Ben Parnell has a wealth of experience and success in education leadership. He has been leading Athena Learning Trust since 2022 and prior to this, has held positions including Director of Education, Regional Director and Executive Principal. Ben encourages direct inquiries about his capabilities, loyalty, impact, flexibility, working relationships, strengths, and areas for development. His track record for school improvement is long and consistent, with improvements often being sustained even after he leaves a school. Ben believes in promoting great behaviour, structured teaching, high levels of support for students with special educational needs, financial resilience and fantastic governance. 
Ben's superpower is his ability to inspire and instil urgency simultaneously, getting his teams fired up about what they can achieve together for the young people in their care. 

Joe Kirby, leads the school improvement team and has expertise in school culture, curriculum, research, the science of learning and school improvement. He has worked with world-leading school leaders and this can be seen in his high standards for children and staff. He is focused on ensuring that 100% of students pass English and Maths. Joe believes that great education combines great teaching, curricula, culture and community to help students learn liberating knowledge and values that let them take part in the great adventures of humanity and contribute to others and the world. 

Shirley Si Ahmed is our Finance Director and also oversees our operations and is employed on a full time basis. Shirley is a seasoned School Business Leader with extensive experience managing all aspects of school operations and finances, enabling school leaders to focus on teaching and learning, and school improvement. She is well-versed in leading finance, IT, data protection, HR, catering, lettings and derivatives. Recently, Shirley and her family have moved from Croydon to the West Country, and her child is now enrolled in an Athena school.

Amy Coombe is one of Athena’s School Improvement Leads and has a focus on driving improvements in reading and teaching across the trust on a 0.8 contract. She has achieved over 91% 4+ at GCSE as Head of English and Assistant Head for five years at Jane Austen College. Amy has developed a new cover system for our trust secondaries, dramatically reducing workload for teachers and supporting senior leaders to manage high levels of staff absence with minimal disruption to student learning. Amy also leads on CPD and line management for the trust, working towards our vision for world-class people development by helping schools to provide high quality CPD and line management for every role in the school.She has written a Key Stage 4 curriculum to support struggling schools, oversees the reading strategy that includes the tutor time reading program and the catch-up program including support and training for Lexonik.

Tegen Thompson, is one of Athena’s School Improvement Leads. Tegen, who hails from and was educated in Cornwall, leads as a school improvement lead. She is currently leading on Prepare, whilst supporting attendance, vocational and science subjects, including shared visits via the Learn strategy. Tegen is ensuring these strategies are fully implemented across all Athena secondary schools. During her previous time as a 'school improvement lead in residence', Tegen has driven forward GCSE outcomes in two of our Athena secondary schools. She has achieved 80% 4+ at GCSE as Head of Science before taking on a role in the SLT. Her areas of expertise include improving standards in the classroom, attendance, revision and homework, raising achievement, reflection, Pupil Premium and Science.

Mike Hickman brings extensive experience and success to his role as Attendance and Safeguarding Lead, backed by both a Master’s in Education and a Master of Science. Having led transformative initiatives across schools in the Multi-Academy Trust, he has consistently improved student engagement and well-being. With a proactive approach, he raised attendance rates to 4% above the national average by identifying barriers and implementing targeted support for students and families.

In safeguarding, Mike will ensure a safe and nurturing school environment by implementing robust policies, staff training, and collaborating closely with local agencies. His commitment to early intervention is vital in protecting vulnerable students. Additionally, Mike has successfully transformed a Science department, achieving a progress score of +0.6 across the department within a year, showcasing his ability to inspire teams and deliver sustainable improvements across key areas of the school community.

Megan Greenwood is the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Coordinator for Athena Learning Trust. Additionally, she is the Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion at The Ilfracombe CofE Academy, where she oversees SEND, Pupil Premium, and acts as the Designated Teacher for looked-after children. With a rich background in the NHS and extensive experience in pastoral leadership, Megan is a passionate advocate for our most vulnerable students. Her work focuses on reducing barriers and creating opportunities for students and our communities. She is committed to fostering an inclusive culture where every student is empowered to dream big, take responsibility, and show kindness, enhancing their life opportunities.

Joe Matthews serves as one of Athena’s School Improvement Leads, focusing on our character curriculum. As part of the Senior Leadership Team at Ilfracombe CofE Academy, he oversees the implementation of a distinctive Christian vision and ethos. With extensive experience as a Religious Education teacher, Joe is committed to improving the quality of Religious Education through leadership responsibilities in regional networks, local authority groups, and national organisations. He believes that an excellent education fosters a culture and community that provides students and adults with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities needed to lead fulfilling lives.

Angela Pook is the MFL coordinator across Athena Learning Trust. She previously worked as Head of Languages at Redruth School where she achieved a progress 8 in Spanish of 1.13 and above national average 4+ and 7+ results in both French and Spanish. In addition to her one day a week role as MFL coordinator, Angela also leads the languages department at Pool Academy and is an Assistant Principal, with responsibility for Learn and Read. Angela strongly believes that, with effective teaching, all students can be successful in languages and benefit from the skills acquired through learning a foreign language. 

Sonia is the Science Coordinator at Athena Learning Trust, where she is responsible for developing an inspiring and rigorous science curriculum across all Athena schools. With 20 years of leadership experience in schools across Cornwall, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role.

