Our Leadership Team

Our leadership team is comprised of experts who guide and advise our development and vision.

Our team have built up their skills and experience serving our school for many years, and were recognised in our latest Ofsted inspection as Good in Leadership and Management.

Mrs Marie Lanaghan

Acting Headteacher

Marie has taught Religious Education for twenty years.  She was Subject Leader of RE for seven years before being appointed Assistant Head with responsibilities for CPD and Partnerships.  Marie is currently Pastoral Deputy Head Teacher. Marie has recently achieved the NPQSL qualification and has led various successful department and whole-school initiatives.  She has a proven track record of leading a very successful department and has achieved very positive outcomes for students across all ability ranges.

Mrs Frances Collins

Senior Assistant Head Teacher (Behaviour and Attendance)

Frances has been teaching Modern Languages in schools across the North East for 19 years. During this time she has built up a broad base of transferable skills having worked as a Year Leader in Key Stages 3 and 5, a Deputy Subject Leader and a Head of Department and currently as an Senior Assistant Head Teacher with a responsibility for Post-16 Education. She has led various whole-school initiatives including developing a Post-16 monitoring and mentoring programme and a diverse range of projects to engage students in the life of the school and the local community. As an SLE, Frances has delivered training to Primary School and trainee teachers on pupil engagement and the challenges faced in Post-16 education. Frances has a proven track record of leading successful teams in the curriculum and pastoral domains and she has achieved very positive outcomes for students across all ability ranges. She has excellent interpersonal skills and can motivate and enthuse others by being a positive role model and by working sensitively and collaboratively to help colleagues and leaders to develop their practice and confidence in order to improve standards. She is motivated not only by the desire to develop her own performance and skills but to help others to maximise their own potential for the good of all students.

Miss Jude Wallis

Senior Assistant Headteacher (Teaching and Learning)

Jude has been a teacher for over 20 years.  She has taught a number of subjects, principally History but also Law and English and was Subject Leader for Social Sciences for 6 years.  This included leadership and management of 11 different subjects and over 20 staff.  She is currently an Associate Assistant Headteacher responsible for Teaching and Learning, KS4 intervention and Quality Assurance. Jude was designated as an SLE in 2013 and since then she has worked with a number of colleagues across different schools and departments to raise pupil achievement.  Working with colleagues from other schools and supporting the progression of young people is something she really enjoys and she looks forward to working with more colleagues in the future.

Areas of support:

  • Raising achievement in History
  • Leadership and management of departments
  • Teaching and Learning

Mrs Sam Ward

Senior Assistant Headteacher (Sixth Form)

Samantha has 25 years experience of teaching MFL and was subject leader of the department for 10 years. She has been responsible for Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Teachers. She is currently a Senior Assistant Headteacher responsible for St. Aidan’s & St. Anthony’s Catholic Sixth Form.

Mrs Laura Dudley

Assistant Headteacher (Personal Development)

Mr Michael McDonagh

Assistant Headteacher (Data and Curriculum)

Michael has a BSc(Hons) Graduate in Mathematics with a postgraduate MSc in Applied Statistics and Statistical Education. He has been a teacher for over 27 years.  Michael has taught in a number of different schools across the North East an in a number of subjects, principally Mathematics and Further Mathematics but also Economics and Computing. He was Subject Leader for Mathematics for over 10 years.  Michael is currently Deputy Head Teacher responsible for the curriculum, data and assessment. He completed his NPQH in 2016. Michael has worked with a number of colleagues across different schools and departments to raise pupil achievement, both as an SLE and a senior leader over the past 5 years.  Michael’s SLE role is as an SLE for Mathematics however he is able to offer wider support based upon his experience in Leadership

Areas of support:

  • Raising achievement in Mathematics
  • Leadership and management of departments
  • Leadership and management of the curriculum
  • Use of data to inform Teaching and Learning
  • Use of data to inform curriculum planning
  • Use of data to inform intervention

Mr Liam Milne

Assistant Headteacher (Teaching and Learning)

Miss Jo Britton

Associate Assistant Head Teacher (Behaviour and Attitudes)