The Education Team

Our experienced education teams provide high quality school improvement, school development and leadership support to our schools, working closely with school leaders to ensure that each school exemplifies the principles of our Framework for Excellence and delivers an excellent education to the children and young people it serves.

Education Directors

Each of our three national Education Directors has been an outstanding school leader and brings a wealth of experience to the role. They each lead a team dedicated to supporting their schools – independent schools; primary academies and secondary academies – while also working closely with colleagues across United Learning to ensure that each school receives the support it needs.

Benjamin Antell

Director of Secondary Academies and Regional Director for Paddington Academy

Ben Antell currently works as Director of Secondary Academies in United Learning. Before taking…

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Benjamin

Director of Secondary Academies and Regional Director for Paddington Academy

Ben Antell currently works as Director of Secondary Academies in United Learning. Before taking up this post, Ben worked for four years as a Secondary Regional Director supporting schools across the country.

Ben has previously held Executive Principal and Principal posts in a number of schools before his appointment as Regional Director. Ben holds an honours degree from the University of Exeter. His wider interests include keeping fit, playing a variety of sports and providing a taxi service to his two teenage sons. 

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Regional Directors

Each of our Regional Directors has experience of leading and delivering school improvement with impact, often in challenging circumstances. They each work with a group of schools – grouped together in clusters wherever possible – supporting the Head and senior leaders to ensure that each school is continuously developing and improving, drawing on the resources from within the education team and more widely in the interests of children, young people, staff and the wider community.

Primary Regional Directors

Claire Fortey

Primary Regional Director (South)

Claire has enjoyed an extensive and varied career working in schools, starting in 1988, and…

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Claire

Primary Regional Director (South)

Claire has enjoyed an extensive and varied career working in schools, starting in 1988, and leading on to subsequent success in primary teaching, subject and senior leadership. As part of this, she has had over 20 years’ experience of headship which included taking a school to Outstanding and leading a school out of Special Measures. 

Claire is a Local Leader of Education, has been an Inspector for Ofsted for a number of years, and has worked as a school improvement partner providing wide-ranging support for schools in challenging contexts. She joined United Learning following 3 years in the role of Director of Education for a large multi-academy trust in Cornwall.

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Secondary Regional Directors

Oli Tomlinson

Senior Secondary Regional Director

Oli is Regional Director for Cumbria and Lancashire. She has previously been the Regional…

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Oli

Senior Secondary Regional Director

Oli is Regional Director for Cumbria and Lancashire. She has previously been the Regional Director for the East Midlands where she has worked with three schools on their improvement journey towards Outstanding. Prior to this, Oli led the first national SCITT for United Learning and was Principal and Executive Principal of Paddington Academy for 10 years.

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Trustees

Our trustees support the running of our linked charities. Our executive team are experienced leaders with a passion for their specialist area within the education sector.

United Learning Hub

United Learning comprises: United Learning Ltd (Registered in England No: 00018582. Charity No. 313999) UCST (Registered in England No: 2780748. Charity No. 1016538) and ULT (Registered in England No. 4439859. An Exempt Charity). Companies limited by guarantee.
Registered address: United Learning, Worldwide House, Thorpe Wood, Peterborough, PE3 6SB.

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