Our Council

The Council is responsible for governing the Chartered College of Teaching’s activity, including setting its strategy and long-term direction. The Council also supports the Executive Leadership Team. The Council comprises:

President
President-Elect
Vice Presidents
Treasurer
12–27 Council Members (with the majority elected).

How to get involved

The Council, the majority of which is elected from the College’s fellowship and membership body, is responsible for the overall strategic direction and governance of the College.

All full members and Fellows are able to stand for election. This includes members who pay the ECT subscription rate. As defined in the Chartered College of Teaching’s Bye Laws, student members, associate members and Affiliates (Historical, Professional and International) are not able to stand for election.

Officers of the Council

Aimée Tinkler FCCT CTeach (Leadership)

President, Member of Remuneration Committee, Member of Membership Committee, and Appraisal Lead

Aimée Tinkler has 25 years of experience as a teacher and leader, working in a variety of school contexts. She is a passionate advocate for small and rural schools, drawing on a decade of teaching and leadership in very small schools in rural Derbyshire. Aimée has been closely involved in the work of the Chartered College of Teaching since its inception, where she is both a Founding Fellow and a Chartered Teacher (Leadership). She has worked in schools and trusts across the country and is currently Head of Education in a large trust in the Midlands. An advocate of ethical leadership, Aimée is deeply committed to raising the status of the teaching profession. She has contributed extensively to the education sector through advisory roles with numerous organisations. Currently engaged in doctoral research at UCL Institute of Education, she has also published research with several leading organisations across the sector.

Dr Natasha Crellin FCCT

Vice President, Chair of Ethics Committee, Chair of Remuneration Committee, Member of Remuneration Committee, Member of Nominations Committee, and Safeguarding Lead

Dr Crellin has been a primary teacher for 28 years, and has worked in a variety of teaching and senior roles, including Headteacher of three primary schools. She has a specialism in early years and holds a PhD on the working experiences of early years practitioners in private and not-for-profit settings.

Sufian Sadiq FCCT

Co-President-Elect, Member of Ethics Committee, and Member of Ethics Committee

Sufian is a teacher with 16 years of experience in both the classroom and a variety of leadership roles. He is currently the Director of Teaching School for Chiltern Learning Trust and in his spare time he is actively engaged in supporting a variety of organisations within the voluntary sector.

Liz Gregory FCCT

Co-President-Elect, Chair of Finance, Risk and Audit Committee, and Member of Nominations Committee

Liz has taught economics for over 20 years in both state and independent sector schools and has an MEd in Educational Leadership and Management. She has been Head of The Maynard since 2022, an all-though girls’ school in Exeter. Previously she has held senior deputy roles with a particular interest in professional development, coaching and evidence-informed practice. She is an accredited Leadership Coach and ISI inspector. Liz has been safeguarding governor for a MAT in the South West since 2019 and has also held leadership positions as a Principal Examiner.

Marcus Richards FCCT FCPFA

Treasurer and Member of Finance, Risk and Audit Committee

Marcus is a chartered accountant and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. He is a Partner in Ernst & Young’s Corporate Finance practice where he advises public and private sector bodies on matters of financial complexity.

Harroop Sandhu FCCT

Vice President and Member of Ethics Committee

Harroop has over 20 years’ experience as a teacher and senior leader in secondary education. She now works as an EDI consultant and coach, drawing on her expertise as an EDI Fellow and EMCC-accredited coach. As a working parent of three, she brings a clear understanding of how evolving identities shape leadership and relationships.

Council Members

Dr Caroline Creaby MCCT

Member of Education, Research and Journal Committee

Caroline has been an economics teacher for 20 years and is currently Deputy Headteacher in a large comprehensive secondary school in Hertfordshire where she leads the curriculum, timetable, teaching and learning and teacher professional development. Caroline is committed to teaching being a research-informed profession, has been a Research School Director and completed her Masters and Doctorate in Education at the University of Cambridge. Caroline has experience in advisory and governance roles, including being a member of the DfE’s Early Career Framework reference group and having been a trustee at University College Oxford.

Paul Barber FCCT

Chair of Constitutional Committee, Member of Ethics Committee, Member of Nominations Committee, Member of Constitutional Committee, and Member of Membership Committee

Paul read law at Jesus College, Cambridge, and was called to the Bar in 1992. He has been engaged with education policy and legislation at national level for over 25 years. Paul was Director of Education for the Diocese of Westminster for over 10 years and has been Director of the Catholic Education Service since 2013.