Currently, Sonia is on secondment from her role as Head of Science at Launceston College, a position she has held for two years. During this time, and in previous roles, she has demonstrated a proven track record of improving student outcomes in both GCSE and A-level sciences. Her strong leadership skills empower colleagues to excel in their roles, fostering a collaborative environment with high aspirations for all students.

Deeply committed to the role of schools within her communities and believing in the transformative power of education, Sonia is passionate about ensuring that every student receives a world-class science education that inspires, excites, and challenges them, opening doors to future opportunities in STEM and related careers.

Fi Rowles – Jane brings substantial experience and success in her role as Vocational and Alternative Provision Coordinator, backed by having a Master’s in Education. Fi is also a Vice Principal at CSIA where she is in charge of the Alternative Provision. Fi has a broad range of experience, excellent commitment and an impressive track record as Vocational and Alternative Provision Lead at Camborne. Camborne is now one of the fastest – improving schools in England. Fi has raised Alps scores in Sport and UPS from 9 to 1 and ensuring that all students met or exceeded their target grades; replicating this success in the Dance Faculty, turning a -2.70 Progress 8 score into a +1.55 by implementing innovative course changes and teaching strategies. Additionally, enhancing Progress 8 and Alps scores in Health and Social are and Child Development Faculty, while streamlining the Drama department to enable all learners to complete their qualifications. The Open Bucket at CSIA attainment 8 score of 14.9 exceeded both the Local Authority (LA) and National Averages (NA). While the academic qualifications in the Open Bucket score was 6.9, below the LA (9.1) and NA (11.3), the vocational qualifications stood at 8.0, significantly higher than the LA: 4.5 and NA: 2.7. With a Progress 8 score of +0.22, CSIA outperformed the LA (-0.05) and NA (-0.04). Fi's passion, commitment and dedication to building trust, understanding and listening to our staff and leaders, and love of learning from the best thinking both within and beyond Athena schools.

Jon Owen is a Direct Instruction (DI) coach, teacher and trainer. DI is a small-step, carefully constructed curriculum that has the most evidence of effectiveness of any curriculum. Jon has been teaching and coaching DI for three years.

Athena is now implementing DI as its curriculum for primary maths in all three of its primary schools, as well as for secondary catch-up reading and maths in all six of its secondary schools.

In addition to teaching DI maths at secondary, Jon works with DI maths and reading teachers on a weekly basis to help teachers and students flourish.

Charlotte Hopper is the School Improvement administrator who works closely with senior leaders and shared service staff. She is dedicated to creating positive outcomes for all students, doing work behind the scenes so they can get the best results possible. She monitors data each week, along with gaining feedback from SLT members so as a Trust we can focus on collaboration and continuous improvement.

Hannah has had an eclectic career across the private and public sector, completing her CIPD Level 7 in 2019. Whilst most recently she has held strategic roles specialising in talent and recruitment, Hannah has a range of HR experience to bring to Athena and lead us in shaping our peoples services.

Hannah brings experience in training, project management and leadership and has been able to navigate dynamic business environments, injecting change and growth. Committed to learning and development, Hannah, currently in the Director of People role, will be driving the people strategy for our Trust, aiming to provide outstanding experiences for our teams and students through world-class education.

Georgina is passionate about working with children and has spent her career leading in primary schools, most recently in Bristol. She currently serves as the trust Governance and Compliance Lead, and has held this role since September 2022. Georgina was born and educated in Cornwall, holds a Masters Degree in Psychology, and is a qualified SENCO. As the governance lead for the trust, she has restructured governance at the local level, developed a committee structure for trustees. 

Rosie looks after the catering provision for the trust across all of our schools. She has been with Bideford College and the Trust for 18 years. Starting her career in 4* hotel management, she moved to school catering when her twins were young and really enjoys the challenges it presents, as well as the wonderful staff in the catering teams that make all the food daily for the students. The catering service contributes to good health, improved concentration, and helps the students get the best from their education. Her aim is to provide all students with great food, made on-site, supporting local producers and taking care to preserve the environment. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family, horse riding, walking, and travelling.

Darren is the Head of Estates, leading the Facilities teams across all the sites while managing the role of Head of Health & Safety. He has a wealth of experience in the building trade and site management, gained over a long career in both the private and public sector. Growing up and being educated in Cornwall, he attended one of the schools that is now part of our Trust. After leaving full-time education, he entered the retail trade in a trainee management role, before going on to run his own successful building company for many years. When the opportunity came up, he joined Launceston College as the Site Manager before rising to become Head of Estates for the Trust. His passion lies in improving our facilities and using his skills and experience to lead the very committed Site Teams, playing a part in giving the students the best educational experience possible. When not at work, Darren is a lifelong football fan, enjoys working on his house and garden, and spending time with his family.

Danny has been working in IT in education for just shy of nine years and holds a degree in computing. He leads the IT teams across the trust and supports the Network Managers in maintaining a reliable and secure infrastructure that supports teaching and learning. Danny truly enjoys working in education and believes that it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to positively impact our students, and give them the best possible start in life.

Jacqui is our Head of Finance, leading the school and central service finance teams across the trust. With a Bachelor of Accounting Science degree and over 25 years of financial experience, she brings a wealth of expertise to her role. Previously working as an auditor in both private and public sectors, she has provided valuable support to the team for the past six years. Her focus on sound financial management contributes to a strong foundation for educational development and student success. Outside of work, she loves spending time with family and travelling.