Announcement: NIoT's senior programmes team
The National Institute of Teaching has unveiled the top team behind its programme design, delivery and regional operations.
Our senior directors, heads of faculty and regional principals have all now been confirmed, and will add expertise and experience to our organisation as we ramp up our activity, supporting teachers and leaders across the country.
Our Regional Principals are the lead representative for the NIoT in their geographic area, leading on delivery of the full suite of programmes, understanding local need and working closely with Associate Colleges to ensure that our research and our programmes reach the areas that need them most and nurture the talents of teachers and leaders in service of our pupils.
Our regional principals are:
- Tristan Kirkpatrick, North and East
- Sophie Backen, North and West
- Jenny Sutton, South and West
- Shona Findlay, Joint Regional Principal, East, South and London
- Gene Payne, Joint Regional Principal, East, South and London
You can read more about them below.
We’re also unveiling our Director of Teacher Development, Head of NPQs and Head of ECF.
Pip Sanderson has been appointed as the NIoT’s Director of Teacher Development. This role focuses on the coherence of the programmes, to ensure they work together in concert, they build upon each other rather than duplicate, that programme design and delivery in one programme can learn from great practice in another, that we build efficiencies in how we develop facilitators and tutors to ensure an exemplary cadre of teachers educator, some of whom will go on to be Excellence fellows with one foot in school and one foot in the Institute.
Jo Facer has been appointed as our Head of NPQs and Katy Micklewright is our Head of ECF.
Reuben Moore, executive director of programmes at the NIoT, said: “I feel so lucky to be working with such an expert and diverse team of leaders all focused on nurturing talents of teachers and leaders in service of pupils. Every conversation I have with them brings new insight and reflects the needs of the schools they serve. Welcome to them all.”
Our senior programmes team
Tristan Kirkpatrick is the Regional Principal for the North and East. After beginning his career as a computing teacher, he transitioned to various leadership roles within Outwood Grange Academies Trust. Drawing upon his background as a teacher, Tristan has focused on teacher and leader development, recruitment and retention, and addressing regional challenges in schools. A passionate advocate for educational technology, he oversaw the EdTech Demonstrator programme at OGAT and has designed professional development programmes for teachers and leaders. Prior to this, he has worked within school senior leadership teams and is a designated Specialist Leader of Education (SLE).
Sophie Backen is the Regional Principal for the North and West. She was previously Head of Programmes at Star Institute, the training and development centre for one of the NIoT's founding MATs; Star Academies. During her 5 years in this role she grew the provision of teacher and leader development programmes to schools across Lancashire and Greater Manchester, including establishing Star's three Teaching School Hubs. Prior to this Sophie held roles in business development and leadership development at Teaching Leaders and Ambition School Leadership (now Ambition Institute).
Jenny Sutton is the Regional Principal for the South and West. She was previously a Head of School Partnerships at Teach First leading on their relationships with Teaching School Hubs as Delivery Partners for the ECF and Reformed NPQs, having previously spent 7 years as Teach First's South West Regional Director, founding their work in this region. Prior to this, she spent ten years an English and Drama teacher, Head of Faculty and Assistant Head in two large secondary schools in Islington and Hackney. Jenny is an 09 cohort member of Future Leaders and Teach First ambassador.
Shona Findlay is the NIoT’s national lead for ITE and Joint Regional Principal for the East, South and London. She has over 26 years’ experience working in education and has recently become a Teacher Development Ofsted inspector. She is a physics teacher by trade and passionate about encouraging everyone to embrace the wonders of science. She was previously the Head of Initial Teacher Education for the Harris Federation and grew the provision to train hundreds of ITTs and NQTs. Prior to that she has been part of a school senior leadership team, a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE), Lead Subject Consultant, and an AST.
Gene Payne is the national lead for NPQs and Joint Regional Principal for the East, South and London. He has over 35 years’ experience working in education. He began his career as a teacher of Geography and has most recently led the Harris Leadership College and School-Led Network NPQs. He was also a secondary headteacher and the first Assistant Director for Applied Research, and Operational Director for Networked Learning Communities, at the National College for School Leadership.
Pip Sanderson is the Director of Teacher Development. She is an English teacher by trade, having worked in a variety of roles including Head of Department, Assistant Head, Vice Principal and Teaching School Director over the past decade. She has also worked as a designated Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) throughout this time. Undertaking her MA in Education in 2013 lit Pip's passion for research and she has since been an advocate of evidence-informed practice, designing and delivering a range of professional development programmes over the years. She has also helped develop Teach First's partnerships in the North East and worked as a freelance educational researcher on international curriculum pilots. More recently she has lead the Star SCITT provision in the North West and West Midlands. As a career changer herself, after a decade spent in advertising, she is passionate about encouraging and enabling professionals from other sectors to make the brilliant move into teaching
Jo Facer is the Head of the NPQ Faculty at the National Institute of Teaching and is a former teacher, Head of Department, Head of Year, Deputy Head and School Principal. She has written two books about education: "Simplicity Rules" and "Culture Rules", both published by Routledge, and blogs at readingallthebooks.com.
Katy Micklewright is the Head of the ECF Faculty and has most recently been the National Lead Practitioner at Oasis Community Learning, where she supported the academies and their leaders to establish sustainable approaches to instructional coaching. Before that, she was assistant principal at a school in Southampton, and is a science teacher by training.