Rebecca Hanson FCCT

Member of Constitutional Committee and Member of Membership Committee

Rebecca has worked in mathematics education for 24 years. She currently teaches secondary maths on supply, choosing to teach in schools with the most challenges. Her previous roles have included Secondary Head of Mathematics, Associate Lecturer in Education and Primary Mathematics CPD provider. She has shared her CPD and her interviews with respected educators on YouTube as “RebeccaTheMathsLady”, which have received over 150k views. She has delivered national and international maths education projects. Rebecca has also been a Cumbria County Councillor; in which role she drove substantial improvements in areas where education and health overlap and published a book about Healthcare Coproduction. Rebecca has a Masters Degree in Education from the Open University.

Dr Haili Hughes FCCT

Member of Education, Research and Journal Committee

Dr Haili Hughes is Director of Education at IRIS Connect and mentoring lead at the University of Sunderland. She was a teacher of English and senior and middle leader for sixteen years. She also works as an ITT Quality Advisor for the DfE, facilitates the ECF and NPQs for two national providers and is the lead subject coach at a SCITT. She has recently been appointed to the Teaching Commission researching recruitment and retention. She’s written 5 books and has 8 on the way.

Hannah Knowles FCCT

Member of Education, Research and Journal Committee

Hannah is Principal of The Skinners’ Kent Academy (SKA), an International Baccalaureate World School based in Kent. She joined the Academy in 2018 as Vice Principal for Curriculum Progress and Learning and became Principal in September 2020. Hannah holds a Masters in Education from the University of Brighton, and is an ASCL Council Representative for the Southeast. Hannah has held positions across her career in Gifted and Talented, Curriculum, Timetabling, Staffing and more recently is studying for a qualification in Executive Leadership.

Adam Kohlbeck FCCT CTeach (Leadership)

Member of Education, Research and Journal Committee

Adam Kohlbeck is the Director of Teacher Quality at Chiltern Learning Trust. Adam has a passion for professional development. He has been teaching and leading in schools for 17 years and has an undimmed love for teaching. Adam was a finalist in the 2025 National Teaching Awards and is the author of three education books, including co-authoring ‘Coaching for Adaptive expertise’. Adam is also a doctoral student with an interest in decision making in complex environments and specialises in supporting schools, leaders and teachers embed the improvement of teacher decision making into their professional development offer. Adam also holds Chartered teacher status and is a qualified executive and instructional coach.

Dr Chris Baker FCCT

Member of Education, Research and Journal Committee

Chris is a teacher, leader, coach and author who currently leads professional development and teaching & learning across 36 schools in the Cabot Learning Federation. He has a doctorate in leadership development and is fascinated by the role that confidence, coaching and systems thinking have on the performance and well-being of students, teacher and leaders. He is the author of the leadership launchpads book series, the host of the pick & mix podcast and a previous teaching awards winner.

Emma Blake MCCT

Member of Education, Research and Journal Committee

Emma is an experienced educator, leader, and governance professional with extensive experience in curriculum development, professional learning, teacher development, and school improvement. With over a decade of experience across the education sector, she currently serves as a Trust Lead Practitioner, leading Communities of Practice focused on curriculum development, pedagogy, and evidence-informed practice. As a newly elected Council Member of the Chartered College of Teaching, Emma champions the interests of teachers and leaders. She amplifies quieter voices in national conversations on teacher development, leadership learning, and the future of the profession. Emma advocates creating the conditions for colleagues to develop genuine agency, shaping their own learning and contributing meaningfully to school and system transformation.

Kate Owbridge FCCT

Member of Ethics Committee and Member of Finance, Risk and Audit Committee

Kate has been in primary teaching since 1993, and leadership since 1997. She first became a head in 2004, and has been head in three schools, an executive head in a fourth, and supported two others in an interim capacity, both Church and Community schools, across four different LAs, and three Dioceses over 21 years. From inner city Lambeth and Southwark to the London suburbs, and the market towns and villages of East Sussex, there is very little that Kate hasn’t experienced as a school leader. She has been the Chair of Governors in her local village school, is now a governor at another, inspects for Ofsted, and is a practicing Anglican. She often feels like not only was she there, did it, and bought the tshirt, she also sold it on Vinted and bought another!

