Executive Team
Jane Ridgewell
Chief Executive Officer
Jane was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Trust in 2019 having previously been the Headteacher of Highfields Primary School. Jane has been a designated National Leader of Education since 2016 and provided external leadership support to a number of schools in Leicester. She was Headteacher at Highfields Primary from 2004 to 2021. The school has been Ofsted Outstanding since 2013.
In addition to being CEO of the Trust Jane undertakes a number of city-wide leadership roles in Leicester including: Co-chair of the Leicester Primary Partnership; Headteacher mentoring; leading the development of the early reading and writing strategy in the city, known as Knowledge Transfer Centres (KTC) increasing city wide Phonics results from 68% in 2014 to 80% in 2017; Primary sector representative on Leicester Education Strategic Partnership board; and has previously served on Leicester’s Safeguarding Improvement Board.
David Nimmo
Chief Operations and Finance Officer
Dave Nimmo is the Chief Operations and Finance Officer for the Trust. He’s a CIMA qualified accountant with over 25 years’ experience, working predominantly in the private sector before moving into schools ten years ago. He played a pivotal part in establishing the trust but also finds time to support other maintained schools in Leicester with financial turnaround plans, and the implementation of effective financial management and governance.
Monika Singala
Head of School Improvement and Partnerships
Monika Singala is Head of School Improvement and Partnerships for the Trust. She has over 20 years experience teaching across the primary range at Highfields Primary School and 8 years experience as a member of the Senior Leadership Team. She was also awarded Specialist Leader of Education status in 2017. Monika has worked in a number of schools across Leicester City to drive school improvement in the core areas of learning and works in partnership with the local authority to deliver CPD in the areas of phonics, reading and writing.
Tom Bott
Trust Finance Manager
Tom has over 15 years of experience working in the education sector as a School Business Manager, holding responsibility for a wide range of areas including finance, HR, premises, procurement and governance. During this time, he has also worked as a consultant for several schools across Leicester City, helping them improve their systems and manage resources more effectively.
His main strength is in financial management, where he has developed strong skills in budgeting, financial planning and using resources wisely to support school priorities. Tom recently achieved the Diploma in School Financial and Operational Leadership from CIPFA, further strengthening his knowledge and demonstrating his commitment to ongoing professional development.
Robyn Cooper
Head of Governance
Robyn Cooper leads governance across the Trust. She has over 13 years experience supporting school governance in Leicester, delivering advice and guidance to schools and governors across the city as part of the Governor Services Team at Leicester City Council before joining the Trust. Robyn is also an experienced clerk to governors and has worked with a wide range of boards including academies, maintained schools, pupil referral units and Interim Executive Boards.
Pippa Damalie
Head of HR & Communications
Pippa Damalie leads HR, communications and partnerships for Attenborough Learning Trust and is responsible for shaping our people, communications and engagement strategy; she tells the story of the Trust, ensuring our values, impact and ambitions are shared through compelling messaging that strengthen our brand, reputation and engagement.
Pippa has 19 years’ experience in operational leadership and has worked within education for the last 14 years. She is passionate about leading transformational change and has proven success in developing organisational culture, and cultivating growth mindsets which have enabled people and organisations to thrive. She is a chartered member of the CIPD and level 7 qualified Senior People Professional.
Central Team
Trust Business Manager
Faatimah Umer has worked at Charnwood Primary School for over 7 years. She began her career as a receptionist and progressed to the role of Bursar within 2 years. With over 5 years of knowledge and experience managing all aspects of school finance, she recently passed the Level 4 School Business Professional Apprenticeship with a distinction.
Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Coordinator
Stuart Monksfield has worked with multiple schools across Leicester City Council with over 10 years’ experience as a Site Manager. Having successfully been a part of many Health and Safety Audits, Stuart has a strong knowledge of what is required with in the Health and Safety sector. Stuart is also currently working towards the NEBOSH Level 6 National Diploma for Occupational Health and Safety Management. With the drive to keeping people safe and healthy, Stuart works closely with the Trust leadership to capture and support Health and Safety issues, with the aim to improving standards across the board.
