Trust leadership

Seamus is an experienced leader of schools in challenging circumstances. He started his career in inner city London as Head of History before taking up a number of senior leadership roles in challenging schools. He worked as a London Challenge partner in two schools prior to getting his first headship in Kent. 

Seamus led the school from Special Measures to a Good judgement in just 13 months. As a result, Seamus was recruited by Ofsted as one of Her Majesty’s inspectors to work with schools in challenging circumstances. 

After two years, Seamus joined Swale Academies Trust as an Executive Headteacher where he led five secondaries through successful Ofsteds and raised standards for all. He joined Turner Schools in April 2019 and became CEO in March 2020. 

Seamus’s areas of expertise include school improvement, raising standards especially for disadvantaged pupils, provision for SEND pupils and leadership development. He is passionate about the arts, music and the sea. 

Seamus does not have any relevant Personal and Pecuniary interests or governance roles in other educational institutions.

Xanthia brings over 20 years of finance and operational leadership experience across education, charitable, and commercial sectors. As CFO, she leads the finance and catering teams at the Trust, driving strategic oversight with a focus on operational excellence and inclusive leadership.

Prior to joining the Trust, Xanthia held senior roles at The King’s School, Canterbury and The John Wallis Academy, where she led financial transformation, improved governance, and championed digital innovation. Her work has delivered efficient, transparent financial systems that empower staff and strengthen community trust.

Xanthia is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and holds a Diploma in Financial & Operational Leadership from the Institute of School Business Leaders. She is currently undertaking the Emerging CFO Programme at Imperial College Business School, further strengthening her strategic capabilities. 

With a passion for inclusive leadership and continuous improvement, Xanthia is committed to aligning financial strategy with educational outcomes—ensuring resources are used effectively to support pupils, staff, and the wider community.

She has no relevant personal or pecuniary interests or governance roles outside the Trust.

Rachel has over 13 years experience of HR in the education sector, working across both the independent and public sector. Rachel’s career developed in the independent sector, delivering key HR support in an advisory capacity to a group of schools. Qualifying for her MCIPD in 2013, Rachel moved into a more strategic HR role to deliver key strategic HR priorities for divisions in both the UK and US. Rachel supported the delivery of a number of acquisitions for the Group, playing an integral part in the due diligence process, employee communication, engagement and TUPE.

With a passion for working in HR in education, Rachel moved to Turner Schools as the Head of HR, bringing valuable commercial experience, and extensive knowledge of centralised services models. Rachel moved into the role of Director of HR, Governance and Compliance shortly afterwards and is shaping the strategic development of the Trusts people strategy and key staffing initiatives, with an ambitious vision to ensure Turner Schools is an employer of choice for education in the Kent region.

Rachel does not have any relevant Personal and Pecuniary interests or governance roles in other educational institutions.

Martin is an experienced school leader with over 20 years experience of working in senior leadership teams and improving challenging schools in outer and inner London. His early career after University began in the oil industry before building a business background in sales and marketing. After moving into teaching, he was able to apply experience of working in other fields to school management and  has a wide range of experience in managing school projects and successful change management in secondary, sixth form and all through schools.

Martin does not have any relevant Personal and Pecuniary interests or governance roles in other educational institutions.