Sarah joined The Two Counties Trust as Finance Manager in January 2025 and is proud to be part of an ambitious Trust. She works closely with the Director of Corporate Services, the Central Finance Team and school finance staff, providing leaders with financial insights to support strategic decision making.
A qualified Chartered Accountant with a degree in Accounting and Management Control, Sarah spent many years in private practice primarily as an Auditor. This experience ensures the Trust meets its legal and regulatory reporting requirements. She later moved into financial management roles in the charitable and education sectors, gaining experience in both independent and state schools.
Passionate about making financial information clear and accessible, Sarah combines attention to detail with strategic oversight to enhance reporting accuracy. She also supports adherence to financial processes and controls that minimise risk. Alongside her team she continuously seeks improvements to streamline finance operations.
Sarah’s ambition is to develop a highly efficient finance department that helps maintain a sustainable Trust.
Sarah’s legacy statement is ‘She guided others to make good financial decisions.’
Emma Paine, Lead Governance Professional
Emma joined The Two Counties Trust in September 2024. In her role, Emma collaborates with the Executive Team and Trustees to ensure effective governance across all levels of the organisation.
Emma has previously worked in the legal sector for seventeen years and eight years in education, she now brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in governance to TTCT. Her background equips her to support the Trust effectively, contributing to its governance framework and helping to align all governance activities with the Trust’s vision, mission and values.
Emma’s legacy sentence is ‘She challenged to support ambition.’
Anthony joined The Two Counties Trust in April 2022 as Trust Lead for MIS and Data Systems. His primary responsibility involves implementing efficient Digital Data Strategies across the Trust. With a degree in Operations Management, and a rich IT background spanning both the private and education sectors, Anthony utilises his diverse technical skills to empower Trust teams with insightful analytics. He also provides close support to individual schools, enhancing their internal data operations.
An advocate of accuracy, efficiency and innovation, he specialises in the manipulation and presentation of Trust wide data using industry standard platforms. Anthony strongly believes in the power of high-quality data to target provision effectively in order to positively enhance the life choices of every student.
Anthony’s legacy sentence is ‘He was a dependable facilitator that led others to success.’
Clare Stockdale joined The Two Counties Trust in the role of Health and Safety Manager in November 2018 progressing to Head of Health, Safety and Risk in July 2021.
She is the Trust lead responsible for providing professional health and safety leadership and risk management advice within the Trust at all levels. Prior to joining the Trust, Clare was Environment, Risk and Health and Safety Manager at Manor Academy. During this time she was responsible for the facilities management of the site, statutory compliance, health and safety and was involved in major building and refurbishment projects.
Clare has a deep understanding of legal health and safety regulations along with experience in operational workplace safety and implementing safety programs. Qualifications to date include, NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety. Clare completed her NEBOSH National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety in February 2023. Clare brings a wide range of skills to the Trust which will assist her to deliver and maintain a health and safety change programme to embed and drive a positive safety culture across the organisation.
Clare’s legacy sentence is ‘She inspired others to make schools a safer place to be.’
Jordan joined The Two Counties Trust in May 2022 as Head of ICT. He holds the responsibility for determining the ICT strategy and leading our team of experienced ICT support professionals across the Trust to deliver a high-quality service.
Jordan has worked in education throughout his career; joining a school in Doncaster as an IT Apprentice in 2007, before being offered a permanent contract in 2008. In 2012 he moved to a school in Leicester as Network Manager, and in 2018 joined another Multi Academy Trust as a Regional IT Manager.
During this time Jordan studied with The Open University to graduate with a 2:1 degree with honours in Computing and IT, and has since taken further qualifications to enhance his expertise including PRINCE2 and ITIL, and Leadership and Management.
Jordan prides himself on outstanding customer service. The reason why we are here is clear; to provide the best possible opportunities, experiences and outcomes to young people, and so the level of service we provide needs to fully support this.
Jordan’s legacy sentence is ‘He was a role model to others.’