Saiqua Zaneb FCCT

Member of Constitutional Committee

Saiqua Zaneb is an Assistant Headteacher with a proven record of raising standards and securing strong outcomes across KS3–KS5 in large, diverse London secondary schools. Departments she has led—and schools she has served—have consistently performed in the top 10% nationally. Her leadership focuses on purposeful curriculum, valid assessment, intelligent use of data, and developing middle leaders and teachers. Saiqua has a particular interest in developing the next generation of teachers and has extensive experience in Initial Teacher Training and teacher development. Saiqua has a passion for teaching, specialising in GCSE and A level Chemistry. Beyond her school, Saiqua is an ECT Mentor Facilitator for the East London Teaching School Hub, She is a Trustee at Townley Grammar School and a volunteer Advisory Board member for the Unloc Changemakers Alliance.

Tracy Goodyear FCCT

Member of Membership Committee

Tracy Goodyear began her teaching career in 2009 as an English teacher and form tutor, progressing through roles as a middle leader, Gifted and Talented lead, and senior leader in multiple schools across the West Midlands. She now serves as Director of Teacher Development at The Mercian Trust, where she leads strategic professional learning across 12 schools in Sandwell and Walsall in the West Midlands.As a Founding Fellow and Assessor of the Chartered College of Teaching, Tracy champions professional recognition and development for educators. Her contributions to education were formally recognised in 2024 when she was awarded ‘Outstanding Woman in Education’ for the West Midlands. Tracy’s work reflects a deep commitment to equity, collaboration, and empowering educators at every stage of their career.

Appointed committee members

Application process

The Council comprises the trustees of the charity and is responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of the organisation. In line with the charity’s framework of delegate authority, the Council delegates some decision making to the following committees: Constitutional; Education, Research and Journal; Ethics; Finance, Risk and Audit; Membership; Nominations; and Remuneration. Each committee includes members of the Council as well as appointed committee members. Applications for appointed Committee member roles can be found here if available.

Stephen Munday Hon FCCT CBE

Member of Ethics Committee and Member of Nominations Committee

Stephen worked for all of his employed professional life until April 2024 in the teaching profession. This included being an economics teacher, headteacher of a school in Cambridgeshire and Chief Executive of a Multi Academy Trust with schools largely based in Cambridgeshire. He was President of the Chartered College of Teaching and held several advisory roles with the Department of Education. He received a CBE and an honorary doctorate (Anglia Ruskin University) for his services to education. He is now working to support some schools in China and some schools and community projects in Uganda. He continues to support the work and development of the Chartered College.

Dr Steven Berryman FCCT CTeach (Leadership)

Chair of Nominations Committee

Dr Steven Berryman is Senior Deputy Head at Sir William Perkins’s School. He has worked in education for over 20 years, and contributes widely through research, teaching, advisory and non executive director roles, and was one of the first Chartered Teachers. Steven has considerable expertise in arts education, and is a past Vice-President of the National Society for Educators of Art and Design, and former advisory panel member for the Cultural Learning Alliance. Most recently he was a member of the expert panel for the refreshed DFE/DCMS National Plan for Music Education.

Jackie Hill FCCT MA(Ed) NPQH PGCE PG Cert (Mentoring)

Member of Ethics Committee

Jackie’s teaching career began in Further Education (Northern Ireland), then switched to Secondary MFL (Stockport). As a committed mentor for Early Career teachers, she became the Leader of a large Training School, and then made a move to the TDA to support Training Schools in the North West and the West Midlands. Subsequent regional and national roles in teacher recruitment, initial teacher training and inspection, professional learning and school partnership followed. Jackie is Co-Founder and Network Leader for WomenEdNI, and supports the values and vision of the WomenEd movement. An advocate of DiverseEd, she was a chapter editor for DiverseEd: A Manifesto. Jackie is passionate about helping schools to celebrate diversity, and become inclusive and equitable places for staff, students and their families. She is very proud to be a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College.

Alexandra Dean FCCT CTeach (Leadership)

Chair of Membership Committee

Alex has been a secondary school teacher for 25+ years. She is currently the senior deputy headteacher of a large comprehensive secondary school in Bingley, near Bradford in West Yorkshire. Her subject area is English. She is particularly interested in the areas of teachers’ professional development, ECT provision, teacher recruitment and retention and staff well-being. She is a Visiting Fellow facilitator on NPQ and ECT programmes as part of her interest in teacher development.

