Central Services Team
TRust careers Lead
Community engagement is a key priority at Turner Schools. We want all of our pupils to become actively involved in the community in which they live and to be part of the growth and regeneration of Folkestone and the surrounding areas.
Our careers education programme also sits within this department and is designed to support pupils in developing the skills and knowledge they need, alongside their academic studies, to succeed in further education and employment.
Katy Tibbles, Trust Careers Lead
Katy has worked in the education sector for the last 17 years, gaining experience in a range of settings including primary and secondary schools; post-16 training; and with the local authority. She has undertaken a range of roles but has had a particular focus on careers education, post-16 progression and partnership development. Katy is a qualified Level 7 Careers Leader.
Digital Learning
The ICT support team aims to provide the best possible platform to inspire digital learning in our schools and provide best in class tools to our central team.
The Trust has a commitment to ensuring all pupils have access to the best learning tools technology can provide, and the ICT team support and develop this whilst ensuring our systems are reliable and secure.
Jean-Paul Muller, Head of IT
Jean-Paul has worked in IT management for over 20 years, working in schools for the last 15. Having transformed the IT provision in a number of schools, Jean-Paul joined Turner Schools in 2019 to provide expertise in IT management and implement the Trusts’ IT strategy to move to Google for Education.
"JP’s support, particularly in designing and implementing solutions in an ever-changing school building, has been exceptional. His expertise have enabled us to create exceptional IT solutions for our new building, which will provide fantastic environments for our pupils." Principal, Turner Free School
Estates
To provide the best possible built environment for our pupils to learn, thrive and succeed is our passion. We do this by keeping our spaces clean, safe, inspiring and welcoming. We are blessed with some amazing buildings created by Lord Foster, Guy Holloway and the soon to be amazing new build at Turner Free School. Our team of cleaners, facilities officers, engineers and contracting partners work all hours to keep our sites at their best.
Kevin Dickinson, Head of Estates
After a successful career in the Royal Navy, and for the past 25 years, Kevin has been working with a wide and diverse range of buildings and grounds of other educational establishments and brings a wealth of experience to add to the talented Estates team of Turner Schools.
"The expert advice and ongoing support received by the Trust Facilities Manager and his team, has been essential to ensuring that Morehall is a Covid safe environment for teaching and learning." Principal, Morehall Primary
Finance
The Turner Schools Finance Team provides a range of professional financial services to all schools within the Trust.
The Trust boasts a centralised purchasing service which uses government frameworks and purchasing power to ensure best value for money is achieved.
The team has expert skills in budget setting, monthly monitoring of budgets against actuals, and preparation of all financial returns to the ESFA.
David Bowles, Director of Finance and Operations (ACMA - CGMA)
Has over 20 years experience providing finance services across all educational ages ranges from Kindergarten to University.
"The Finance Team provides exceptional service. They are always available to support with financial planning, the procurement of goods and in enabling parents and carers to receive any support they need." Principal, Turner Free School
GDPR
GDPR highlights the importance of data protection and emphasises the organisation’s accountability for the information it holds. Businesses, schools, charities and other bodies are now expected to put ‘privacy by design’ at the heart of their operation, with data privacy the default position.
We are committed to upholding the highest levels of privacy and take our data protection and information security responsibilities very seriously. We take a Trust-wide approach to embedding these in everything we do, and are supported in this by Accordio Ltd, a south-east based consultancy with over 20 years experience of providing data protection advice and support to schools, local authorities and charities.
If you have any questions in this regard, please contact our Data Protection Officer - email: dpo@turnerschools.com.
Governance
Effective governance is key to achieving our vision and sustained school improvement. Our governance structure and scheme of delegation ensure clear reporting lines and explicit requirements of each level of governance.
Members ensure that the governance of the Trust is effective.
Trustees ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction, hold executive leaders to account and oversee the financial performance of the Trust, making sure its money is well spent.
Local governors (Challenge and Community Boards) provide a key link between the school, parents/carers and their local community and monitor the performance of the school.
Cheryl Southern, Director of Governance
Cheryl is a governance professional and company secretary with expertise in Multi Academy Trust and Independent School governance.
She also has 7 years experience as Extended Schools Coordinator and 10 years experience as HR Manager.
Cheryl completed the National Clerks Development Program in 2018, has a Postgraduate Certificate in Career Management and is CIPD qualified (Assoc CIPD).
"The CCB offers great support and advice to leaders. The experience of each committee member brings a wide range of expertise to the school." Principal, Folkestone Primary
Human Resources
Turner schools HR service partners with the Trust schools to provide a range of professional and comprehensive HR and payroll services which support the development of both our schools and our people. Trust schools have access to a credible, experienced team who fully understand the educational environment and frameworks, and are committed to providing solution-focused guidance. We offer a wide variety of HR expertise, including recruitment, retention, development, engagement and wellbeing activities.
Rachel Fuller, Director of People
Rachel is fully CIPD qualified and has over 14 years experience in HR in both private and public sector education.
The HR team and payroll team are an established and qualified team, with a breadth of experience in HR and payroll solutions across a variety of sectors, bringing a diverse range of skills and experience to the Trust.
"Without the HR team, we would not have felt as safe and prepared as we did, returning to school after lockdown. They provide expert advice and are always one step ahead of potential changes that may need to come into effect - saving valuable time." Principal, Morehall Primary
Management information
The MI Office provides schools with a comprehensive number of systems that ensures teachers have all the information available to them to provide the best possible education for each student.
At the same time the office makes sure systems are user friendly and not a burden on staff. It also supports non-teaching staff in making sure administrative functions of the trust are efficient and effective.
William Howard, Data Manager
William has over 10 years experience working in schools in many non-teaching areas including data, exams and timetabling.
He believes that it is important in all our schools that the effective use of data and information can be used as a tool to drive improvement in the classroom.
William has experience in multiple school-based systems including SIMS and Bromcom as well as detailed use of data analysis systems.
"William has a vast amount of knowledge and expertise in educational information systems, which has proved invaluable in developing our data management system." Head of School, Folkestone Academy
Marketing & Communications
Pupil recruitment and community involvement is at the heart of what we do. We provide and support our trust and schools leaders with bespoke marketing plans. This includes PR and social media engagement, event management, website maintenance, information sharing with our stakeholders and creation of promotional online media.
Emma Belsey, Marketing & Communications Manager
With over 20 years marketing experience and 12 years working for the schools within the Turner Schools Trust, Emma has developed firm working relationships with all schools leaders ensuring she meets all of their marketing needs.
"Our Marketing and Communications team has provided a plethora of valuable expertise in creating high-quality promotional materials for TFS. This has been a vital element for us as a new and growing school. Their skills have saved us huge amounts of time, enabling us to focus on ensuring our pupils receive an exceptional education." Principal, Turner Free School
Reprographics
The Reprographics department provides a comprehensive design and print service.
Creative services include creating curriculum resources and working with Marketing & Communications on brand identity development for a wide range of marketing and promotional materials.
Our in-house print unit is equipped with the latest technology providing a range of professional print and finishing services.
Nigel Arnold, Reprographics Manager
Nigel has over 30 years experience working on projects for global and UK brands, celebrities, media, government and sport. Since moving into the education sector many schools have sought his advice on reducing costs, hardware, software solutions and procurement.
"The Reprographics department is a valuable asset to my school, producing low cost high quality print material for the classroom and marketing purposes. Nigel's expertise on design and printing is exceptionally detailed and provides us with material that is far advanced to other schools in the area." Principal, Martello Primary