Hayley’s journey at The Two Counties Trust began in October 2019 as a finance assistant, and she has since transitioned into the pivotal role of Attendance and Pastoral Manager.
In her current position, Hayley provides crucial support to the Executive Headteacher (Pastoral), ensuring oversight and compliance in areas such as Alternative Provision, Attendance and Reduced Timetables, SEND funding, and Behaviour Support. She skilfully manages and oversees the work of the Attendance and Welfare Officers, ensuring the effective implementation of comprehensive systems.
Before joining the Trust, Hayley had a career as an apprentice in a finance department, steadily advancing to become the head of the department while obtaining various qualifications.
Her dedication to every student at The Two Counties Trust is evident, as she passionately strives to provide the necessary support to achieve their potential and enhance their life choices.
Cavan joined The Two Counties Trust in the role of Estates Manager in April 2023.
In his role, Cav works closely with leadership across the Trust, to continually improve the learning environments for all our students to ensure they have safe and pleasant school life.
Prior to joining the Trust, Cavan was site manager at a leading school for Autism in the UK. A varied role ranging from generally taking care of day-to-day maintenance to overseeing the Health and Safety of staff and pupils. He also found time to be involved with the pupils making bird boxes, as well as going above and beyond in his role helping to supervise camping trips and swim sessions.
From school Cavan completed one of the last full 5-year apprenticeship courses as a site Joiner, passing his City & Guilds before continuing on to passing his Advanced Craft Certificates. He spent the next 30 years in the building trade working for his family run business, specialising in disabled alterations and house extensions which he became the director of for the last 15 years. When he’s not at work you will find him at either of his passions, Rugby or his allotment.
Cavan’s legacy sentence is ‘He was dedicated to creating safe, welcoming spaces for children to thrive and reach their potential.’
Graham joined The Two Counties Trust in the role of Head of Procurement and Supplier Management in April 2022. His key role is to manage procurement and compliance on behalf of the Trust.
Prior to joining the Trust, Graham was Procurement Manager at Loughborough College and latterly, Procurement & Contracts Manager at L.E.A.D. Academy Trust, where he was responsible for the procurement at 25 academies. Graham is a Business Studies graduate, holds a PgDip in Business Administration from the University of Nottingham and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) since 2003. Graham has had a successful procurement career, spanning over 20 years, having developed his skills and experience at several high-profile organisations in the UK and Australia, including Alliance Boots, ESPO, DfE, NHS, Telstra Corp and Jones Lang LaSalle. Graham is experienced in managing multi-client tenders for a diverse range of goods and services, developing procurement strategy, sourcing and category plans and for managing a team of procurement professionals in demanding work environments.
Graham’s key driver is sharing his wide commercial experience with all departments across the Trust, to deliver maximum added value while maintaining high quality customer focussed outcomes.
Graham’s legacy sentence is ‘He helped instil the value of procurement best practice.’
Mitchell joined The Two Counties Trust in April 2021. In that time, he has established the department from scratch and completely overhauled the entire Two Counties brand. As well as leading on marketing and communications at a Trust level, Mitchell works closely with school leaders, improving the quality and consistency of their marketing output in order to promote the values of ‘one trust’.
Prior to joining the Trust, Mitchell worked as a social media manager, working to develop the digital presence of a number of high-profile brands in the East Midlands. Having a first-class degree in Education and even a teaching qualification, Mitchell has a deep understanding of the wider education sector.
Mitchell’s legacy sentence is ‘He encouraged others to embrace every opportunity.’
Ellen joined The Two Counties Trust in November 2021 and assumed the role of HR Manager in January 2024. With over 20 years of experience in Human Resources across various sectors including Education, the NHS, and Food Retail, Ellen brings a wealth of expertise to her role. She believes in the importance of fostering trust with senior leadership teams (SLT) and colleagues within schools, emphasising the values of respect and honesty. Ellen’s commitment to building strong partnerships contributes to making The Two Counties Trust a great place to work.
Ellen’s legacy sentence is ‘She gave advice and support with kindness and integrity even in difficult situations.’
