in the field of state and voluntary aided secondary education for over 30 years.  She has taught the whole 11-18 age range and has held positions of managerial responsibility over the course of her career.  From 2007 to 2014 she was the Headteacher of a high performing Church of England High School in Liverpool, where she oversaw the design of a new building for the school.  She then joined the Education Department at the Diocese of Liverpool as Diocesan Schools Advisor.

Jane has considerable experience in leadership, managing large budgets and overseeing a wide range of areas (including quality assurance, teaching and learning, curriculum design, pastoral care, safeguarding, governance and performance management).  She leads In-Service Training for both primary and secondary levels, supports outstanding schools and those in challenging circumstances, advises on Christian distinctiveness in church schools and assists governing bodies during headteacher recruitment processes.  Jane is a serving denominational inspector.

Jane serves as vice-chair of Liverpool Diocese’s Board of Education and chairs its Executive Committee.

Sue Cronin

Sue Cronin is currently the Director of Accreditation and Quality for the School of Education at Liverpool Hope University.  She has spent more than 25 years in education holding a variety of posts in schools and at Hope, where she has also served as Head of Teacher Education and Director of Quality and Teacher Development.

Sue has a background in secondary mathematics teaching in a variety of Liverpool schools before joining the Liverpool advisory team.  At Hope she originally taught on a range of modules from undergraduate mathematics to foundation degree courses for Teaching Assistants.  She then moved on to PGCE programmes, developing master’s mathematics education modules and CPD projects such as MaST (Primary Mathematics specialist teachers).

Most recently her teaching has involved leading on Masters programmes focused on mentoring and coaching and teacher’s professional development.  This work aligns with Sue’s main accreditation activities which include supporting schools and leaders across the north-west through their involvement with University Teacher Educators and Initial Teacher Educaiton.

As part of her Strategic Partnership work Sue sits on various committees and steering groups including Formatio (focused on promoting the formation of teachers, leaders and governors in Catholic education) and the north-west Catholic Dioceses Training Partnership.  Sue also represents the university on the Millionplus Deans of Education Group and The University Cathedral Group Education committee.

Sue’s current research interests and publications are focused on aspects of Teacher Education, such as coaching and mentoring, school leadership and partnership.  She is currently researching the impact of the Early Careers Framework policy on schools and mentors, and has recently published initial findings in the International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching.

Most recently Sue has been asked to become an expert member of the Department for Education’s External Reference Group, advising on a review of initial teacher training and early career frameworks, first launched in 2019.

Eno Akinyande

Eno works in School Finance as Group Finance Manager for School Improvement Liverpool, where she is responsible for setting budgets for education services and schools across the city.  She ensures compliance with financial processes such as budget setting, closedown and financial management, working closely with various senior leadership teams and Liverpool’s Schools Forum.

Eno is a foundation Governor of Archbishop Blanch School and has worked as an external auditor and internal auditor in her previous roles.  She is active in her local church where she plays the keyboards and sings.

Eno has a particular interest in the financial educaiton of young people.

Elaine Rees

Elaine was born in South Wales, from where she went to study English and Psychology at Keele University.  She taught English in a secondary school in Preston before joining two charities to work in the student world.  In July 1995, she moved to Liverpool to establish an alternative education project for 14–16-year-olds in Toxteth.  Having been involved in the inception of the Dingle-Granby-Toxteth Education Action Zone, Elaine became their deputy director.  During this time, she undertook an MA at Liverpool John Moores University in Educational Management.

An unusual set of circumstances led Elaine to become a primary school head teacher for 12 years in Toxteth, until December 2015.  Her school was extremely diverse and had over 450 children from 32 different countries.  She became a National Leader of Education and served as a School Improvement Partner in Liverpool.

On leaving her school, Elaine became the first full time Chief Executive Officer of the Liverpool Learning Partnership (LLP), which is a grass roots organisation supporting learning across 170 schools in the city.  As well as driving forward priorities such as Reading, Maths, Attendance, Mental Health and Cultural Education, Elaine is an education representative on a wide range of strategic boards across the city.  Her passion is to see that every pupil has the opportunity to succeed and to grow up as a confident, resilient young person.

Outside of work, Elaine is Chair of Trustees at a local charity, a school governor, a keen cook and the owner of a lively border terrier.

Linda Coady

I have spent over 25 years working in the education sector in local government.  I began my career in Knowsley MBC working in the LEA’s Strategic Support Service. It was here I developed my skills in data analysis – forecasting demand for school places and leading on the department’s performance management framework.

I moved to Liverpool to lead on the creation of robust recording, monitoring and tracking systems to support the delivery of SEND and Attendance and Inclusion Services – areas of identified weakness in the joint Ofsted and Audit Commission inspection.  I successfully implemented rigorous performance management structures which linked effectively to local service plans and individual performance targets.  This created a strong and productive culture of self-evaluation, accountability and supportive challenge of practices across the department.

Working for a large core city has provided opportunities to continually develop my skillset and knowledge base.

My specialisms include:

• Operational leadership and management of a multifunctional service
• Strategic intelligence, analysis and statutory returns
• Policy and strategy development
• Large scale ICT implementation and deployment
• Overseeing large scale capital programmes and associated budgets
• All aspects of school organisation – including place sufficiency
• Effective management of coordinated admission arrangements – including the development of the LA’s Fair Access Panel and associated Protocol.

My father was a committed Christian who ensured that both my sister and I were baptised Catholic and attended Catholic schools.  I continue to live in the parish and attend the church that has served me since I was a child.

Stewart Crowe

Stewart joined Liverpool University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (LUFHT) in 2021.  A Chartered Fellow of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), Stewart leads the strategic direction, the vision and ethos for fire safety and health and safety management at LUHFT.

Stewart is an accomplished professional with a BSc in Occupational Health and Safety Management, a Diploma in Environmental Management and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA).  He has a wide range of experience across the NHS, the railway industry, London Underground Limited, and one of the world-class, research-intensive Russell Group’s universities, the University of Liverpool. Stewart has extensive experience of leading and managing risk and assurance functions across diverse and complex organisations.  In his current role, he has specific accountability for the strategic direction and leadership of health, safety and fire management in a highly complex public sector organisation, overseeing a team of Health, Safety and Fire Professionals, a training section and a clinical facing team.

Stewart leads on compliance management policy, development, education, awareness, training and assurance across a myriad of disciplines and across a range of diverse, complex busy estates, setting the strategic direction, monitoring compliance with statute and performance against leading and lagging indicators to demonstrate assurance.

Stewart’s experiences as a volunteer have been extensive.  He is the Vice Chair of the Northwest Healthcare Services Section of the institution of Occupation Safety and Health (IOSH) and a member of the NHS Staff Council’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing Group proactively influencing standards of workplace health, safety and wellbeing in the healthcare sector.  In addition, Stewart is a Trustee at St. Annes, Church, Aigburth, ensuring the clear vision, ethos and strategic direction of the church.  He has previously held the roles of Chair of Governors at St Margaret’s Church of England Academy, Chair of the IOSH Nominations Committee members and Chair of the University Health and Safety Association Estates Specialist Group.