Meet our Tutor Recruitment and Development Team

Vicky became Director of Tutor Recruitment and Development in May 2024. In this role, Vicky oversees recruitment, onboarding, and initial training of our tutors, as well as managing our calendar of ongoing learning opportunities for tutors throughout the year. She helps to manage our online learning platform and ensure it is stocked full of top-notch tutoring materials and resources to ensure that tutors are thoroughly prepared for their tuition sessions. Vicky also participates in the quality assurance procedures within our organisation, in partnership with the Quality and Impact Team. 

Vicky says: "With more than 18 years of education experience, primarily within Greater Manchester, my journey has been inspired by a deep passion for transforming lives through learning. Starting in Key Stage 2, I honed my skills teaching Y6 in an inner-city Primary School, later taking on leadership roles in Diversity and Inclusion as well as SENCO training, where I championed support systems for vulnerable, SEND, and EAL learners. My diverse experience also includes leadership in Literacy, Art and Design, PE, Assessment, and mentoring students and Newly Qualified Teachers. During my own children's early years, I established an 'Outstanding' rated childcare business with a Forest School ethos, served as a Network Childminder, and organised sensory playgroups at a Stockport Surestart Centre. I further fuelled my passion for Early Years as an Early Years Leader in a Stockport Primary School until 2018 when my family and I embarked upon a two-year international adventure, during which I ventured into online tutoring.

"My enthusiasm for community-driven education equity led me to the Tutor Trust team as a Primary Quality Manager in January 2021. What I truly cherish about my role is the opportunity to empower tutors, leveraging my experience and knowledge to elevate their practice. It's a privilege to facilitate high-quality tuition that genuinely transforms lives and tackles educational inequalities head-on."

Ellie became a tutor in 2018 while studying for a BA of Arts in Creative Writing and Film at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). She joined the staff team as Liverpool Schools and Systems Coordinator in September 2020 and, two years later, became our first Tutor Engagement & Support Manager. In this role, Ellie's focus is on streamlining recruitment processes and improving all support for our tutors.

Outside of Tutor Trust, Ellie volunteers as a Youth Leader with the Fair Education Alliance in their Youth Steering Group to tackle the issues of socioeconomic inequality. Ellie coordinated their Youth Bulletin group monthly, which had a large readership among school partnerships and education stakeholders in the FEA alliance, from 2021 to 2022. 

As a Youth Leader, Ellie has spoken at the FEA's Annual Summit on the importance of youth engagement and leadership and joined the Department for Education's National Tutoring Programme team day in 2023 for discussions on the importance of tuition. 

Ellie says: "What initially drew me to Tutor Trust in 2018, and led to me becoming a tutor, was the prospect of uplifting and supporting young people across the North West who were usually forgotten about in education. As somebody who is passionate about social mobility and equality, I found it fulfilling to help tutees through 1:1 and small group tuition, and create a support network that most of the students hadn't had before. 

"Because of this, I continue to work at Tutor Trust, to support and uplift our tutors; who are at the heart of what we do."

Jennifer joined the Tutor Trust as a Coaching Quality Manager in 2023 after almost 10 years working as a primary school teacher. She has taught in various year groups across KS1 and KS2 and worked with Year 7 teachers for the transition to KS3. Alongside this, she has been a Literacy Coordinator with responsibility for Phonics, Reading and Writing, and has been both a Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 phase leader.

Jennifer’s experience at primary has also included leading the curriculum development and delivery of Art and Design, Design Technology, Geography, History, PE and Modern Foreign Languages (MFL). Over the last decade, she has coached and mentored many qualified teachers, Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) and School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) trainees in various capacities. Having gained a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Management, she is excited to work with Tutor Trust to support tutors to deliver the best possible tuition and help them realise their true potential.

Jennifer says: "Joining Tutor Trust has re-ignited my passion for education after ten years in the primary classroom. It feels amazing to help our tutors develop and grow as individuals during training, and then see them in action transforming the lives of young people across the North West.

"I love working as part of a team who are passionate about providing high-quality tuition and constantly reviewing, reflecting, and innovating on their practice. Everyone at Tutor Trust really does live out our mission every day!"

Mike Fitzpatrick currently works in Initial Teacher Training at the University of Manchester on the PGCE Secondary Course. Liaising with partner schools and colleges, he oversees recruitment and selection and delivers sessions on classroom skills, behaviour management and voice coaching. He writes and researches in the areas of spiritual, moral, social and cultural judgements for Ofsted and the Arts in Education.

A graduate of the University of Manchester, he gained an MA from Loughborough University specialising in curriculum innovation, leadership and management of schools and drama in education. With extensive teaching experience, Mike worked in three high schools in two local authorities in Lancashire and Manchester. He held posts as subject leader, head of faculty, senior teacher and most recently deputy head in a large high school with responsibility for staff development, teaching and learning, NQT induction and middle management coaching. As a member of the Drama Board (ADB) and visiting examiner, he contributed to the development of assessment and testing at GCSE and A Level Theatre Studies.

Mike is passionate about the Tutor Trust: "It fulfils a number of key issues in education; to facilitate intervention, boost progress, alleviate disadvantage and expand aspirations. It helps realise a key objective of The University; to promote social responsibility, delivered by our own undergraduates to the pupils of our partner schools. Tutors themselves will discover skills and abilities which may well lead to a future career in education."

Our first University Partnerships Manager, Will started at Tutor Trust in February 2021.

Will says: "I started at Tutor Trust in February 2021 because of my commitment to empowering young people through education.

"I grew up on a council estate in Bristol and have experienced first-hand some of the challenges and barriers faced by the young people we serve. I have also seen the unfulfilled potential in those areas and am working, alongside my colleagues at Tutor Trust, to redress educational inequality in areas similar to where I was born. 

"I also know the transformative and emancipatory power of education having graduated from the University of Manchester in 2019 with a PhD in English Literature. I believe there are thousands of potential Masters and PhD students among those we support, who, with the right support, can go on to achieve amazing things within and beyond their communities."

Theo first joined Tutor Trust as a Secondary Science Tutor in 2020, whilst studying for his MA in Art in Science at Liverpool John Moore’s. His research involved using illustration as an accessibility tool in science education. This in turn influenced his tuition, where he enjoyed making his own resources.

In 2021 Theo joined the Tutor Trust Outreach Team, and after graduating in 2022, he joined the Tutor Trust staff team as our University Recruitment Coordinator.

Theo says: “Moving from a tutor and outreach team member to the recruitment team after graduating felt like a really natural progression to me. I started doing outreach work whilst tutoring because I wholeheartedly believe in the work Tutor Trust does, and it’s a large part of my current role in University Recruitment. Being able to share my experiences as a tutor with other students who are considering tutoring is really rewarding. To me, our aim of transforming lives applies to our tutors as well as our tutees – Tutor Trust certainly transformed mine!”