Our people | Shaw Education Trust

Leadership Team

Jo Heard-Jones

Chief Executive Officer

Jo joined the Trust from Ofsted where she worked as the Regional Director for the North West and National Director for Initial Teacher Education and held the status of Her Majesty’s Inspector. Previously Jo held three secondary headships: leading out of special measures, accelerating performance to outstanding; gaining Teaching School status and delivery of academisation. Jo worked extensively in a strategic role in the Greater Manchester Challenge. A proven systems leader, Jo has supported a large number of schools to accelerate improvement. Jo has delivered programmes for the National College, worked with local authorities and provided advice to the Department of Education. Her portfolio of experience spans all phases, all sectors and all contexts. Jo continues as a National Leader of Education and a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching; working to generate capacity and talent within the profession. Jo regularly contributes to conferences, training programmes and networks, in order to support leadership and workforce development. Jo is a Trustee of Ambition Institute and a route panel member for Education and Early Years at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IFATE). Jo is committed to putting children and young adults first- ensuring that they are the beat of the heart across the Trust.

Kerry Inscker

Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Kerry joined the SET team as an Executive Principal, having worked in the secondary sector for 25 years. Kerry started her career as an English Teacher and then moved into a range of leadership positions, including Senior Literacy Consultant for a Local Authority. In addition, she has held leadership posts in secondary schools including Head of Department, Assistant and Deputy Headteacher, and Principal. Kerry has experience of working in a wide range of secondary schools and has also been fortunate to undertake a year's teaching in New Zealand and has also undertaken a term's sabbatical to undertake research in outstanding schools across the country.

Helen Turner

Chief Finance Officer

Helen serves as the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) of Shaw Education Trust, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to her role. With a distinguished background in school business management, Helen has honed her skills working with diverse groups of schools and at the Local Authority level. Prior to the formation of Shaw Education Trust, Helen collaborated closely with several schools that would later become part of the Trust. This experience provided her with valuable insights into the unique financial challenges and opportunities within the education sector. As the CFO, Helen's primary focus is ensuring that every financial decision made within the Trust has a positive impact on students' educational experiences. Her strategic approach to financial management aligns with the Trust's mission to provide high-quality education and support for all learners. Helen's qualifications include an MBA with Distinction, demonstrating her commitment to continuous professional development and her ability to apply advanced business principles to the education sector. This academic achievement, combined with her practical experience, enables her to navigate the complex financial landscape of multi-academy trusts effectively.

Julie Yarwood

Chief Learning Officer

Julie joined the Trust from Ofsted where she was Her Majesty’s Inspector and National Lead for Modern Foreign Languages. Julie has extensive inspection experience of all phases, all sectors (including independent) and has been part of a team dedicated to quality assurance within the Inspectorate. Prior to joining Ofsted, Julie was a highly successful secondary headteacher in an outstanding school. An experienced senior leader, Julie has a broad portfolio of school improvement having worked in tough and challenging contexts.

Stephen Watson

Chief People Officer

Stephen joined the Shaw Education Trust from the private sector having worked in a number of Large FTSE 100 businesses. After leaving university Stephen pursued a career in HR and Training, holding a number of roles right across the people spectrum. Stephen specialises in Change management, organisational design, Leadership and Talent development having led a number of large-scale change programmes in his previous businesses. Stephen's most recent role was working for a private equity business as the Exec Director of People leading his organisation's people agenda, they went on to win a number of People awards for best place to work and increasing the organisations engagement score by over 40%. Stephen has recently completed his master's degree in strategic HRM allowing him to become a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, Stephen regularly supports and actively participates in developing and growing the next set of HR leaders and helps to improve their practice through mentoring and coaching. Stephen has been fortunate to travel to numerous countries in his career supporting organisations with People challenges right across Europe and Asia, this has led to further study for Stephen who is currently developing his practice in international Employee Relations.

Peter Potts

Chief Digital and Infrastructure Officer

Currently the Trust’s Chief Infrastructure and Digital Officer, Pete Joined SET in 2018 as The Director of Estates, when we were a mere 11 schools. Whilst a professionally qualified engineer, Pete also holds a Master’s Degree in Business (MBA). His wealth of construction and compliance knowledge acquired over 30 years of working within the private and public sectors has enabled him to embed the robust procedures which we operate today, ensuring that our schools remain safe and welcoming environments. More recently, whilst retaining the remit for Estates and Health & Safety, Pete has taken on a broader role with the remit for our Digital Environment.