Lloyd was the CEO and executive headteacher of The Adelaide Academy Trust. As a headteacher, his own school was awarded TES Special School of the Year. He is a widely respected and exceptionally experienced leader of special schools in both the public and private sector, and provides consultancy, quality assurance and school improvement support in a variety of settings.

Melanie is Senior Capacity Improvement Advisor at the Teaching School Hubs Council (TSHC).  She has held senior posts in the public and voluntary sectors, including as CEO of Ambition Institute, Education Director at Business in the Community, and in teacher recruitment and training for the Department for Education. She has served as a primary school governor and is a former trustee of the charity Teach First.

Angela has 17 years’ experience working in children’s services commissioning early years, youth services and targeted family support services for local authorities. She has extensive experience of safeguarding systems and practices in education and social service settings. She has previously served on an interim executive board. Angela is currently a commissioning manager and has qualifications in business management, and coaching and mentoring.

Graeme is Emeritus Professor of Local History at the University of Chester, from where he retired in 2010. He was successively Head of History and Dean of Academic Quality and Standards, in which capacity he helped to facilitate the process by which Chester College became a University. He has reviewed other colleges and universities for the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. Graeme writes on aspects of medieval and landscape history, edits the county history journal Cheshire History and has several connections with church and cathedral communities within the Diocese of Chester.

Following an early career teaching religious studies and philosophy, finishing as head of religion and philosophy at Manchester Grammar School, Ralph joined Dulwich College in 1993 as head of the middle school. In 2014, Ralph was appointed to the newly created post of deputy master external with a brief to develop the college’s links with the maintained sector and to create an international presence. By 2015 Dulwich had seven international schools for which he was responsible. In the maintained sector, Ralph led two academy projects from their creation to opening, on the Isle of Sheppey and in the London borough of Lambeth, working closely with executives and governors and in both cases, chairing the governing body. Ralph retired from Dulwich College in 2015 and is Director International for Aspirance Leadership Services, acting as a consultant to UK schools seeking a move into the international market. Ralph is a Senior Associate for one of the public examination boards, is Vice Chair of the Newton Prep Council in London and governor at Bishops’ Blue Coat High School in Chester.

George is an education specialist with over twenty years’ experience in education advisory work in both mainstream and specialised schools and the CEO of The Samara Trust. Most recently, George provided educational consultancy for schools, trusts and new school proposer groups, including working as a specialist for New Schools Network, working alongside over 25 trusts in their development and preparation for inspection. George provided the founding leadership and development of New Islington Free School in Manchester which achieved an ‘Outstanding’ grade on its very first OFSTED inspection, and is included on the Department for Education’s Register of External Expertise, undertaking quality and compliance inspection/advisory visits, reporting to the DfE and identifying targets for improvement.

Nigel is a qualified commercial accountant having held several ‘line’ positions as finance director and managing director within the commercial sector. Following this, Nigel joined a ‘big four’ management consultancy, leading multi-disciplinary teams advising private/public sector clients (typically major PLCs). From the mid 1990’s Nigel formed a management consultancy partnership with an ex colleague and built a multi-disciplinary team advising private sector clients (PLCs and SMEs), the public sector (local authorities/central government agencies) and the legal sector via expert witness projects both within the UK and mainland Europe.