Meet the team...
The teaching school team is made up of a group of teachers, teacher educators and support staff with a wide range of experience within and beyond education. Find out more about them below.
Tom Garry | Director of Teaching School Hub
Tom Garry holds a BA in Primary Education from the University of Leeds, an MA in Education Management from King’s College, London and has been awarded the NPQH. He is an NCETM accredited Professional Development Lead, a Primary Mastery Specialist, and a Churchill Fellow, having been awarded a fellowship to research support for novice teachers in high-performing school networks in New York and Boston.
Tom has taught in the UK and Poland in both primary and secondary phases, most recently working as a deputy head teacher before heading the Teaching School Hub’s precursor, the STEP Ahead Teaching School Alliance. His first book, ‘Mastery in Primary Mathematics’ was published by Bloomsbury in 2020
@tjpgarry
Verity Griffin | Head of Initial Teacher Education and Deputy Director
Verity Griffin holds a BA in Theatre and Performance from the University of Plymouth, a PGCE from the University of Winchester, an MA from King’s College London and has been awarded her NPQH. She is currently engaging with Ambition Institute’s Teacher Education Fellows programme.
Verity is a Specialist Leader in Education (SLE), and taught English in both South Korea and Turkey before returning to the UK to study for her PGCE. Verity has worked as a teacher and senior leader in several London schools, most recently as a deputy head teacher, before joining the Teaching School Hub’s precursor, the STEP Ahead Teaching School Alliance.
@veritygriffin
Alex Farley | Senior Lead for Teacher Development
Alex holds a BA in English Language and Film from the University of Wales, Bangor and a PGCE (Primary) from the University of Chester. He has worked in education for over a decade and within STEP Academy Trust for the past eight years.
Most recently, Alex was part of the leadership team who led Angel Oak Academy in Peckham to their Outstanding Ofsted rating in 2017, and was Head of School there for the past two-and-a-half years.
Tom Cornell | Senior Lead for Teacher Development
Thomas Cornell holds a BA in English Literature and Politics from the University of York, a PGCE from UCL and an MA in Leadership and Management from UCL.
Thomas has worked as a teacher and senior leader in multiple London schools, most recently as an assistant head teacher, before joining the Teaching School Hub.
Rachael Partleton | Teacher Development Lead
Rachael Partleton holds a BA in Fine Art & Psychology and has thirteen years secondary teaching in inner city London schools. For eight years she was Head of Art and Design & Technology and transformed the department into a multi-disciplinary space bringing in ceramics, textiles, photography and graphics. She has worked closely with the University of the Arts London as part of the nationwide Firing Up programme, a funded initiative to see ceramics brought back onto the curriculum. Rachael has also been invited into primary schools to deliver art and related professional development.
She is a keen advocate for social causes relating to equality and has been a guest speaker at various institutions, including Natwest Bank.
Jo Davies | Senior Hub Coordinator
Jo has worked in administration across multiple East Sussex schools for over 15 years and brings her extensive knowledge of working in education to the Teaching School Hub. She has worked in both primary and secondary phases and is able to utilise her skills gained from being an Exams Officer to her role.
Jo’s key skills are event planning and organisation. She also has a keen interest in marketing and is currently undertaking some courses in marketing.
Susan Santos | Hub Coordinator
Susan holds a Charted Management Institute Diploma in Management from the University of Brighton and a Diploma in School Business Management.
From a background of working in tourism in Spain, Susan has, for the last 26 years, been working within education and brings a range of skills and experience from her roles in management for the Careers Service in East Sussex and as a primary school Business Manager.