Our Area School Improvement Partners

Area School Improvement Partners

Our Area School Improvement Partners (ASIPs) are a skilled, knowledgeable, and highly experienced team; each is responsible for leading school improvement for a specific area of schools within the Trust.

Our ASIPs work together as a team to secure the educational vision of the Trust by ensuring high standards of teaching & learning and improvements in each of our schools, together with a strong safeguarding culture.

Our ASIPs also realise and contribute to the overall educational direction of the Trust, each has a responsibility for a particular aspect of the Trust's work, such as Pupil Premium, coaching and mentoring, and equality & diversity.

Through inspirational leadership and strategic oversight of the performance of the schools in their area, our ASIPs aim to:

Create a culture of high levels of professional standards
Ensure a broad and balanced curriculum offer which reflects the Trust vision
Enable appropriate assessment practice, monitoring and improvements, and direction to secure the highest possible achievements for all of our pupils

Our team of ASIPs are:

Patrina Begley

Area School Improvement Partner (Primary)

Patrina became an Area School Improvement Partner in 2023, having been an Executive Principal of two of the Trust's primary schools for a number of years. Patrina has extensive senior leadership experience.

Joanne Burford

Area School Improvement Partner (Primary)

Former Headteacher of a Catholic primary school in Medway, Joanne is also Catholic Life mentor to the Trust's non-Catholic leaders.

Niall Fox

Area School Improvement Partner (Primary)

Niall worked as a deputy head in two London primary schools before joining the Trust as a Headteacher in 2015. He became an Executive Principal in 2018, working across two primary schools and then joined the school improvement team in 2023. Niall has over 17 years’ experience in senior leadership roles.

Lisa Huotari

Area School Improvement Partner (Primary)
(Lisa is currently seconded to St Teresa's, Ashford as Acting HT)

Lisa was a teacher for many years, initially in London, before moving to Kent, teaching predominantly in the Early Years. Lisa gained experience across all the primary years and was an English Leader throughout her teaching time in Kent. Lisa has experience of a variety of leadership roles including being a Headteacher and Executive Principal across two KCSP primary schools. Both these schools have recently been graded as ‘Good’ by Ofsted and one has achieved an ‘Outstanding’ Catholic School Inspection judgement.

Lisa is married with four children of her own, and is passionate about every child receiving the best possible education - an education based on love and high aspirations for all. Lisa believes that working with children is a privilege and is proud to work for KCSP.

Vicki O'Halloran

Area School Improvement Partner (Primary)
(Vicki is currently seconded to St Joseph's, Broadstairs as Acting HT)

After graduating in Law and German and spending five years working as a ESL instructor in Tokyo Japan, Vicki completed her PGCE at Canterbury Christ Church University in 2001. Vicki has worked in both primary and infant settings in east Kent. A secondment to work across two schools as SENCo in 2014 then inspired Vicki to begin her senior leadership journey. As a committed Catholic active in her home parish, Vicki was keen to move back into Catholic education and has not looked back since. After headship at a two-form primary in Whitstable, Vicki became an Executive Principal across three primary schools and then recently moved into the role of Area School Improvement Partner.

Vicki is passionate and uncompromising about the right of every single one of God’s children to have the very best start in life that we can provide them with, irrespective of their starting points or circumstances. Vicki lives in the seaside town of Margate with her husband and three teenage children.

Katharine Sexton

Area School Improvement Partner (Primary)

Kathy has been a Headteacher for 20 years across two primary schools in the Medway Local Authority. Kathy joined KCSP in November 2021 as an Executive Principal across the three Trust primary schools in the West Kent area before then becoming an ASIP in 2023. Whilst in Medway, Kathy was a Local Leader in Education. Kathy holds the NPQH, and is currently working towards her NPQEL and is an accredited coach with LLSE.

Sara Wakefield

Area School Improvement Partner (Primary)

Sara Wakefield is an experienced teacher, senior leader, Headteacher and Executive Headteacher. In 2020, Sara achieved the National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL). Sara has mentored several Headteachers in Kent who are new to their role.

Sara also worked for two London authorities in their school improvement teams.

Chris Wright

Area School Improvement Partner (Primary)

Headteacher of a successful two-form entry Catholic primary school within the Trust, Chris then moved to take up the position of Executive Headteacher of a cluster of 3 primary schools. Chris has over a decade of experience in senior leadership positions in the primary sector.