School Improvement
“The Trust aspires to the highest standards of academic achievement. It is also passionate that its young people develop values and inter-personal skills so that they can contribute positively to local and global communities.”
Red Kite Learning Trust aims and values.
School improvement is at the core of our work as a Trust working with our schools to deliver on our aims and values. We see ‘school improvement’ as a wholistic process that has as much to do with effective staff recruitment and resource management as it does with pedagogy. Our Central Team delivers centralised services covering finance, HR, facilities management, catering and IT, each of which plays a part in developing and nurturing successful schools. The majority of the capacity for improving our schools however lies in the institutions themselves. Our job is to tap into that knowledge, talent and expertise and make sure it is distributed well enough to ensure every child benefits from it.
Director of Primary Education
Amanda Thornton-Jones
Amanda Thornton Jones is the Director of Primary Education for the Red Kite Learning Trust, for which she has responsibility for the development and improvement of the primary schools. She works with each school individually, in and across local groupings to secure high-quality provision. She provides an oversight of standards and quality across the schools. Amanda has 30 years of primary education experience and a proven track record of school improvement, having gained many years’ experience employed as a School Improvement Consultant for Leeds and Stockport advisory services. In 2015, she was appointed Headteacher of a Primary School and Nursery in Tameside, Manchester. Amanda had an active role as an Associate Headteacher within Tameside and worked with the Local Authority to provide training for senior leaders. Amanda’s current role also supports the Red Kite Alliance primary schools, delivering and brokering training and development opportunities for these schools and their staff.
Executive Headteacher – Primary
Helen Stout
Helen is currently an Executive Leader within Red Kite Learning Trust and substantive Head of Meadowfield Primary School in Leeds which is a 2-11 years, two form entry setting with three times the national average FSM intake. She has been a Head for over 11 years and previously gained an outstanding OFSTED judgement in her first headship in a one form entry primary school. She has extensive school leadership experience in a variety of contexts which have faced many different challenges. Helen gained LLE designation in 2017 and is working towards the NPQEL qualification at the present time. Helen is also training to be an OFSTED inspector with a focus on English and Early Years. Helen’s teaching career has spanned 25 years in primary schools across Leeds and Essex; she is passionate about inclusion and equality of opportunities alongside moral leadership and closing the gap for disadvantaged pupils. Additionally, Helen has been a governor of an all through 5-16 through school and has also been a KS1 moderator and Advanced Skills Teacher.
Executive Headteacher – Secondary
Matt West
Matthew West is a qualified teacher and serving Principal and Executive Headteacher, over seeing a secondary school and an all through school. Matthew has previously worked with a number of Trusts, across Yorkshire and Lancashire, as their school improvement partner and has been an Ofsted Inspector for the last 5 years. Matthew holds a Masters degree in Leadership and Management in Education and the National Professional Qualifications for Headship and Executive Leadership.
