LAPA Leadership

Violet is an experienced teacher of 18 years and has held the role of a middle leader for 11 years. Violet started her journey in drama and education as a visiting performer for the Theatre In Education company '2 Engage', before becoming a freelance Drama practitioner in association with Nottingham Playhouse Participation Programme. Here she was able to develop a system of learning to help engaging participants with Drama, stimuli and hard-hitting topics. This helped to ignite a love and a passion for drama in areas of Basford, Bulwell and Hyson Green. She also had links with Loughborough City Council and was able to develop a Drama Youth Group which would produce Annual performances for the local community.

From here, Violet trained as a Drama teacher, quickly moving into Middle Leadership as the Head of Drama Btec and eventually a Lead Practitioner in Drama and Performance. Her role not only focused on the development of the Drama Curriculum but also on the teaching and learning from a whole school perspective. During this time, she was able to develop strong links with a number of theatres and performance groups such as The Lowry, Contact Theatre, The Royal Exchange Theatre, Frantic Assembly and Shakespeare Schools Festival .

Having taught in mainly inner-city settings, Violet is keenly aware of the role education can have on young lives and the power of strong leadership in the drive to give a voice to all.
Violet has studied with Ambition Institute on their Middle Leadership programme, a two-year programme which allowed her to develop her skills of strategic leadership and innovations in whole school teaching and learning as well as Drama and Performing Arts.

With her experience in Teaching and Learning as well as her experience as Middle Leader for Drama Violet decided to use this experience to develop some of her other interest in education as a GCSE Drama Examiner for OCR which she has held for the last three years.

A keen dramatist, Violet has directed and written plays in and out of school. Violet believes in the importance of collaboration and innovation in her teaching practice. She believes that the arts must continue to push boundaries in areas empower all to use their voice!

Rosie has over a decade of experience in the music education sector. A passionate musician, she is committed to using her skills and abilities to promote and develop music and the arts and their value in society.

Rosie has an innovative approach to curriculum design and is fully committed to ensuring that all pupils have the opportunity to explore their passions on the route to success. Firmly believing in “Music for all”, Rosie is highly experienced at ensuring all pupils reach their potential. Her strong leadership and clear vision were commented on by Ofsted, when the department she was leading had a subject “deep dive” contributing to the overall “Outstanding” rating of the school.

Rosie has a BA (Hons) degree in Music and studied performance at the Guildhall School of Music in London. With a passion for continuous development Rosie has held the role of SSAT lead practitioner leading on teaching and learning, working to enhance the overall Quality of Education. Rosie is also a Musical Futures Champion Teacher and Tech Champion Teacher, providing school-to-school support and training at both primary and secondary settings. She works proactively to develop and sustain partnerships with local and national agencies including Charanga, Ableton and Opera North. These partnerships have provided opportunities for students to collaborate in the wider community. Rosie has supported primary schools to develop their early years, KS1 and KS2 music provision, and has also provided support for secondary schools to develop and implement their curriculums.

Katie Squirrell is a highly successful leader in Dance who throughout her life has a passion and sheer talent in the Performing Arts, specialising in Dance. Previous to being appointed the Subject Coordinator of Dance at Trinity Academy Leeds, Katie led a highly successful Dance Department at a Performing Arts School in London. During this position, Katie’s Dance results were well above national averages and thus, students went on to Performing Arts Colleges, such as Urdang, Bird College, Emil Dale, English National Ballet, Northern School of Contemporary Dance and ArtsEd.

Katie trained at the Royal Academy of Dance where she gained her PGCE in Dance Teaching with outstanding Qualified Teachers Status and gained a first-class BA Honours degree in Dance. Throughout her life, Katie has gained various qualifications at a Distinction level from the British Ballet Organisation in classical ballet, tap, modern and musical theatre dance. Katie has toured nationally as part of the Lucas Dance Company and gained scholarships from the British Ballet Organisation to specialise her training in Jazz and musical theatre dance. Katie is a relentless practitioner who is passionate and driven for all young people to find their passions in the performing arts and turn this passion into an established career.

In the LAPA Dance pathway, we help you to do just this. Students on this pathway are given various performance opportunities with industry leading companies; Phoenix Dance Theatre, RJC Dance, Northern School of Contemporary Dance and Northern Ballet to find their craft and develop their skills to be a versatile performer. This year alone, students have taken part in Yorkshire Schools Dance Festival, performed in FRESH which is a leading event in Yorkshire, attended ‘Move It’ in London, won the “most creative performance” in the Leeds School Games, performed in Northern School of Contemporary Dance’s Community Dance Platform and are national finalists in the Great Big Dance Off. Katie recognises the creativity, self expression and sheer power that the industry brings and is excited to share her expertise in performing arts and dance with our future dancers, choreographers and performers.

Jennifer is a passionate, well-rounded, experienced and talented Teacher of Drama who has had professional experience both on stage and behind the scenes in many productions throughout her life. Previous to her appointment at Trinity Academy Leeds as a Teacher of Drama, Jennifer led the technical department at York St John University throughout her time there. From this she developed a love for lighting and sound design, as well as stage management, which she has continued to gain experience in and persue after leaving university.

Jennifer has a variety of experiences outside of education in Drama and the Performing Arts understanding the importance of a well-rounded performer. A Graduate of a leading Performing Arts school in the Middle East, Jennifer is familiar and confident with many styles of dram and dance from Musical Theatre to Shakespeare. Having performed in several professional productions in Dubai as part of the Professional group ‘Popular Productions’ Jennifer brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her role. Jennifer is also familiar with LAMDA, Trinity and Arts Award qualifications for Acting having taken part and leading these through her life. Jennifer continues to work with many contacts she has made through her experiences, and due to experience both backstage and on stage, she is confident in finding young people’s passion in Performing Arts at LAPA.

Matt has over 6 years of experience as a performing and recording musician in the Music Industry as well as 5 years of experience in the Education Sector. Through a relevant and innovative teaching style Matt has gained successful results in previous roles before making the move to Trinity Academy Leeds.

Matt has a BA (Hons) degree in Popular Music Performance from Leeds Conservatoire which has shaped his approach to music teaching, using his personal experience and passion to show young people how to express themselves through music. During his time studying, Matt collaborated with a range of different musicians - Rock, Jazz, Rap, Metal, Neo-Soul - in creating, recording and performing music. Allowing him to develop his passion for all genres of music which continues to shape his approach to teaching to get the most out of all learners while fostering intellectual curiosity across the subject.