Wellspring Support Centre
Michael Sanderson
Karen Froggatt
Sam Corbett
Kate Storr
Geoff Howsam
Adam McDermott
Michelle Sault
Natalie Hardman
Chelsie Oliver
Amy Sleight
Joanna Hague 
Suzanne Yates
Trudy Morris
Claire Chappell
Anna Lee
Governance
Michael Sanderson
Vice–Chair of the Board & Chair of Governors, National Leader of Governance and Barnsley Primary Partnership
After graduating in statistics, Michael worked for nearly 40 years in Local Government in areas as diverse as strategic planning, grant-making, public consultation, media relations and policing. A National Leader of Governance, he has served on various governing bodies since 1985. Currently Michael chairs the Barnsley Primary Partnership Governing Body. He was instrumental in forming the Barnsley Governors Association, for whom he delivers governor training.
Karen Froggatt
Clerk to the Board and Company Secretary
Karen has an extensive background in corporate governance, gained primarily within the Co-operative Movement. She has substantial experience of change management and of developing multi-stakeholder relationships, as well as community engagement. Karen works closely with Academy Governing Clerks and Chairs, continually enhancing the quality of support provided to Governing Bodies by the Trust.
Sam Corbett
Cluster Co-ordinator
Sam brings to the Trust her experience of governance within the NHS, having held the position of Risk and Governance Facilitator for Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust. Prior to joining the NHS Trust she worked as a Teaching Assistant in a Primary School. She is currently undertaking a Diploma in Business and Administration with the Open University.
Kate Storr
Cluster Co-ordinator, NE Lincs
Kate has worked in education since 2001 and has worked in Multi-Academy Trusts since 2007. She has had wide-ranging roles, including PA and Clerk to three Academy Governing Bodies. Kate has extensive governance skills and experience and possesses the Level 3 Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) qualification, bringing HR skills to the Trust.
Business & Operations
Josh Greaves
Chief Operating Officer
Josh was a Business Management consultant in South Yorkshire before relocating to the North East as a Business Manager. He was Business Director and Chief Financial Officer in a large, Special Academy Trust. Josh is a Specialist Leader of Education, holds the Advanced Diploma in School Business Management and is a PRINCE2 Project Management Practitioner. He leads the Wellspring Business and operations team.
Geoff Howsam
Project Officer
Geoff worked formerly at Horizon Community College as Operations Manager. He has held many diverse management roles within the Education and Trust Leisure sectors. Geoff is IOSH Health and Safety qualified, holds the Advanced Diploma in Management Studies and the Certificate in School Business Management.
Adam McDermott
Procurement and Projects Manager
Adam joined Wellspring Academy Trust in September 2016. After completing a degree in Geography, he joined the Local Authority as GIS and Intelligence Officer. Further to this, Adam progressed into Business Development and supported the transformation of services. With a strong technical background and experience of working with multiple stakeholders, Adam has supported and managed projects alongside partners including Health, Social Care and Education. As a fully-qualified PRINCE2 Practitioner, he is currently working on a number of challenging and diverse projects.
Michelle Sault
Head of Extended Services
Michelle has joined Wellspring on a 1 year secondment as Head of Extended Services from Springwell Learning Community. She has spent over 16 years teaching, leading and managing at Barnsley College. Michelle created the 4: Thought Team supporting young people and parents of mainstream secondary schools across Barnsley providing early intervention mental health services. She has a genuine passion for supporting vulnerable groups.
Wayne Kilner
Strategic ICT Manager
Wayne has worked in the education sector for over 10 years, delivering ICT support services through a variety of different roles, gaining a broad range of technical, customer service and management skills. Wayne previously worked for Civica, a managed Service company, managing engineers and supporting several Barnsley schools through the Building Schools for the Future Project.
Dominika Fenner
Business Development Officer
Dominika graduated from the University of Hull with a degree in Business Management and holds ILM Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring. She previously worked as an HR Business Partner for Schools and Academies in the Local Authority. She has extensive experience of managing employee relations and organisational change and development. She is passionate about staff development and cultural change and has a coaching approach to dealing with clients.
Matt Seed
Head of Estates
Matthew has worked in a local authority setting for over 20 years in operational and facilities management and more recently in a strategic position. He oversaw a wide variety of operational facilities and managed these across a diverse population engaging with the local community to provide opportunities and access to services. Matthew's previous role reviewed and provided the strategic vision and direction of a portfolio of £1.2 billion of premises and land working in conjunction and collaboration with internal and external partners and stakeholders to provide services fit for purpose for the 21st century and the community they serve.
Administration & Marketing
Natalie Hardman
Chief Administration Officer
Natalie joined Wellspring Academy Trust in March 2014 with 6 years experience in education management. She provides administration and office support, helping to ensure accuracy of data to support effective decision-making and compliance. Natalie works closely with the Trust’s Academies. She is extremely organised and driven and is a huge asset to the Trust.
