Senior Leadership Team

Kat is an experienced Senior and Middle Leader who has consistently made a positive impact in school improvement across a number of roles in her career. Previous to being appointed the Principal of Trinity Academy Leeds, Kat held the position of Senior Vice Principal at Trinity Academy Cathedral, awarded TES Secondary School of the year in 2019. Kat led on both Teaching and Learning and Year 11 Achievement securing consistently strong results over a period of 5 years, achieving a P8 of 0.78 (2019) in her final year in post, resulting in TAC being the highest performing school in the city and in the top 5% of schools in the country and receiving an Outstanding Ofsted judgement. Kat has extensive experience in leading and developing systems for effective and meaningful Professional Development, Quality Assurance, Intervention, Literacy and SEND provision. A graduate in English Literature, Kat was also a successful Curriculum Leader of English, leading a high performing team to strong outcomes in addition to working as a Specialist Leader of Education, supporting schools across the country to improve their English curriculum and pedagogy. Kat is a strong advocate for research-led practice and has worked with the National College contributing to several case studies on closing the disadvantage gap and securing successful outcomes in schools serving disadvantaged catchments, as well as presenting guest lectures for University teacher trainees. Kat holds an MA in Educational Leadership and has recently secured her NPQH qualification. Kat was instrumental in the creation of Trinity Academy Leeds, writing the initial bid, securing success at interview, and leading the design process. Kat continues to work collaboratively with other leaders across Trinity Multi-Academy Trust, harnessing existing expertise whilst forging a unique and special vision for Trinity Academy Leeds. Kat is relentless in her passionate pursuit to close the progress gap for disadvantaged young people living in the north of the country and holds the same high expectations and ambition for the children in her school as she does for her own daughters.

Hannah was appointed as our founding Vice Principal and has worked in schools across West Yorkshire, at both a middle and senior leadership level, developing strong teams and securing excellent outcomes for all students, irrespective of background or starting point. Hannah has held a wide range of responsibilities, leading on literacy, teaching and learning, early careers teachers, professional development, intervention, closing the gap and behaviour for learning. She graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in English Language and Literature and has supported English departments across the region in her role as Specialist Leader of Education. She has extensive experience of developing staff new to the profession and has worked with teacher training providers to quality assure their pathways. She has been invited to speak at Leeds Trinity University to early careers teachers and is a passionate champion of the profession. Hannah completed a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership with the University of Warwick and continues to read and study the latest pedagogical research. Hannah was appointed to the role of Vice Principal as she shares Kat’s vision of making success inevitable. She was involved in recruiting the founding staff cohort of Trinity Academy Leeds, where, along with the Principal, she appointed the best and brightest teachers from across the country, professionals committed to honing and crafting their pedagogy to ensure every child succeeds. Hannah is committed to ensuring every lesson of every day is of the highest quality believing that the community she serves deserves the absolute best.

Having graduated from Hull University with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, Richard returned to Leeds to train as a teacher. Richard joined the Trinity family in Sept 2021 after fulfilling the role of Head of Upper School in his previous post. Richard has worked in the East of Leeds (where his family live) for the last seven years undertaking a variety of pastoral roles, before joining Trinity Academy Leeds as Assistant Principal.

In the early stages of his teaching career, Richard secured the role of Lead Teacher for Science, delivering effective professional development. In this time, he worked closely with the science department to rapidly improve academic outcomes at KS4. On top of this, Richard has a broad range of experience working in pastoral care, often in challenging settings with students that benefit from having clear routines and firm boundaries. Richard has delivered behaviour management CPD in a variety of educational settings to ensure future and existing practitioners can understand effective classroom routines for not just the classroom, but the school as a whole.

Since graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, teaching has been at the heart of William’s professional journey for over a decade. During his commendable seven-year tenure with Trinity Multi-Academy Trust, he has observed the transformative power of education and has played an instrumental role in driving it forward. William has recently assumed the role of Associate Assistant Principal at Trinity Academy Leeds after founding its successful science department.

