Selene Sawyer
Executive Head of Lionwood Schools
CEO of Inclusive Schools Trust
Selene studied at Kingston University and has worked at senior leadership level in London and Norfolk, including Headteacher roles in four different schools. She is Executive Head of Lionwood Schools and CEO of Inclusive Schools Trust.
Lionwood Infant and Nursery School was rated ‘outstanding’ across the board in March 2016 and is now a national support school. Lionwood Junior School was rated ‘good’ with ‘outstanding’ for leadership and management and behaviour, welfare and safety in October 2016.
Lionwood Infant and Nursery School is now a designated Teaching School and National Support School. Lionwood Teaching School is central to the development of the Trust and a key driver for support for school improvement across the six schools and beyond.
Caroline Mandilakis
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Caroline has over thirty years’ broad experience working in a variety of roles within the financial sector. After leaving school, she worked for the Co-operative Bank before joining Aviva Commercial Property Finance as Business Manager with responsibility for the analysis and agreement of lending in the PFI and Primary Care Sector. She later joined the Senior Management Team where she remained for five years in the role of People and Organisation Manager and led the delivery of organisational change, leadership development, talent management and business coaching. Caroline is a qualified Coach-Mentor.
In 2010, Caroline moved to work for Aviva HR as an MI Partner supporting organisational change across the UK. She remained in HR for two years before making the decision to change career to work in the education sector.
Caroline joined Lionwood Schools’ Federation, firstly as a Teaching Assistant at Lionwood Junior School and then as School Secretary at Lionwood Infant and Nursery School. Caroline now works as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) across the Trust supporting the CEO to ensure the best people are positioned in the right roles in order to strengthen and build capacity. She is also the Governance Professional for the Trust.
Charlie Atkins
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Charlie has over 7 years experience of working in Finance with the Education Sector, qualifying as an AAT at the start of his career and recently qualifying as Chartered Professional with the ACCA body in April 2023.
He started his career in the sector as a Finance Apprentice back in 2018 and has carried out a range of senior management roles, including Chief Finance Officer.
In 2020, prior to COVID restrictions, Charlie received a national award in Accounting & Business and attended an award ceremony to recognise the work that was carried out on a particular project.
Charlie has recently joined Inclusive Schools Trust to assist with the completion of projects and year-end reporting.
Gary Tame
Site Manager
Gary has over 30 years’ experience working in the building industry, having joined when he left school. He trained in plastering and has completed a number of house renovations, including building his own house in 1989.
Following this Gary spent 12 years working in drilling on oil rigs and subsequently acquired extensive knowledge of hydraulic systems.
Gary moved into the Education Sector in 2014 when he joined Mousehold Infant and Nursery School as Caretaker. Over the next few years he developed skills in Schools and Grounds Maintenance before taking on the role of Site Manager at the same school in 2016. He has since developed further skills in the areas of Health and Safety and Compliance before joining the Trust team as IST Site Manager in April 2021, overseeing the 6 schools within the Trust.
Neal Gardner
Finance Consultant
Originally from Essex, Neal moved to Norfolk in 2002 and studied History at the UEA.
Post university, Neal studied accounting and qualified with the ACCA whilst working within the accounts department of a property management company based in Norwich, where he worked for over 10 years.
Since starting a family, Neal has become involved in the education sector, initially through volunteering as a Governor at a local school. Neal then joined Inclusive Schools Trust in June 2022.
Jo Parker
Office Administrator & Trust Secretary
Jo has over twelve years of progressive experience as an administrator and has previously worked for a busy physiotherapy company and within Break Charity’s HR department. This is Jo’s first job in the education sector but she has a wealth of knowledge she is able to bring to the role. Jo’s close family were all teachers, she has a son in primary education and runs a drama group with her sister for children, young people and adults.
Jo gained a BA Hons Degree in Theatre Practice at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2000 and has worked both voluntarily and professionally in the arts industry ever since. Jo is a keen actress and has been treading the boards since the age of five. She has performed on many stages around Norfolk and Suffolk for the past 20 years and has even produced some of her own one-woman shows.
Tracy Wharton
Finance and Operations Manager
After returning to university as a mature student, Tracy gained a BSc in Human Resource Management from De Montfort University and followed this by successfully gaining her CIPD qualification.
Tracy has been working in education since 2006. She started her early career as an HR Manager for a secondary school and from there trained and developed to become a School Business Manager. Tracy has worked in various settings from nursery to secondary providers, and all sectors including maintained schools, SATs and MATs.
Tracy has relocated from Leicestershire to join Inclusive Schools Trust as a Finance and Operations Manager.
Susannah Hinchliff
Speech and Language Therapist
Susannah qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2004. For 13 years she worked in the NHS with a range of client groups (both children and adults) in Norfolk and Oxfordshire. Susannah has experience working at a Speech, Language and Communication Needs Specialist Resource Base and has jointly led a rehabilitation team.
Susannah Joined Inclusive Schools Trust in 2017. Since then she has become an ICAN trainer for Early Talk Boost and Talk Boost Key Stages 1 and 2.
Susannah offers the following support to our schools within the Trust:
- Individual assessment and programme planning for children identified as having a Speech, Language or Communication Need.
- Training and support for staff.
- Talk Boost training and assistance to set up groups in schools
- Information for families
- Support with referrals to other services.
- Input into EHCPs.
Sophie Duncan
Finance Assistant
Sophie has worked in Administration and Finance since leaving school in a range of different industries.
In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and walking her dogs.
