Lesley Parkin, is Assistant Catering Manager for Chadwick’s Kitchen our Trust-wide catering team. She has been with the Trust for three and a half years.

What were you doing before you started working for the Trust?

I have worked delivering school meals for 28 years in total, in a wide range of positions, starting from a zero-hour catering assistant, completing further training to become a chef then later I moved to more of a support managerial role for the catering company that provides outsourced meals to schools. I travelled extensively in this role, so it is lovely to be part of this Trust that is local to me and close knit.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I start very early in the morning as I like to be available for any of the kitchens should the chefs and cooks need any help or advice. I spend a lot of time planning and producing menus and recipes, which are all produced from scratch and by hand. I also liaise constantly with the school Business Leads and Headteachers supporting with anything necessary for the catering provision. On any given day I can be either in the office or out in schools, supporting the teams, seeing the children at lunchtime, meeting with parents, for example, to discuss a child’s medical diet.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I love the fact that everyday is different, anything can happen on any given day and I love rising to the challenge. I love supporting the teams, I get great satisfaction from seeing my menus and documents in schools. It is very satisfying to get lovely feedback from the catering staff, staff in the schools and parents of medical diet pupils especially.

How do you find being part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust?

I feel there is a huge support network in the Trust, and I love that I get to interact and get indirect and direct support and advice from all different areas and departments. It is a real pleasure to be able to be a part of so many schools and the central team.

What is your best piece of advice for colleagues in similar roles? Overseeing catering teams in thirty schools with over 130 staff, every day is different with different challenges, so I would say be prepared for anything (I think Covid taught us that) and stop, think, and analyse. All challenges can be overcome.

Catherine Lennox joined St Wilfrid’s RC College, South Shields, in September 2024 as the new headteacher.

What has been your career path so far?

I am originally from Richmond, North Yorkshire. I studied history at Nottingham University and completed my postgraduate degree in Newcastle. I worked at St Thomas More Catholic School in Blaydon from being an NQT to deputy headteacher. It is a lovely school; I worked in a range of roles there from history teacher to curriculum lead in history and then moved into senior leadership.

Why did you join St. Wilfrid’s?

It’s a fabulous school and I was attracted to its ethos around faith learning. I work in Catholic education because of its focus on young people’s development as well as their academic education.

What is your initial view of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust?

The Multi-Academy Trusts all have very distinct identities and BCCET’s vision is very clear of ‘Better Schools, Better Communities, Better Futures in Christ’. The Trust really stands by those values and that is what has impressed me the most since joining BCCET.

How have you been welcomed by your new team?

Everyone at school has been so supportive and patient. Everyone is on board with what we are trying to achieve at St. Wilfrid’s and they are so dedicated and committed. The support has been fantastic, not only the practical help from my business manager and deputy headteacher but the fact I can collaborate with the Trust’s chief standards officers too.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Interacting with the pupils. When I am having a busy day, I enjoy taking some time out to talk to the pupils. We have amazing young people in school. I learn so much from them too. Watching them grow, being part of their educational journey and seeing the impact of that on them is wonderful. Leadership can take you away from the classroom, but spending time with pupils is my favourite part of the day.

What improvements have you implemented so far and plan to bring in?

We have established our new behaviour curriculum called St. Wilfrid’s Way, which lays down all our expectations for behaviour across the school. St. Wilfrid’s Standards sets out our expectations of pupils in the classroom. We held a great event at the end of Autumn term praising the pupils for their achievements. We have also introduced visualisers in every classroom and launched new opportunities for lunchtime activities such as academic enrichment, sports and art.

What has been your proudest achievement in your career?

I love watching other leaders grow and develop and watching them thrive because of the culture that we have built, the support they receive and things that we have put in place. When you see other leaders grow in confidence and the impact of their work and that ripple effect – that is when I feel the proudest.

What are the key challenges facing the education sector?

