Our team
Dr Josephine Valentine OBE
CEO
As CEO of the Danes Educational Trust Josephine Valentine is responsible for the educational provision and outcomes of schools across the Trust.
Josephine was Headteacher of St Clement Danes, an outstanding secondary school located in Chorleywood, Hertfordshire for 20 years. She was the lead proposer in the application to open Croxley Danes secondary school through the free school programme.
As a system leader she led the Herts & Bucks Teaching School Alliance and was the regional lead for Teaching Schools across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Josephine was a member of the DfE’s Headteacher Reference Group. She was the co-founder and now is lead practitioner on a national programme for outstanding school leaders, ‘Growing the Top’ with Challenge Partners.
Josephine is an elected member of the DfE's Regional Director's Advisory Board for the Eastern Region. She is a National Leader of Education and has provided school improvement support for many schools in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. She provides expert advice and coaching for Headteachers about all aspects of leadership.
She is Chair of Trustees for the Brilliant Club, a charitable organisation that mobilises the national PhD community to work with and raise the aspirations of deprived students. More recently Josephine was appointed to be a member of the education grant advisory board for the Wolfson Foundation.
Josephine gained a PhD in Oral Histopathology before entering the education profession.
In 2019, she was awarded the OBE for Service to Education.
Aaron Wanford
Primary Director
Aaron has over a decade of experience as a Headteacher and Executive Headteacher. He previously worked with REAch2, the largest primary-only Multi-Academy Trust in the UK, and successfully opened a new free school in Buckinghamshire. Aaron has led schools to good and outstanding ratings and worked on quality assurance within REAch2, providing school-to-school support.
He holds the National Professional Qualification for Headship and Executive Leadership, and has been a Chair of Governors and a non-executive director for Spiral Partnership Trust
Chris Marks
Director of Education
An experienced Senior Leader with a demonstrated history of leading in Outstanding settings, Chris has worked closely with Danes Educational Trust since it first formed. He has experience of working in a variety of phases and settings in teaching & learning, assessment, pastoral care and more recently safeguarding and inclusion.
As Director of Education Chris leads on school improvement within the Trust.
Dominic Richards
Chief Operating Officer
Dominic has over 10 years’ experience as a School Business Manager working across both primary and secondary education sectors.
Having worked in Local Authority and Academy Trust schools he brings extensive knowledge and experience in the leadership and management of finance, resources, operations and estates. Having implemented a £17.5 million refurbishment of a secondary school under the Building Schools for the Future programme and delivering £3 million of Conditions Improvement Fund projects, Dominic is well placed to lead and develop the estates function of the Trust. Prior to working in schools Dominic had a successful career in commercial banking during which time he developed an excellent financial and business acumen.
Helen Varlese
Head of HR
Helen has over 15 years experience in HR, having worked in both education and the not for profit sector.
Her previous educational roles have been as a Senior HR Business Partner for a not for profit school improvement business, where as a member of the senior management team she led on the delivery of HR service to executive and senior leaders of multi academy trusts. Helen has experience of partnering with wider business management, operations, finance and school improvement teams to ensure HR support is targeted and aligned to wider organisational and education outcomes. Helen has a wealth of experience in dealing with complex HR casework and investigations, and is an experienced, accredited Safer Recruitment trainer. She has led strategic change programmes including restructure and workforce planning activity. Prior to her time in education, Helen has also held HR roles in health and social care and several charities. Helen is a Chartered Member of the CIPD, and holds an accredited Masters Degree in Strategic HR Management.
Liz Smith
Marketing and Communications Lead
Liz is a marketing specialist with over 20 years’ experience leading international teams, delivering events, communications strategies and multi-channel marketing campaigns for international companies.
In this time, she organised book launches, film premiers, launched websites, global competitions and advised on branding for numerous high-profile companies and individuals. Liz joined the team in September 2019 to lead Marketing and Communications and is excited about sharing the work of the Trust with a wider audience and engaging with the local and online communities to tell the story of the Trust and its schools.
