Meet the team

Sarah joined the Trust as Assistant Chief Finance Officer, bringing over 17 years of finance experience and a strong track record in financial leadership. She is a fully qualified accountant and a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Sarah has extensive experience in financial planning, management reporting, cashflow forecasting, and audit management. She has supported all academies within the trust, producing management accounts, overseeing group cashflow, and playing a key role in the successful delivery of year-end audits.

As a member of the Central Executive Team, Sarah works closely with the Chief Executive, Chief Operating Officer, and central services colleagues to support the Trust’s strategic priorities. Her focus is on ensuring financial sustainability through robust budgeting, forecasting, and risk management, enabling schools to thrive in an increasingly complex educational landscape.

A collaborative and highly effective communicator, Sarah builds strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels and is committed to fostering professional, high-performing teams. She is passionate about ensuring that every financial decision supports the Trust’s core purpose: delivering the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

Amit Yadev serves as Chair of the Local Governing Board at Lady Jane Grey Academy, where he provides strategic leadership, support and constructive challenge to help ensure the best possible outcomes for pupils. Working closely with school leaders, governors and Raleigh Education Trust, he is committed to supporting the academy’s continued development and success.

Prior to becoming Chair, Amit led the Strategic Committee that oversaw the academy’s successful transition into Raleigh Education Trust and was an active member of both the Finance Committee and the Full Governing Board. He brings extensive experience in accounting, finance and banking, with expertise in financial management, governance, strategy and leadership.

Amit is passionate about ensuring that every child feels safe, valued and supported to achieve their full potential. He believes that education should not only deliver academic success but also nurture confidence, resilience, curiosity and a lifelong love of learning.

Courtney Chambers is Deputy Safeguarding Lead at Raleigh Education Trust. Having joined the Trust in 2024 as Pastoral and Safeguarding Lead at Fairhaven Academy, she progressed into her current Trust-wide role in March 2026. She works closely with safeguarding teams across the Trust, supporting schools to ensure children and families receive the right help at the right time, and values the collaborative approach and shared commitment to safeguarding that exists across Raleigh. 

Courtney has spent more than a decade supporting children, young people and families in a range of educational and community-based roles. Her career began at Fairhaven Academy (formerly Unity) and Brookvale Academy (formerly Denewood) when both schools were part of the local authority. During this time she held several roles including Administrator, Attendance Officer, Teaching Assistant and Learning Mentor. She later joined the local authority as a Targeted Family Support Worker, further developing her experience of supporting vulnerable children and families. 

Courtney studied Special Educational Needs (Teaching and Learning) at Nottingham Trent University while working with the Denewood Academy and the Short Breaks Team, supporting children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and additional needs to develop confidence, independence and life skills. 

Courtney’s passion for safeguarding stems from her early experiences working with permanently excluded children, where she recognised the importance of ensuring every young person’s voice is heard. She is particularly committed to supporting children who may be vulnerable to exploitation and other safeguarding risks, helping to ensure they receive support at the earliest opportunity.  

What Courtney enjoys most about her role is making a positive difference to the lives of children, young people and families. Working across the diverse range of schools within the Trust allows her to support children with a wide variety of needs and vulnerabilities, while collaborating with colleagues and partner agencies to help them thrive. 

When she’s not busy supporting families, visiting schools and working alongside colleagues across the Trust, Courtney enjoys escaping to a sunny beach during the holidays. Although those who know her well will tell you she’s rarely far from her laptop, combining a little sunshine with the work she is so passionate about. 

Prior to her role in the Central team, Jane was Principal of one of our mainstream academies: leading the school from Special Measures to a judgement of Outstanding for Leadership and Management within her six years in post. Jane has a skill for spotting and nurturing talent. She has demonstrated the importance of building a great team ethos, and an ability to motivate staff to work tirelessly for the benefit of the children in their care. This culture transformed standards and pupil outcomes sustainably, and Ambleside academy continues to go from strength to strength.

Jane has absolute belief in our Trust’s pupil cohort, and recognises that with the right provision and support, and excellent teaching, they can achieve well regardless of starting points.

Jane taught across the primary age range for 15 years before moving into a Local Authority consultancy role in the City of Nottingham. She was then recruited by the Primary National Strategies to be a regional consultant for literacy. She worked across the East and East Midlands, monitoring standards, and training and developing consultants and school leaders; before returning to school leadership herself in 2012. She has a strong knowledge of the primary curriculum, and is a literacy specialist.

Jane devises and leads staff development with clarity and pace, so teachers and support staff feel knowledgeable and confident in their delivery. Her current focus within our alternative academies is the development and improvement of curriculum provision, which enables pupils to connect and engage with independence and aspiration.

Although now semi-retired, Jane maintains her passion for ensuring our pupils receive an excellent quality of education. She brings valued experience and knowledge to our school improvement team.

Kate has over 30 years of experience in special education and more than a decade in senior leadership, with particular expertise in teaching pupils with profound and multiple learning disabilities and complex learning and sensory needs. Her classroom practice has been consistently recognised for its excellence and innovation. She is a passionate advocate for education as a fundamental human entitlement, believing that every pupil deserves an ambitious, rich and meaningful education.

At Ash Lea, Kate has led significant transformation through curriculum innovation, trauma informed practice and an ambitious approach to enquiry based learning. Under her leadership, the school has achieved OPAL Platinum accreditation and expanded opportunities for outdoor learning, cultural experiences and residential education. An avid reader and endlessly curious about educational research and practice, Kate encourages a culture of asking ‘why?’, challenging assumptions and getting to the heart of what really matters. She values clarity, simplicity and purposeful systems that remove unnecessary complexity, support excellent practice and give people the freedom and confidence to innovate.

Kate is equally passionate about working beyond her own school, building partnerships, supporting mainstream colleagues and engaging with SEND networks to share expertise, learn from exceptional practice and improve opportunities for children and young people with SEND across the wider education system.

Kate holds the NPQSL and NPQH and is embarking on the NPQEL. A courageous, warm and energetic leader, she believes in challenging convention, taking thoughtful risks and giving others the confidence to do the same. Her approach to leadership is rooted in collaboration, trust and a genuine belief in the value of everyone’s contribution. She takes particular joy in developing exceptional practitioners and growing leaders, giving people the responsibility, encouragement and freedom to flourish, particularly those who may not yet recognise their own potential.

Natalia joined Raleigh Education Trust in August as Finance Administrator, taking on a newly created role that strengthens the Trust’s growing finance team. Her responsibilities include processing invoices and BACS reports, while also reviewing processes to identify efficiencies and support the Trust as it continues to grow and welcome new schools.

Highly organised and proactive, Natalia enjoys bringing structure to her work and has quickly embraced learning new systems. She is excited about the opportunities ahead and looks forward to taking on additional responsibilities as part of the Trust’s journey.

Joining the education sector marks a complete career change for Natalia. Her background spans administration, finance, quality assurance and laboratory work, and she is largely self-taught in finance systems. She brings a wealth of experience, a strong eye for detail and a practical, can-do approach to her role. What she enjoys most about Raleigh is being part of a larger team and working alongside supportive colleagues who share a common purpose.

Natalia works part-time, which allows her to spend time caring for her many animals. A lifelong animal lover, she has a horse, four goats, two sheep and a dog, and previously raced huskies across the UK and Europe. Outside work, she enjoys walking, horse riding, socialising with friends and family, and taking spontaneous weekend breaks whenever the opportunity arises.

Her positivity, enthusiasm for learning and commitment to continuous improvement make her a valued member of the Raleigh team.