Meet the Professional Learning Team

Laura has successfully facilitated outstanding & improving teacher programmes in East Sussex across primary & secondary phases. She has supported a school to effectively set up the programme. Laura is a trained coach with many years’ experience as a professional tutor working with a range of ITT providers & appropriate bodies. She has line managed Science departments through change and rapid improvement.

Laura is passionate about high quality teaching and learning and ensuring all children have the best educational experience possible. As Deputy Director of Professional Learning, Laura works within the Learning and Development Network with a responsibility for professional development and leadership development across the secondary phase.

Cat has been in education for 20 years, and started her career working in an inner London school. As well as being the Primary Development Lead, she is currently a part-time Deputy Headteacher at Seymour Primary school. Ensuring the best outcomes for all students is at the heart of why Cat works for TKAT and has been with the organisation for over 10  years.

Cat was previously a Lead Practitioner, working across TKAT, where she focussed on incremental coaching in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning.  As part of her Lead Practitioner role, Cat became an EMCC accredited coach at practitioner level. The role also provided an opportunity for her to deepen her understanding of high quality teaching and learning. 

Cat has a deep belief that good quality professional development should be available to all staff.  As Professional Development Lead, Cat is responsible for the quality of professional development on offer. Her role entails working with individual schools and clusters to ensure they are creating pathways and building expertise that can be shared trust wide.

Kay Tinsley has recently been appointed to the role of Director of Teaching and Learning. Prior to joining the TKAT family, she worked in a variety of contexts, many deprived, to secure school improvement. She has 21 years of experience in educational leadership, including headship, and is committed to closing the educational gap through high quality teaching and learning. 

As well as working in a variety of roles in TKAT, including being the strategic lead for English and reading, in secondary, she is also currently researching for her Phd in Education at Sussex University focused on English curriculum design. Her passion is ensuring that all of the children in our TKAT family acquire the super power of reading. 

Following over 20 years working in finance, Steve decided upon a career change. He joined TKAT in 2015 to support the Group Director of Learning, lead school headteacher, and strategic partners in providing leadership, and development/growth to the trust and wider partnerships.

Steve now supports the Director of Professional Learning in the administration, and development of the Learning and Development Network through all methods of communication.