The main challenges affecting the education sector are ensuring an education system that is fit for our pupils now, and in the future, and ensuring an engaging and relevant curriculum for all pupils – not just about academic pathways, but a curriculum that is appropriate for all learners. Our challenges in the North-east are different to those in other parts of the country, so we need a regional response to funding to allow schools to meet the changing needs and challenges of our cohorts. We are also facing the challenges of recruitment and retention as teaching is no longer as attractive an option for many graduates.

What has been the best piece of leadership advice you have received?

Leadership is about action not position. It’s not about a job title; it’s about how you act, how you think, and how you behave.

What is your leadership style?

For me, at the heart of leadership is the premise of servant leadership. It’s not about status or position; we are here to serve the school, the pupils and the community. In terms of my style, I’m quite a pace-setting leader. I set the standard and the expectations but combine that with building a consensus to build the team. Leadership is not about one person: it’s about valuing the input of the wider team. You would be foolish to think you know everything.

Dionne Dunn has been Headteacher of St. Leonard’s Catholic Primary School, Sunderland since 2022.

Previous roles?

I was the Deputy Headteacher and SENDCo at St. Joseph’s Primary School in Jarrow, where I worked from January 2019 until my secondment at St. Leonard’s. Prior to this I was Assistant Headteacher at St. Aloysius, Hebburn. I loved my time at both schools, and I am eternally grateful for the excellent opportunities I was given to help prepare me for the role of Headship.

What do you love most about your job?

There are so many things to love about being Headteacher at St. Leonard’s, especially leading on the positive changes that have been made. The school has been transformed in the last 18 months, from the visual appearance of the school building to the behaviour of pupils and even the development of the Friends of St. Leonard’s (affectionately known as the FOSLs); all of which has led to an increased level of pride from our pupils, staff and wider community. I love how we have been able to re-ignite the passion needed to make St. Leonard’s a great school.

What is the biggest challenge in your role?

The biggest challenge in my role to date has been changing the reputation of St. Leonard’s. I am now regularly approached by parents and grandparents who tell us how much the school has changed for the better and how happy and settled their children are – feelings that are evidenced by personal recommendations that have led to significantly increased numbers. This reputation goes beyond the school boundaries as I discovered on a recent trip when the driver of the bus informed me how he regularly hears about all the good things that are happening at St. Leonard’s.

Key strengths of your school?

Resilience is a major strength for the staff and pupils of St. Leonard’s. This is evident in both the academic achievements and Sporting and PE aspects of school life. Academically, the school has achieved excellent end of year results in Key Stage 2 Standardised Tests (SATs) – with 100% of pupils achieving the combined expected standard for reading, writing and maths. It was equally wonderful to be recognised as the ‘Emerging School of the Year’ at the Sunderland Primary Games Awards in 2022, and then to achieve the Bronze, Silver and, just recently, the Gold School Games Mark.

How do you find being part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust? Being part of the Trust has been integral to the survival of a once struggling school. Our Trust has enabled St. Leonard’s to transform – both in how the school looks and how it operates. Having the support of a wide network of professionals with a wide range of experience has supported me personally in driving forward the standards that needed to improve in the knowledge that there was always someone to draw advice from. The pupils have benefitted through being able to join in inter-Trust competitions and performances, giving their opinions personally to Mr Brendan Tapping (CEO) about how they think the Trust could be better, and from the investment a larger family of schools can bring to a single, small school. It is truly amazing the level of support on offer.

Eve Alderson has been Headteacher at St. Matthew’s Catholic Primary School in Jarrow, for the last four years.

Previous roles?

I started my career as a teacher at St. Godric’s Primary School, Durham. I have had various teaching and leadership roles over the years; before starting my teaching career I worked at Sure Start and an attendance project called ‘Every School Day Counts’ – it was this last role that inspired me to teach.

What do you love most about your job?

How rewarding it is to be able to help to shape the lives of the children in my care and to see them flourish. It is a real privilege to be a Headteacher and I feel extremely fortunate to be part of a fantastic school community, with wonderful children, staff, governors, and parents – every day there is something to smile about or celebrate!

What is the biggest challenge in your role?

Trying to juggle the various responsibilities which being a Headteacher brings. You must be very flexible in the role and be prepared to put tasks to one side to deal with something else which may take priority that day. I do find it helps to write a ‘to do’ list with ‘must, should and could’ columns, but also sometimes accept that some items on the list may stay on longer than I had anticipated!