Trust HR Officer
Mand is a HR professional with over eight years of experience supporting School Trust’s. She has experience in leading and delivering a wide range of HR projects, bringing a strong people-focused approach to organisational development. Alongside this, she serves as a school governor further enhancing her strategic and leadership skills. Mand is deeply committed to fostering inclusivity, and she actively champions the creation of working environments where every individual feels valued, supported, and able to thrive.
Currently, Mand is further developing her expertise by studying towards the CIPD Level 5 qualification in People Management, enhancing her ability to drive positive and effective people practices.
Trust Inclusion Manager
Artee Odedra brings a wealth of expertise as a SENDCO and has previously contributed to the Special Needs Teaching Service, where she worked as a consultant within the Early Years Support Team. Currently, Artee is the Deputy Headteacher at Uplands Infant School, with responsibility for leading teaching and learning alongside her role as English Lead. She holds the National SENDCO Award, the National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership (NPQSL), and the National Professional Qualification in Leading Literacy (NPQLL). Artee brings over 20 years of teaching experience across EYFS and Key Stage 1 at Uplands Infant School, along with seven years as a member of the Senior Leadership Team. She combines deep pedagogical knowledge with strategic leadership to drive excellence in inclusive education.
Trust SEND Manager
Priti Gohil is an experienced education professional with a strong foundation in teaching from Early Years through to Year 6. She has developed a clear focus on inclusion, shaping her career around supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Her commitment to SEND is reflected in her specialist qualifications, including the National SENDCo qualification, NPQML (National Professional Qualification for Middle Leadership), and her qualification as a Reading Recovery teacher. She also holds a Master’s degree in Inclusive Education, a Postgraduate Specialist Certification in Dyslexia, and a Certificate of Competency in Educational Testing accredited by the British Psychological Society. With 18 years of experience as a SEND specialist, Priti currently serves as an Inclusion & DSP Manager and Deputy Safeguarding Lead at Shenton Primary School. She brings extensive expertise in leading provision for pupils with diverse needs and has played a key role in establishing a designated specialist provision. She continues to provide strategic leadership, driving high-quality SEND practice across the whole school.
Sustainability and Compliance Professional
Cat joined the central team in 2025 after working at Buswells Lodge Primary School as Clerk to Governor’s since January 2023. Cat’s professional background is in Events Management with the last 7 years focused in a local authority setting which has helped develop her expertise in governance, health and safety, leadership and sustainability.
School Based Professionals
Trust Leaders
Dan Cheetham
Trust Leader Teaching & Learning and Curriculum
Dan Cheetham has 20 years’ experience working in primary schools and joined Sparkenhoe in 2011 initially as Assistant Headteacher. As well as leading the school’s Initial Teacher Training program, since 2018 he has been responsible for Teaching and Learning and the curriculum at Sparkenhoe. Dan has worked closely with the University of Leicester, lecturing and running course content for the Primary PGCE and the Masters in International Education courses and being part of the PGCE Partnership. More recently, Dan has also been working to support schools both within and beyond the Attenborough Learning Trust.
Penny Cooper
Trust Leader Safeguarding and Attendance
Penny Cooper has worked at Sparkenhoe Community Primary School since 1995. She has been the Deputy Head there with responsibility for Pastoral Care since 2017. She is an experienced Designated Senior Leader for Child Protection and is also the attendance manager. Penny has worked with schools across the Trust since it was launched, offering support and sharing best practice for both attendance and safeguarding. She works with networks across the City, including Early Help teams and Mental Health Services, to keep up to date with the current trends and opportunities in safeguarding and attendance both locally and nationally.
Aimee Hubber
Trust Leader Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Aimee Hubber has over 13 years of teaching experience having been at Highfields Primary school for the past 12 years, teaching across all key stages. She has experience in leadership and has led all phases across the school. She is currently the school SENCo, a role which she has held for the past 7 years having gained her SENCo award qualification in 2017.
Gemma Waddington
Trust Leader Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
Gemma Waddington has been appointed to the role of Trust leader for Early Years. Gemma has been a teacher at Green Lane Infant School since 2006 and has worked specifically in the Early Years since 2012. Her passion for Early Years led to her being appointed as Early Years Lead at Green Lane in 2021. Gemma is currently working as part of the Department of Education’s Early Years Covid Recovery programme providing support for a range of settings in the role as Expert to help raise standards in early years provision, for young children within Leicester City.