Dan Steele

Member of the Finance, Risk and Audit Committee

Dan is a Management Consultant and currently works for EY, advising organisations across the public and private sectors on their strategy, operations, and finances. Dan has a specialism in working with a range of public sector institutions. He regularly returns to his former education institutions to support their events, operations, and to work with current students.

Vincent Neate MCCT

Member of Finance, Risk and Audit Committee

Vincent Neate teaches business, economics and mathematics. Before qualifying as a teacher and joining the Chartered College in 2021 he was a partner at KPMG where he worked in the Private Equity Group and later led the firm’s sustainable business team. As well as teaching full time in a single sex secondary school, Vincent is on the boards of various non-profits including the further education college group, HRUC and the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

Dr Stef Edwards FCCT

Member of Constitutional Committee

Dr Stef Edwards retired in 2024 following a long career in primary education, most recently serving eight years as Chief Executive of Learn Academies Trust (Learn-AT), a charitable educational trust of 19 primary schools in Leicestershire. Stef started teaching in1986, specialised in primary English, and was headteacher of a small village primary school for 11 years until being appointed to the role of leader of Learn-AT in 2016. She was a National Leader of Education, a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and had a career-long commitment to developing teachers’ research-informed professional learning. Building on a master’s in education research Inquiry, Stef was awarded a professional doctorate (EdD) by the University of Brighton in 2023, following a study of the leadership of teachers’ professional learning in Lesson Study contexts in a group of primary schools. Stef is now thoroughly enjoying retirement, and continues to serve on the Chartered College of Teaching’s Constitutional Committee.

Julia Harrington MCCT

Member of Nominations Committee

Jonathan Shepherd CBE FRCS FFPH FRCPsych FMedSci FLSW FCCT

Member of Nominations Committee

Jonathan Shepherd is a fellow of the Chartered College and has been a teacher, researcher and practising professor of surgery at Cardiff University for 34 years. Based on his experience as a Fellow, council member and trustee of the Royal College of Surgeons and of initiating and founding the professional body for policing he was asked by the House of Commons Education Select Committee to advise teachers’ leaders on the benefits of a professional body for teachers. He then served on the Prince’s Teaching Institute commission which produced a blueprint for the Chartered College of Teaching, the founding board of trustees, the inaugural College council and the College’s Journal and Research Committee, which he chaired.

Peter Mattock FCCT

Member of Constitutional Committee

Peter Mattock has been teaching mathematics in secondary schools since 2006 and led maths departments from the beginning of 2011 until being promoted to a whole school leadership position. Peter has been accredited as an NCETM Secondary Mathematics Professional Development Lead and a Mathematics Specialist Leader in Education. Peter was also one of the first secondary maths teachers to take part in the NCETM Secondary Mastery Specialist programme and now leads the Maths subject training for the Leicester and Leicestershire SCITT trainees alongside his school role. Peter’s books “Visible Maths: Using representations and structure to enhance mathematics teaching in schools” and “Conceptual Maths: Teaching ‘about’ (rather than just ‘how to do’) mathematics in schools” and “Leading Maths: The essential guide for new and aspiring maths leaders” are available on the Crown House Publishing website, through www.amazon.co.uk or from your preferred local book shop.

Ann Palmer FCCT

Member of Ethics Committee

Ann has over 35 years of experience working in education, and has partnered with schools across the UK and internationally. She is the founder of the RACE Charter Mark which is an award recognising effective race equality strategies. Ann has been a facilitator on several professional programmes, is a public speaker and is highly acclaimed in the field of DEI and leadership. She’s a qualified Executive Coach and Team Coach, and is often described as “a leader who leads with flair and vision” and is described as “inspirational”.

Ann holds roles across a number of businesses, including Race Excellence which is a consulting business offering high quality and personalised diversity training and accreditation. She is a MAT Trustee, School Governor, Charity Trustee and Business Advisor. Ann is a published author, a podcaster and was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2010 and given royal recognition in 2022.

