Extol Trust

Jackie is currently a Divisional Director at City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust. She has a Masters in Organisational Change and Management Development, and Nye Bevan NHS Leadership Academy Award in Executive Healthcare Leadership.

Thus she brings experience of business, specifically around HR and financial best value to the Board of Extol. She is passionate about improving the life chances of young people in the Wear and Tees Valley areas and champions school improvement. This is reflected in a number of years experience serving as a school governor within both primary and secondary school settings.

Jackie has recently completed Confederation Of Schools Trust Chairs Leadership Programme and is driving the strategic governance of Extol.

Sean is married to an ex-teacher and has two grown up daughters and lives in Teesside. With an engineering and commercial background Sean has worked on large infrastructure projects across the UK whilst always being based in Teesside. Originally working for consultant engineers White Young in Billingham and for Stockton Borough Council as an Engineer, he went on to join Northumbrian Water as a Project and Programme Manager.

He has now worked for international commercial consultant Faithful+Gould for over 15 years based out of the Stockton office and has been a Board Director for the last 10 years. He has managed a wide range of projects and most notably worked on Hinkley Point C, the £25bn new nuclear power station, where his final role was as Supply Chain Director.

He has provided strategic advice to HS2 and is also supporting the development and regeneration of Teesworks. Sean is passionate about ensuring that all children have the best possible start in life and believes that skills and education provides the platform on which great things can be built.

Rakesh is a retired GP with over 35 years of experience within the health service. He has experience not only at a practice level but at a local, and national level within the NHS driving forward service development and clinical standards. He has served on a number of NHS strategic and operational groups including the Chief Medical Officers Group on Health Inequalities. He was awarded an OBE for services to Primary Care in Northumberland. He is currently a GP Appraiser for General Practitioners in the North East.

Rakesh believes strongly in the fundamental role that education plays in not only the academic but physical, psychological, and social wellbeing of children and their future opportunities. This is why he has served as a Trustee of the North East Autism Society for over 10 years. The Society provides education and care for children and young adults with Autism and Neurodiversity issues in the North East.

Margaret has 42 years experience as a teacher, Headteacher and Executive Headteacher in the primary sector. She took her last school from requires improvement to outstanding and was recognised by Ofsted and the government for outstanding leadership. She was one of the first appointed NLEs and had a proven track record in improving schools that have failed or were in danger of failing.

During her career prior to retirement Margaret took on a number of additional roles. These included:

• Education Adviser to the Local Safeguarding Board, including involvement with serious case reviews.
• Schools Forum representative for large primary schools.
• Visiting education lecturer at Durham University.
• Established and managed the Durham University – Hartlepool teaching student partnership. A project to offer student teachers placements, in -house training and mentoring in Hartlepool Primary Schools.
• ​​​​​Represented Hartlepool LEA at National Conferences and consultations.
• Keynote speaker on a number of occasions at the National College and led workshops at national training events across the country on all aspects of school improvement.

Margaret, since retiring, has served as a Justice of the Peace and sits on the board of The Hospital of God.