William’s dedication to the field of science, especially his affinity for physics, stands out distinctly. His leadership as the Curriculum Leader of Science exemplified his commitment to diving deep into academic excellence, ensuring that students consistently receive the highest quality of education. During a previous post at another Trinity school, students secured exceptional GCSE science grades year after year.

As he embarks on this new chapter, William brings with him not only his rich teaching experiences but also an expertise in curriculum design, assessment, and school data analysis. He is steadfast in his commitment to keep our academy at the forefront of educational innovation and excellence.

Very soon Trinity Academy Leeds will approach a significant milestone. Soon its first cohort of students will embark on their GCSE journey. William’s experience with GCSE options and national result trends has equipped him to lay down a robust foundation, ensuring that every student is equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence required to excel in their examinations. This inaugural GCSE cohort will represent the embodiment of the academy's values, aspirations, and the bright future that lies ahead for Trinity Academy Leeds.

A history graduate and experienced pastoral and curriculum leader, Rebecca is committed to strengthening ties between pastoral care and curriculum experience to allow all students to fulfil their potential. Dedicated to providing students with educational equity, Rebecca is a Teach First Ambassador and has worked in schools across Leeds, the West Midlands and East London.

In her previous role, as part of a successful history team in a start-up school, Rebecca drove standards and expectations, investing heavily in the personal development of the students alongside their academic success. This contributed to an inaugural departmental P8 score of 2.05 (2019). In previous roles as a pastoral leader, Rebecca was instrumental in consecutive Year 7 cohorts achieving the best attendance in the borough, and in raising and maintaining high standards of behaviour, attendance and achievement academy-wide.

Since being appointed as Curriculum Leader of Humanities at Trinity Academy Leeds in the founding year, Rebecca has nurtured a department which is flourishing both within and outside of curriculum time. Incredibly proud of the contribution that all the Humanities subjects make to developing well-rounded young people, Rebecca has driven curriculum development and supported all staff to use their expertise to facilitate a curriculum which allows all students the opportunity to see the world, both past and present, through different lenses.

Rebecca recognises the importance of ensuring that young people are aware of the opportunities available to them. In the role of Careers Leader, Rebecca developed an award-winning careers programme; Empower. Empower provides all students at Trinity Academy Leeds the opportunity to engage with careers providers across the city on a regular basis, through trips and hands-on experiences. In 2022, the impact of Empower was recognised through the winning of the UK Social Mobility Award School of the Year.

As Rebecca joins the Senior Leadership Team, she is committed to continuing to ensure that Trinity Academy Leeds not only provides a fantastic educational experience, but also equips students for life beyond the academy gates, allowing everyone to Reach Higher, See Further and Shine Brighter.

Having graduated from Queen's University Belfast with a BA (Hons) in English, Donal relocated to London to train as a teacher, where he worked in an inner-city school achieving exceptional results. With now 15 years’ experience in teaching in London and Yorkshire, with a range of roles including: Lead Practitioner of Teaching and Learning, Research Lead and Curriculum Leader of English in a range of schools, Donal has extensive experience to share authentically what works in the classroom. Having joined Trinity Academy Leeds in 2022 as Curriculum Leader of English, he now assumes the role of Associate Assistant Principal (Teaching and Learning).

Donal regularly speaks at national conferences about developing English-specific pedagogy, curriculum design and assessment. He has also written for a range of well-respected publications about his work in the classroom and beyond, notably writing the chapter for English for Cognitive Apprenticeship In Action. This contribution to the wider educational landscape has recently led to agreeing a book deal with Bloomsbury, with his first book, Leading Secondary English, due to be published in early 2026 - which is very much inspired by his work so far at Trinity Academy Leeds.

As Donal joins the Senior Leadership Team, he is committed to the dissemination of best pedagogical practice - particularly for vulnerable students and those with SEND. Furthermore, his work around developing literacy across the curriculum in the academy will continue to strengthen our academic offer ensuring no student leaves Trinity Academy Leeds with literacy as a barrier to achievement.