Chelsie Oliver
Administration Assistant
Chelsie provides wide-ranging administrative support at the Wellspring Support Centre, working closely with the Central Support Team and Academies. She has a strong background in quality assurance and monitoring standards. Chelsie also has valuable experience in safeguarding.
Amy Sleight
Administration Assistant
Amy has extensive experience of business administration and customer service, working within a fast paced confidential setting. She provides administrative support across the Central Team and Academies, as well as personal assistance support to the Chief Operating Officer.
Amy Tindle
Office Assistant
Amy worked in administrative roles in Retail and Retail Banking before joining Wellspring. She has extensive experience of customer service and working in a fast paced environment. Amy provides wide-ranging administrative support at the Support Centre, working closely with the Central Support Team and Academies.
Finance
Mark Wood
Chief Financial Officer
Mark worked for Barnsley Council for 28 years before joining Greenacre Academy as Business Director in 2016 and subsequently being appointed to the CFO role at Wellspring in 2017. A qualified accountant since 1998, he provided strategic financial management for many years to all Local Authority maintained schools, as well as supporting Adult Social Care and Community Services.
Joanna Hague
Finance Controller
Joanna graduated from Sheffield University with a degree in Accounting and Financial Management and Business Studies. She became a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) in 2009. Whilst in practice Joanna specialised in Audit and not-for-profit organisations. She oversees the reporting and compliance requirements of the Trust.
Karen Kilburn
Senior Finance Officer
Karen worked for Barnsley Council for 25 years before moving to work as a Finance Manager in a High School with a Sixth Form College. Subsequently she joined the Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust, providing strategic financial planning, guidance and support across academies. Karen is a qualified Accounting Technician and has extensive experience of providing financial support to Academies and Local Authority Directorates.
Amie Goodyear
Senior Finance Officer
Amie joined Wellspring Academy Trust in May 2017 with extensive experience in both public and private sector business and financial management. She worked for Barnsley Council for 22 years, delivering all aspects of financial service provision including actively leading the Barnsley Financial Services traded arm. She is a qualified Accounting Technician and holds the Strategic Leadership & Management Extended Diploma.
Julia Robinson
Payroll Manager
Julia joined Wellspring in April 2017 as Payroll Manager. She has 18 years Payroll experience in both the private and public sectors and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals.
Suzanne Yates
Trust Finance Officer
Suzanne is a part–qualified Accounting Technician working to gain more experience in the education sector. She joined Wellspring Academy Trust in May 2017 with experience in hospitality accounting. Suzanne hopes to gain the experience to become a fully qualified Accounting Technician. She provides support to the Wellspring Central Team and the Trust’s Academies, including bank reconciliation, payment runs and monitoring of control accounts.
Lorraine Ford
Trust Finance Officer
Lorraine joined Wellspring Academy Trust in August 2017. She is a qualified Accounting Technician and brings with her 17 years accountancy experience, gained in the service, manufacturing and charity sectors. Lorraine provides support to the Trust’s Academies whilst assisting in month–end procedures and preparation of the annual statement of accounts.
Danny Storr
Finance Assistant
Danny joined Wellspring in February 2018. He is AAT Level 2 qualified and has worked in school finance since 2013.
He has a strong background in customer service having also worked in the hospitality sector.
Danny has a lot of experience working with school finances having been based both in schools and also in a core team in the past.
He is looking to gain more experience and further his qualifications.
Mollie-Jones Heaton
Finance Assistant
Mollie studied AAT Accountancy levels 2 & 3 at Barnsley College. Mollie previously worked in a financial advisors working with the companies commissions. She has experience in administration and customer service. Mollie has a strong background in data protection, confidentiality and working with the public sector. She is wanting to gain experience in the education sector and work towards being a qualified accountant.
Human Resources
Claire Chappell
Head of HR
Claire graduated from Leeds University with a degree in Business, before specialising in Human Resource management. She is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development and worked in the private sector, specialising in employee relations and TUPE before becoming HR Business Partner for Schools, Academies and small businesses. Claire supports the Trust’s Academies in all HR matters.
Anna Lee
Regional HR Business Partner
Anna has extensive experience of providing HR advice to Schools and Academies gained from working for a Local Authority, an Advanced Learning Centre and more recently a Multi Academy Trust. She has a sound knowledge of teaching and support staff terms and conditions of employment, as well as significant experience of TUPE and the management of HR casework.
Chloe Wormleighton
HR and Payroll Officer
Chloe provides HR & payroll guidance and support for all Academies across the Trust. After graduating from Sheffield Hallam University, she joined a Local Authority where she worked alongside schools and Academies for over 4 years. Chloe specialises in advice regarding the recruitment process, in particular pre-employment checks and safer recruitment practices.
Information
Jonny Wathen
Chief Information Officer
Jonny has over eleven years experience working in the Further Education sector across the Yorkshire region and has held a number of senior leadership and management positions.
He has a proven track record of success including; leading strategic change initiatives, business development and growth, developing effective partnerships, raising educational standards and delivering substantial change management programmes.
As a qualified teacher, Jonny has a passion for learning innovation, learning space design and technology enhanced learning practices.