Jane Wilson

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Northern Education Trust

Jane was appointed as head teacher of Brambles Primary in Middlesbrough in January 2009
leading it to ‘outstanding’ in all areas in June 2014.  Under Jane’s leadership, Brambles
became a National Support School and was later designated as a Teaching School.
As a National Leader of Education, Jane provided support to a number of leaders and
schools in the Tees Valley and, in April 2014, she was commissioned to support
Dormanstown Primary following the departure of the substantive head teacher. In
September 2014, she was recruited permanently to the post of Executive Principal and led
the successful inspection of Dormanstown Primary in May 2015 when the school was
awarded outstanding in three out of five areas.

In September 2015, in collaboration with another head teacher, Jane established Tees
Valley Education, a small multi academy trust operating in both Middlesbrough and Redcar
and Cleveland.  The Trust, made up of three primary academies, served 1000 children and
provided an additional 110 ‘high needs’ places serving all five local authorities within the Tees Valley.

In September 2016, Jane was seconded to the ‘Academies Regional Delivery Group’ working as Deputy Director for the Regional Schools Commissioner. Jane led the North’s ‘Academy Improvement and Intervention Team’ and had an active role nationally as part of Sir David Carter’s leadership team.  Jane also led on the establishment of the North’s Sub-Regional Improvement Boards and undertook a full review of the national operating framework for Education Advisers.

Jane was appointed as Deputy Chief Executive for Northern Education Trust in June 2018.
In her time with the trust, she has had a significant impact on improving the life chances of thousands of children, particularly in the primary phase.  All primary academies are now judged as Good or Outstanding. In 2019, Mount Pellon Primary Academy and Norton Primary Academy were both judged Good for the first time in their histories.  Jane’s leadership has ensured the implementation and embedding of trust wide approaches to the curriculum in the primary phase and the development of close working relationships with senior leaders, enabling strong support and challenge. In 2019, out of the 43 academy trusts with 10 or more academies, NET primaries came 4th in reading, 2nd in writing and 3rd in mathematics for the progress made by students between key stages 1 and 2.

Georgina Keel

Teacher, The Oak Tree Primary Academy

Georgina completed her degree and masters in science with Teesside University. She then
embarked on her teacher training with NET, Educate Teacher training and Leeds Beckett
University. While completing her teacher training with NET, she worked alongside mentors
within the Trust and staff at The Oak Tree Academy. Here she learnt multiple strategies and
techniques to use and implement to help her on her teaching journey. Colleagues who
worked alongside Georgina were supportive, professional and experienced. They shared a
wealth of knowledge and supported her to achieve QTS and a PGCE.

Once QTS was achieved, Georgina continued her teaching journey at The Oak Tree
Academy and began her first year of teaching in year three alongside an experienced
teacher. Throughout her first year of teaching, Georgina quickly became a leader of
collaborative learning and in the final term was asked to lead science, a core subject.
Georgina was given the opportunity to support a key stage one moderation by the local
authority alongside the phase leader and ECT mentor.

For the next five years of teaching Georgina worked within a year two classroom. Within this
time she has successfully completed a National Professional Qualification in Middle
Leadership, a National Professional Qualification in Leading Teacher Development and a
positive handling course all facilitated by Net Staff College. Alongside the personal
development, Georgina was appointed as Geography DEEPs leader for the Trust over two
years and was appointed as a phase leader of phase two. In her seventh year of teaching,
Georgina became phase three leader. Alongside this, Georgina has been appointed as
mathematics, history and EVOLVE leader within her academy.

Through working within the Trust, Georgina has embodied the NORTHERN model due to
the expectation of the Trust. Within her teaching practice, Georgina has high expectations
for all children, has a relentless focus on standards and has the children’s needs at the
centre of her pedagogy. Georgina is a prime example of the ‘R’ in the NORTHERN Model as
she was recruited by the Trust, retained by the Trust and has had multiple opportunities for
staff development.  Georgina looks forward to the future she has with Northern Education
Trust.

Adam Palmer

Executive Principal

Adam is an Executive Principal for Northern Education Trust.  He works across Dyke House and Manor Academy, which are both situated within Hartlepool. Adam successfully led Dyke House Academy to Outstanding in March 2022. The academy was awarded an Outstanding
judgement in every category, including the sixth form.

In his role as Executive Principal, Adam is Trust Lead for secondary attendance, whilst also line managing performing arts. He has previously worked alongside DCEO, Jane Wilson as Safeguarding Lead for the Trust. Additionally, Adam has helped develop numerous Trust systems at Dyke House such as ‘live marking’ and continues to help develop the ‘Need to Know Books’.

As a former student at Dyke House, Adam spent over 24 years at the school. After leaving Teesside University with a degree in Sports Studies, Adam completed his teacher training in 2004. Adam then spent the next 13 years as a Physical Education teacher, Head of Year,
Assistant Principal and Vice Principal. Adam was appointed Principal in 2017, and appointed
as an Associate Executive Principal in 2022.

Josh Guerbaai

Senior Director of MFL

Josh started his teaching career as an NQT at Dyke House Academy in the Northern
Education Trust, where he spent two years teaching Modern Foreign Languages. He then
continued his teaching journey at Thorp Academy before becoming Second in Faculty of
Humanities and MFL there. He became Associate Assistant Principal, alongside his role as
Second in Faculty, before becoming Assistant Principal two years later. He moved on to
become Associate Director of MFL and then Senior Director leading on everything related to
Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) in the Northern Education Trust. He works with a team of
directors who each oversees a group of academies in terms of MFL, whether that be working
directly with students, designing and overseeing curriculum, creating and quality assuring
resources, organising assessments, overseeing standardisation and analysis and leading
training for staff.

The Northern Education Trust has enabled Josh to flourish in his various roles and develop
and extend his skill set as a practitioner. Josh’s professional career has been spent solely at
the Northern Education Trust and he wouldn’t want it any other way.