Leadership team

Sinéad Mc Brearty is CEO at Education Support, the mental health and wellbeing charity for the education workforce across the UK.  She advocates for a systemic approach to wellbeing for the education workforce, attending to the individual, the workplace and the wider policy environment. 

Sinéad began her career at KPMG before moving to leadership roles in the not-for-profit sector. She has worked as an organisational development consultant and a lecturer and has been a trustee at a number of charities including Kaleidoscope Trust and Groundswell.  She is a currently a governor of a south London primary school.

Paul is a qualified Accountant who has worked across the commercial and not for profit sectors. He has worked in the charity sector for almost 20 years, 15 of which have been as a director managing the finance and broader resources functions. Prior to joining Ed Support Paul led the Resources function at Contact, a disability charity in Old street, helping steer the organisation through a period of significant change.

Outside work Paul is keen reader and likes getting away to visit European cities.

Clare Rees is the primary lead for the Ealing Learning Partnership (ELP), overseeing 63 primary schools and the strategic lead for Ealing’s Early Years provision, with over 650 settings.

Clare was a headteacher of two schools over a 12 year period.

She brings her interest in research to all of her roles and is currently involved in LocalEd research looking at alternative approaches to accountability within a locality.

She gained a doctorate in Educational Leadership in 2020 from Middlesex University. Her research and subsequent thesis was ‘An exploration into the effectiveness of coaching as a mechanism for school improvement in a primary setting.’

She is one of the Founding Fellows of the Chartered College of Teaching.

Clare is interested in education systems in other countries and has visited Cyprus, Holland, Croatia and Sweden on study tours as a member of the European Schools Headteachers Association.

She is a governor of a primary school in Whitton, London.

Adam works at youth charity Impetus as Investment Director. Impetus supports a portfolio of education and youth employment charities with funding, capacity building, and pro bono expertise.

Prior to Impetus, Adam was Chief Executive of education charity Talent-Ed Education. In this role Adam worked closely with current and former teachers to provide small group tuition to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. This gave him first-hand exposure to the pressure and stress that teachers experience.

Earlier in his career Adam worked at strategy consultants BCG, and in international development research.

Steve Wharton FRSA, SFHEA, Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, is an academic with nearly 35 years’ experience in Higher Education, as senior lecturer, manager (including interim Head of Governance), and governor.

He has served on, and chaired, a number of charity boards in the fields of education and public engagement, and was a Non-Executive Director of the Universities’ Superannuation Scheme 2016-2020. The last national President of the Association of University Teachers and first joint President of its successor UCU, he understands both the industrial relations context of post-16 education and the challenges its members face in and out of the workplace.

Mark has spent his entire career in B2B software and is currently the Chief Marketing Officer at Infront, a specialist software company in the financial services industry. Prior to that he was Vice President of Marketing Transformation at Infor and Chief of Staff to the CMO for EMEA & APAC at Oracle.

His business passion is driving the transformation and scaling of marketing teams, processes, communication, and metrics as part of a customer-centric go-to-market strategy. Mark earned his degree in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, Canada.

With nearly two decades dedicated to the field of education, Roxanne's journey has taken her from the classroom to various leadership positions, including Acting Co-Headteacher at a prominent London secondary school. She has used her leadership expertise to support middle and senior leaders in schools across London to ensure every child is able to succeed and achieve their potential.

Roxanne has honed her expertise through a rich academic background, holding a master’s degree in education. In addition, Roxanne recently made a significant contribution to the educational field with the publication of a report investigating the factors influencing the departure of Black and Ethnic Minority senior leaders from schools, thereby elevating the discourse surrounding diversity and representation in education leadership.

Her keen involvement in various facets of education extends to the vital role she held as a member of the pilot advisory board for Contextual Safeguarding in Hackney.

Evelyn Forde MBE was Headteacher of Copthall School in Mill Hill, North London from 2016 to 2023 during which she led the school to achieve significant improved outcomes and worked with staff to secure a range of accolades for the school.  Since leaving headship she currently works with Headteachers and Leadership Teams in a coaching and mentoring capacity as well as delivering on an NPQH programme .   She also works with a range of organisations including the British Council to elevate the voices of marginalised groups in education and in addition to this,  she is a Truste of Education Support, the only charity dedicated to improving the mental health and improving the wellbeing of the education workforce.

Evelyn has been in the profession for over 20 years and is rooted in the belief that all young people must have equal opportunities and no child is left behind.  Her own experiences of education and her journey to senior leadership are reasons for her commitment to working with and supporting aspiring leaders in any way she can. 

In November 2020, Evelyn won the coveted TES Headteacher of the Year award and received an MBE in the 2021 New Year’s Honours list for services to education.   Evelyn has been an ASCL member since 2008 and was the founding Chair of the ASCL BAME Leaders' Network (now the Ethnic Diversity Network).  She is proud to have been ASCLs first black female President in 2023-2024.

Steve Waters taught English and Drama for 30 years in secondary schools, including as a middle and senior leader. He also spent 6 years as a member of an LA school improvement team.

Steve experienced depressive episodes from the age of 14. After nearly ending his life in 2008, he was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. A hospital stay enabled Steve to trial medication until he found a combination that worked and he has been well since. Steve's mental health journey as an educator prompted him to found Teach Well Toolkit which helps schools to build cultures of mental health.

Steve has an MA in Education and the NPQH, is a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, a qualified Counsellor and Coach, and a First Aid for Mental Health Instructor. He is the author of Cultures of Staff Wellbeing and Mental Health in Schools (2021) and co-author of Doing Your Research Project (2024, 8th ed.), both published by Open University Press/McGraw-Hill.

Petra Boynton is a social psychologist who works as an Independent Consultant, supporting universities, charities, research organisations and government departments to embed safety, mental health and wellbeing within their systems and practices. Petra works to improve signposting, connection and communication for minority pupils and staff in schools, PRUs, trusts and universities. She has a particular interest in supporting chronically sick and disabled staff and taking proactive approaches against bullying.

Her self-help books for practitioners include. The Research Companion: a practical guide for the social sciences, health and development (2nd Ed, 2016) and Being Well in Academia: ways to feel stronger, safer and more connected (2020) – a practical and supportive mental health guide for students and staff; both Routledge.

Kat Howard is Executive School Improvement Lead with strategic oversight of Curriculum and Assessment at Windsor Academy Trust. Kat works with schools, trusts and organisations to drive curriculum standards, and contributed to the Oak National sprint project as an English specialist during the pandemic.

She is co-author of the #1 bestselling book Symbiosis: The Curriculum and the Classroom, a contributor to BERA's seminal text Curriculum in a Changing World and writes nationally and internationally on the themes of school improvement, system leadership and leading curriculum at scale.

Kat is Founding CEO of Litdrive, a registered charity that provides subject-specific professional development for English teachers in the UK. She is also a member of the council at The Chartered College of Teaching.

Matt Waddup is a senior trade union leader and independent consultant with more than three decades experience representing members in education, transport and the National Health Service.

Matt started out his career as a (terrible) postman. His life changed when we received a second chance at education through evening classes at the local college. He is a passionate advocate for lifelong learning and served both as Head of Policy and Campaigns for the University and College Union and Assistant General Secretary at the Association of University Teachers.

He was a commissioner on the independent Lifelong Learning Commission in 2019 and was a founder member of the Right2Learn campaign.