Meet Our Team

Jo Evans is CEO of St Christopher’s Multi Academy Trust, currently 16 primary schools across Plymouth, Torbay and Devon Local Authorities. Although established some years ago, the Trust has recently been through a period of rapid growth alongside a complete change of leadership and governance.

Jo has been re-energising the organisation to work collaboratively, operate effectively and continue to grow in a sustainable way. Jo has a very strong research informed background, being part of the Cambridge Primary Review Board of Directors. She has been a leader in a range of rural and city schools, in the last seven years taking one school from Special Measures to Outstanding and the most recent from Good to Outstanding. This has been achieved through her resolve to provide a principled approach to education.

Jo has recently written a book chapter for Routledge, “Aims into Practice” and has been involved in the creation of the Church of England Professional Qualification for Headship.

Julia qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant in 1994 and worked in private practice specialising in the not for profit sector, and advising commercial organisations. Julia left practice in 2013 to work for a charitable trust in the leisure industry. This was a great learning opportunity to put her advisory accounting skills to practical use and be part of the SLT, supporting the CEO and Board in the operational aspects of the business; it was also a great place to keep her fit with the organisations focus clearly on getting everyone in the community to become more active! This led Julia to look to expand her skills in a different sector and joined St Christopher's in 2016 to work as part of the central team supporting the strategic aims of the Trust and individual academies. Much of her role involves compliance and supporting academies particularly around budgeting, premises and H&S. As part of a previous role in practice Julia supported a number of academies in their earlier days of conversion so is well aware of the challenges faced in the sector. In her spare time, Julia is happiest in her garden or body boarding in Cornwall!

Rachel qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2006 and had a background in the charitable sector before moving to education in 2012. Being the longest serving member of the central team, Rachel has held a developing role as the Trust has grown and is now responsible for all operational finance including the systems, budgets, reporting and audits for the Trust as a whole, as well as the individual academies. Her experience of managing HR in the education sector also sees her leading on all aspects of HR for the Trust. Rachel is on the Trust Senior Management Team and works closely with the whole central team and Headteachers providing support and advice. The Operations Managers and Business Managers are supported by and line managed by Rachel as well. In the ever changing world of education, Rachel is constantly looking for ways to improve our practices, to enable us to becoming more efficient and effective whilst supporting the educational outcomes for all our pupils and maintaining our Trust’s values and ethos, something very close to her heart. Outside of work, Rachel is an active member of a local Baptist church, leading on the music and worship there and is also an elder of the same church. She loves to sing (loudly) much to the despair sometimes of her husband and 2 children!!!

Sean is one of the School Improvement Leaders for St Christopher’s multi academy trust. Having over 15 years experience in school leadership, Sean has been the Headteacher of two schools, leading one from Satisfactory to Outstanding. Sean has worked in a range of contexts from rural to urban and was also seconded to work within Initial Teacher Training, teaching the core English element of the P.G.C.E. Programme. Sean’s work, both as a teacher and leader, has featured in several publications, most recently in ‘Talk for Teaching’. Sean’s particular interest and passion lies within curriculum design and development, as well as the leadership and teaching of English. In his spare time Sean enjoys travel, the beach and attempting to get fit!

Catherine has been an educator for over twenty years, mainly in London, but also abroad. She has taught all ages from 3 to 18, and has held a wide range of posts, including Inclusion Coordinator and lead for the Visual and Performing Arts. She was a Deputy Head in South London, before moving to Devon in 2007. She was a Head Teacher of both a rural and city school, achieving improved Ofsted outcomes in both. Trained in mediation, coaching and mentoring, she is particularly passionate about finding creative ways to engage all children in a rich, exciting and varied curriculum, that enables every child to flourish. Catherine has always worked in close collaboration with other partners, including health and social care and recently helped shape the Emotional Wellbeing Service for children and young people across Devon. Before becoming a Headteacher, Catherine ran a charity called Face2Face, providing emotional support for families of children with disabilities. Out of work she enjoys playing the piano, wild swimming, dancing and photography.

In creating a baseline of modes working within key areas, Iain supports the CEO in developing the school improvement strategy for the Trust. Until July 2017, Iain worked as the Deputy Head at St Michael's school in Exeter. He is passionate about Data and Assessment. He has four children and is a great baker!

Steve joined the Trust as an Academy Business Manager in 2016 and also worked as the Central Business Manager during that time too. Steve has now moved into the role of Operations Manager with a emphasis on finance, largely focussing on Payroll, monthly financial reporting, Procurement projects and IT systems. Steve has a background in Managerial roles in the supportive Employment sector and is a member of a local Baptist church where he is part of the Youth Leadership Team. If he's not at work, you will usually find him at the beach with his wife and son or with a rugby ball in his hands.

Jenna has joined St Christopher’s MAT as Operations Manager focusing on HR. Day to day, that means she supports the schools under the MAT to understand and put in to action StC's HR policies. Jenna grew up in Cornwall and has been in HR for over 10 years, moving away to start her career with a car manufacturer and then moving back to the south west to work for 2 big employers in the region. Jenna has a Masters in HR and is a Chartered Member of the CIPD. Jenna has experience as a local governor and has now recently joined the Central MAT team to support the schools in the trust. Jenna is a member of a local CofE church in Exeter since moving to the area in 2015 and is actively involved in a number of groups and activities for the church. When not working, you'll probably find Jenna in a tea shop, at a national trust property, at church or heading out for a walk somewhere with friends or family.

Jo is very experienced in administration and is qualified in School Business Management. She is the first point of contact for our schools and central office and provides in-house technical support and advice. She is the Data Protection Officer for the Trust, providing school support and overseeing the data protection strategy and implementation to ensure compliance with GDPR requirements.

Kirsty is very experienced in local Governance and her advisor skills are wide ranging. She is the first point of contact for the Board and works closely with the Chair and the CEO to prepare focussed, strategic director meetings and is invaluable in helping the board understand it's role, functions and legal duties. Kirsty is highly regarded by Babcock and has supported many schools in getting their Governance back on track.