Ben Ward MCCT

Member of Education, Research & Journal Committee

Ben has been teaching Maths at secondary schools for 20 years, and is currently a Deputy Headteacher at a school in Lancashire. He has held a number of middle and senior leadership roles across several schools serving varied cohorts and contexts. He is a Specialist Leader in Education, supporting schools with Curriculum and Assessment, Teacher Development and implementing coaching programmes as an experienced and accredited leadership and instructional coach. Ben has served on the Charted College of Teaching Assessment Board for CTeach since it’s inception, was an elected member of the Council, and chaired the Education, Research and Journalism committee of which he is now a co-opted member. Ben has also been Chair of Governors for a primary school for a number of years.

Kate Sida-Nicholls MCCT

Member of Constitutional Committee

Kate has been an educator for over 25 years in secondary, initial teacher education and post-16 phases. She has held various leadership positions and is currently finishing her PhD on early career teacher identity as the retention and recruitment of teachers is of particular interest for her.

Jayne Clarke FCCT

Member of Membership Committee

Laura Parker CTeach (Leadership)

Member of Education, Research and Journal Committee

Laura has dedicated over 20 years to working in special education needs, starting her career in therapy before progressing into teaching, middle leadership, SENCO and senior leadership roles across specialist SEND provisions. With a wealth of experience in curriculum and assessment, Laura has established herself as a specialist in therapy provision, curriculum design, assessment, instructional coaching, and teacher development. As an accredited Instructional Coaching Lead, she is passionate about supporting educators in refining their expertise and skills to deliver high-quality teaching and support for SEND learners.

Laura is deeply committed to advancing evidence-based research and has been instrumental in piloting and trialling innovative approaches within SEND education, ensuring that strategies are effective and impactful for both staff and students. A strong advocate for collaboration, she thrives on working with others to develop their practice, empowering teachers to build confidence and competency in supporting diverse learner needs. Laura’s dedication to SEND, alongside her drive to implement progressive, research-informed practices, makes her a dynamic leader in the field.

Vicki Medina FCCT CTeach

Member of Membership Committee

Vicki has been a teacher for over 16 years and is currently teaching in a secondary school in Scotland. She is Head of English, as well as Head of Scholars and Research, and has the role of Research Champion and is responsible for coordinating her school’s group membership of the Chartered College of Teaching. Vicki holds FCCT and CTeach, as well as having wide-ranging experience of working across all secondary ages and has held middle-leadership positions in a range of schools in both urban and rural locations.

Gerlinde Achenbach

Member of Ethics Committee

Gerlinde Achenbach, a former primary headteacher, is an executive leadership coach and education consultant (GAEd) working in school improvement and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB). Gerlinde is a lead reviewer with Challenge Partners, empowering UK school leaders to reduce educational inequality and collaborate on best practice and leadership development. She is an Olevi Professional Coach. Through her consultancy, GAEd, she supports school leaders to create equitable, inclusive school cultures and offers training for schools and organisations including The Belonging Effect (formerly Diverse Educators). She is a keynote speaker, notably for Teach First, and has authored DEIB podcasts for their leadership programmes as well as for the Chartered College of Teaching. She is a tutor, visiting lecturer and visiting assessor in ITT. Gerlinde recently authored a chapter for ‘LGBTQ+ Leadership in Education: Visibility, Vision and Voice’ (2026).

Andy Wolfe

Member of Membership Committee

Honorary positions

Honorary Fellowship

The highly prestigious award of Honorary Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching is a distinction for life and the highest honour which the Chartered College of Teaching may bestow. It is for individuals who have made an outstanding contribution, of national significance, to the Chartered College of Teaching, its aims, or to the profession of teaching more broadly. There are opportunities each year to nominate individuals for the award of Honorary Fellowship. Nominations are reviewed by the Chartered College’s Nominations Committee for recommendation to the Council for decision. For further information please contact clerk@chartered.college.

Stephen Munday Hon FCCT CBE

Honorary Fellow

Honorary Membership

The award of Honorary Member of the Chartered College of Teaching is a lifelong distinction, which may be bestowed by the Chartered College. It is for individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the Chartered College of Teaching, its aims, or to the profession of teaching more broadly. There are opportunities each year to nominate individuals for the award of Honorary Membership. Nominations are reviewed by the Chartered College’s Nominations Committee for recommendation to the Council for decision. For further information please contact clerk@chartered.college.

Hannah Uche-Njoku

Honorary Member

Hannah’s Honorary Membership was made posthumously in November 2022.