Louisa Leonard
Head of Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Teacher Development
Louisa brings over 20 years of experience in education, with a deep passion for teaching history in the classroom and a proven track record in leadership roles. As the current Head of ITT and Early Career Development she has spearheaded several strategic initiatives. These include leveraging insights to inform decisions, switching exam boards to boost student performance, and partnering with the National Literacy Trust to strengthen literacy within Humanities subjects. Louisa's expertise in mentoring staff, leading professional development, and supporting trainee teachers has led to an 82% retention rate in ITT within Danes Educational Trust and Bucks Hub Partnership. Her analytical approach to leadership, paired with a focus on collaboration, has consistently driven positive outcomes for both students and staff. Additionally, with 14 years of experience as an A-level examiner, she continues to contribute to educational excellence at multiple levels.
Mohammed Fiaz
Head of IT
Fiaz brings almost three decades of IT experience, the majority of which has been spent specialising in educational environments. He played a key role at Service Children’s Education, leading significant projects that supported global locations, including the design and implementation of robust IT infrastructure.
His IT expertise and education experience has consistently enhanced educational outcomes, ensuring network efficiency and security. He is dedicated to staying current with industry trends, fostering a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing.
Nicky Hammond
Director of Finance
Nicky has over 18 Years’ experience of Finance and Business Management working in the Local Authority and the Academy sector at both Primary and Secondary level.
Nicky currently manages all financial aspects of the Trust and its two trading subsidiaries, St Clement Danes Trading and Herts & Bucks Teaching School Ltd, together with keeping a tight rein on the finances for its current £5.7 million building and refurbishment projects. Nicky can offer support and advice on all budget and finance matters and has a broad knowledge of day to day life in both maintained and academy schools.
Rob Wall
Data and MIS Lead
Rob is an experienced data leader who has worked in a variety of education settings across the further education, higher education and secondary sectors before joining the Trust.
During this time he has successfully led teams with responsibility for areas including management information systems, exams and assessment, admissions and statutory reporting. He is well placed to offer advice to schools regarding a wide range of data related matters, as well as additional guidance on schools performance measures, and support to develop interactive dashboards and reports focusing on both educational and business KPIs.
Sara Crute-Mussell
Inclusion Director
Sara joins Danes Educational Trust as our Director of Inclusion, after working as as an Assistant Principal – Inclusion and Trust SENCO where she has built an outstanding culture of inclusion since 2016. Sara brings to our trust extensive experience including Designated Safeguarding Lead, Senior Mental Health Lead, and Lead for Children Looked After.
He also has responsibility for Safeguarding, working closely with a dedicated team of Safeguarding Leads within each school. Passionate about inclusion and equality, Sara is dedicated to our shared values of providing a fair and inclusive culture where everyone can thrive and be their best by embracing their differences.
Sarah King
Primary Director
Sarah is an experienced primary school leader, having served as both a headteacher and executive headteacher, with a proven track record of driving significant school improvement. Her expertise extends beyond individual schools, as she has supported external trusts in curriculum design and has played a key role in impactful projects, including the "Hatfield – Making a Difference" initiative. Sarah has also been instrumental in developing a careers program tailored for primary-aged pupils, helping to broaden their horizons from an early age. Known for her strategic vision and dedication to educational excellence, Sarah is passionate about empowering schools to provide the highest quality learning experiences.
Steve Thompson
Secondary Director
Steve joined St Clement Danes School in 2000, working on the Senior Leadership Team from 2002-2017.
In 2014, St Clement Danes was approached by Hertfordshire County Council to open a new secondary school in South West Herts through the DfE Free School Programme. Steve project managed the application, pre-opening planning and subsequent delivery of the school. He was appointed Headteacher in December 2016, and led the school until 2024 as the inaugural cohort of students moved from Year 7 to completing their A level studies. During that period the school occupied three different sites and navigated the covid pandemic, whilst becoming heavily oversubscribed, being recognised by Ofsted as ‘good’, delivering excellent GCSE outcomes and building substantial financial reserves.
Steve’s role as Director of Education will be to bring his wealth of leadership experience to support school improvement across the secondary phase.
Susan Poole
Director of Operations
Susan joined Danes Educational Trust in January 2020, having previously worked as a project manager, establishing two single academy trusts and two multi academy trusts. This work included managing six free schools to succesful opening. She created governance, marketing and HR structures to fit the needs of each organisation. Prior to this she had a career in retail HR.
In addition to her work at Danes Educational Trust, Susan has over 10 years' experience as a trustee, including the role of chair. She works for the National Governance Association as a consultant and she was also a National Leader of Governance (until the programme closed in 2023). She leads on and provides advice and guidance, on governance, compliance and policy development.