Key strengths of your school?

One of the key strengths of St. Matthew’s is the warm, welcoming Catholic ethos of our school – our pupils and staff really do try hard to make our school the special place that it is. We are also proud to offer a curriculum which helps children to reach their full potential in all areas and truly ‘let their light shine.’

How do you find being part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust? Bishop Chadwick is a fantastic Trust to be part of. There is a very strong support network, both across schools and also from our central team. Our Trust is a very forward thinking and continually improving Trust, which puts its children and staff at the heart of all decisions made.

James Crowe joined St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy, Hebburn in September 2024 as the new Headteacher.

What has been your career path so far?

I studied geography and then completed teacher training at Durham University and completed my PGCE, having placements at Stokesley and Tudhoe, before joining St Edmund Campion Catholic School for my first job. This school became Cardinal Hume Catholic School in Gateshead. From joining 20 years ago as a geography teacher I worked my way up to the role of associate deputy headteacher.

Why did you join St. Joseph’s?

I had been an associate deputy headteacher for a few years and I was ready for the next step. This headteacher position came up at exactly the right time. St Joseph’s was definitely the one for me. Pre-Covid, I did some training here and got a really good vibe about the school and I have kept an eye on it ever since.

What is your initial view of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust?

The Trust is smaller than my previous one which was attractive to me. There is a very good, helpful and genuine cohesion within the Trust.

How have you been welcomed by your new team?

It has been very positive. We have also recruited three new members to bolster the senior leadership team who will be joining us in January.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The diversity – each day is very different. In my previous role, to a certain extent, it could be quite repetitive, as I had a very clear rhythm to the year. Here, everything is very different and I have more opportunities for strategy. I do miss teaching though and would like to incorporate that into my role at some point. This is the first year in my career where I haven’t had a GCSE or A Level class so it is quite a change.

What improvements have you implemented so far and plan to bring in?

My initial priority is to drive up standards of behaviour along with teaching and learning as we develop the structures to achieve outstanding outcomes for the students. We are looking at developing the site and working with external partners to add more facilities, especially in sport. The school is over-subscribed, so we need to increase our sports provision in particular.

What has been your proudest achievement in your career?

Apart from getting this job, my proudest achievement is helping my last school achieve an Outstanding grading from Ofsted.

What are the key challenges facing the education sector?

Funding, the pressure on local authorities to help pupils with SEND (special educational needs and/or disabilities) means more challenges fall to schools, the lost years due to Covid with a focus on reading and literacy standards, a changing curriculum, and uncertainty over Key Stage 5 pathways.

What has been the best piece of leadership advice you have received?

There is often no need to give an immediate answer. My advice is to think things through and give an answer that has been considered from all angles.

What is your leadership style? It is centred around empowering others. That is the style of management that I have experienced throughout my career and that is what I want to emulate in my role. No-one needs to be micro-managed; they are professionals and it’s key to treat them as such.

Ernie Laws, is Site Manager at St. Aidan’s Catholic Academy, Sunderland, he has worked there for over 18 years.

What were you doing before you started working for the Trust?

I worked as a deep-sea fisherman and I was a volunteer for Sunderland RNLI for 25 years.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Eat, sleep, and St. Aidans. Ensuring that site running to high standards, checking on the health safety. I also run daily.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The challenge and the enjoyment in achieving everything which we are asked to, and carrying out any tasks large or small to make the school run efficiently and provide our pupils with safe and functional facilities.

Also working alongside pupils and ensuring the on the day to day running and maintenance of the site. We are currently working with colleagues from the Trust and the Department for Education, on a complete rebuild of the school with £42 million investment, which is very exciting.

How do you find being part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust?

I enjoy been part of the Trust and working alongside other site teams to give support

and advice if when needed, in particular to new caretakers or site managers.

What is your best piece of advice for colleagues in similar roles? Take passion and pride in the job on all school sites to ensure that all health safety is kept up to date and the site is always running perfect.