Headteacher Performance Management

External Advisors

Debbie Allen

Debbie has worked in primary education for 22 years. She has been a headteacher for 11 years. In addition, Debbie has a professional qualification for school inspectors and a master’s degree in education.

Currently working as a school improvement consultant, she is passionate about challenging and supporting schools to develop and realise their vision in providing an exciting, engaging and effective learning journey for all pupils.

Debbie’s areas of interest and specialism are: early years English, primary education leadership development and training, performance management support and challenge for school leaders.

Mark Cadwallader

Mark currently leads a school improvement team serving over 90 schools. He is a school improvement adviser working in schools and academies across six different authorities. He has been a head teacher performance management reviewer for eight years. He achieved NPQH in 2008, became an inspector for SERCO in 2010 and was an accredited DFE ‘external expert’ on leadership from 2019. He offers reviews, training and expertise that offers challenge and support to help the improvement of schools, as has been noted in numerous inspection reports.

Mark taught for over 20 years in four primary schools across Birmingham. He was the head of a school in one of the most deprived areas in Birmingham, but a deputy head teacher in one of the most affluent. His understanding of the challenges facing all schools helped leadership become outstanding in both schools. 

Mark offers training and expertise that can support, review and improve the quality of education and all levels of leadership. He has a particular interest and expertise in safeguarding.

Karen Davies

Karen has worked in education for 37 years. Her knowledge, skills and experience have been developed across all phases of education – specifically in primary education and leadership but including adult education.

Karen inspected primary schools, as an Ofsted inspector, for 10 years and has both an honours and master’s degree in art and education.

Karen was Head of Service for School and Governor Support at Birmingham City Council and is now keen to continue making use of her most recently developed skills as well as drawing on her experience as a school improvement consultant.

As a chair of governors, Karen is actively involved in headteacher performance management – as an appraiser, as well as providing her services as an external advisor to governor appraisal panels. In addition, Karen has trained many governors in effective headteacher performance management.

Christine Finnegan

Christine Finnegan has worked in education since 2003, when she changed careers from Engineering to Teaching. Christine has been a head teacher in Catholic Education for over 12 years.

Christine has supported many schools during her career, supporting them to get a good Ofsted judgment and some outstanding in S48. She also supports and mentors school leaders who are newly appointed to their role across the Arch Diocese of Birmingham and still offers guidance and support if & when needed once these leaders are established in role.

Christine has worked as a consultant, for a MAC, carrying out peer reviews, as part of their School Improvement process. 

Christine is Chair of the Catholic Primary Partnership, working with the Director and other Board Members, to ensure that the Catholic Primary Partnership offers quality and effective CPDF for all member schools.

Maggie Godfrey

Maggie has worked in primary education for 32 years and she has been Headteacher for 15 years and Executive Headteacher for two years. She achieved her NPQH in 2008 and became a Local Leader of Education (LLE) in 2011. This enabled her to support other schools whilst being a headteacher.

For the last two years Maggie has been employed as a School Improvement Partner with a focus on supporting schools in their preparation for Ofsted Inspection and Catholic School Inspection.

Her current roles also include working as a Leadership Performance Coach for Best Practice Network, coaching participants and supporting them on their successful journey through the NPQH programme and into Headship. She is also an assessor for the full range of NPQ qualifications. These roles allow her to keep up to date with the very latest evidence-based practice and research.

Maggie particularly enjoys helping schools to plan their strategic direction – working with the Senior Leadership Team to identify the key issues and then strategically plan to improve outcomes. Currently, this often involves curriculum design, coaching and mentoring subject leaders in all subject areas and planning effective CPD.

Tony Kenny

Tony worked in primary education for 35 years in four different schools. The last 22 years were as headteacher of two schools.

Tony has successfully been through six inspections, five as a headteacher, and is passionate about staff well-being and developing well motivated leaders. In addition, Tony has experience of managing several ‘Peer2Peer’ reviews which have led to schools evaluating both areas of success and areas of development, which in turn, guided schools to notable improvements.

As well as performance management for headteachers, Tony is currently working with Birmingham University on the development of their master’s degree for senior school leaders.

Catherine Lewis

Catherine was a Head teacher for 12 years and has worked in primary education for over 28 years in four very different schools. She led her last school through five successful Ofsted inspections.  

She is now working as an education consultant supporting schools with early years development, phonics and reading as well as leadership challenge and support. She also works closely with the local English Hub. 

Catherine is committed to helping schools to develop their leadership potential to ensure the highest levels of ambition for all learners.

Claire O’Hara

Claire has worked in Catholic Primary Schools for 37 years, across three local authorities in the West Midlands, and in senior leadership for 23 of those years – the last 11 years as Headteacher. She has worked in both inner city and suburban schools; two form and one form entry; well supported and underprivileged sites, steering all settings through seven successful Inspections, achieving Good and Outstanding – the last four being as Headteacher.

Claire is particularly passionate about curriculum and children’s entitlement to accessing it. She holds additional qualifications in leadership (NPQH) and in curriculum (DPSE) and has been proactive, since Autumn 2022, in supporting school improvement; enabling improved curriculum delivery within local schools in both English and Music. She also supports writing moderation.

Gerry O’Hara

Gerry has extensive experience of classroom teaching and senior leadership in Catholic Primary Schools teaching since 1992. He has worked in six different settings across three Local Authorities, including 18 years of effective Headship including being an Executive Principal for three years.

He has led schools from ‘Serious Weaknesses’ out of a category, also taken a school from Good to Outstanding and maintained this for over 13 years.

He expanded a school from 1FE to 2FE and was instrumental in forming a Multi Academy of four schools, now nine and growing.

Gerry is a people person and loves working with senior leaders to help them unlock their potential and become the best they can be for the schools they serve.

Manjit Shellis

Manjit has worked in education for over 30 years. Her professional experience spans both primary and secondary schools, community and voluntary and cultural learning sectors developing a significant knowledge of school leadership, character education, learning design, educational policy strategy and school improvement. As part of her senior leadership roles, she has worked closely with DfE, Cabinet Office, Arts Council, and National College of School Leadership.

Manjit has been Director Education for the renowned educational charity ‘University of the First Age’ (UFA), Assistant Director of Wider Learning for Birmingham Education Partnership.

As both chair and vice chair of governors, Manjit has been actively involved in headteacher performance management for many years across a number of schools, both primary and secondary.

She is now working as an educational consultant and keen to make use of both her governance and wider school improvement experience.

Julie-Anne Tallon

Julie-Anne is the Director of the Catholic Primary Partnership.

Julie-Anne taught for 22 years in four very different Catholic primary schools in Birmingham. She left headship in 2020, after 11 years of leading a successful two-form entry Catholic primary school. She has experienced several Ofsted inspections, three as headteacher.

In addition, Julie-Anne has mentored newly appointed headteachers for both the Archdiocese and the Local Authority.  She is an experienced Section 48 inspector and has carried out inspections in both Birmingham Archdiocese and Plymouth Diocese.  She is an associate member of the National School of Formation and has presented as a key-note speaker on Catholic leadership at the Catholic Leaders Conferences in both Salford and Plymouth Diocese.