Current Education Standards Committee members
Deborah Green
NCLT Director
Date Appointed: 06/07/2017
Date Reappointed: 14/07/2021
Deborah is Chief Executive of UCISA, a charitable company which represents the interests of Chief Information Officers in HE and FE and the teams they lead. Reporting to the Chair of the Board of Trustees, she is responsible for upholding the charitable object of UCISA, providing strategic, operational and personnel management for UCISA and its subsidiary companies.
Although a lawyer by profession, Deborah has a wealth of Higher Education experience. Prior to her appointment at UCISA, Deborah was Director of Student Recruitment at the University of Hull, and before that she served on the executive board at Leeds Beckett University, where she led the Marketing and Corporate Communications Directorate.
During her time there, Deborah led a major brand repositioning exercise, in preparation for the university’s name change from Leeds Metropolitan University to Leeds Beckett in September 2014. Deborah also revolutionised the university’s approach to recruitment and the enquirer and applicant experience, developing and launching the university’s first major integrated marketing and recruitment campaigns. These included a range of innovative digital outputs, in addition to their first television campaign.
Jo Twiby
NCLT Director
Date Appointed: 06/04/2022
View ProfileJo has a passion for unlocking the potential in students, something that has been formed by her ten years’ experience as a system leader in two high-performing multi-academy trusts, where she has developed her knowledge and understanding of teacher development and the education landscape.
She has extensive experience as a leader, driving improvements and providing support and challenge to a range of stakeholders. Formerly Executive Director of English at Delta, she engaged and developed a high-performing team of nine subject directors and sixteen English departments, which ultimately raised student achievement and exceeded national averages in academies predominantly serving communities characterised by privation.
In June 2019, she began to lead the professional development across the Delta Trust and their Teaching School Alliance, from initial teacher training and active participation in the early rollout of the Early Career Framework, to delivery of the National Professional Qualifications. She is an NPQ Assessor, and in October 2020 led a successful application for two teaching school hubs.
In collaboration with the Research School Network and the Education Endowment Foundation, she is currently leading a cross-phase programme across 53 academies to continue narrowing gaps in outcomes. Her priority is always students, approaching all aspects of her role with their experience firmly in view. She encourages all the members of her team to consider the user experience in every interaction, whether that be with facilitators, schools, partners, or lead providers, thereby helping colleagues to understand and appreciate the challenges students, teachers and school leaders face.
Linda Maxwell-Smart
Member
Date Appointed: 14/07/2021
View ProfileLinda is currently a retiree. During the last academic year, Linda has been a member of the NCP Advisory Group, in 2019 she worked on a temporary, part-time basis at John Leggott Sixth Form College as a Consultant. Prior to that, she worked at New College Pontefract for 24 years, performing several managerial roles, including Senior Manager Teaching, Learning & Assessment, Senior Manager Data, Standards, Quality & Implementation, Director of Teaching & Learning, Faculty Manager & Head of English/Media Studies. Linda began her teaching career in Manchester, where she worked in challenging high schools. In the 1980s she was a governor in a high school in Stockport, after which she spent several years in North America. She has two sons who both achieved excellent results at New College and went on to become successful Senior and Lead Research Scientists. Linda spends her leisure hours meeting her many friends for lunch, visiting the cinema & the theatre, shopping and walking around museums and stately homes.
Rachel Yorke
Member
Date Appointed: 05/07/2021
View ProfileI have been in the teaching profession for since 1995 in a range of schools from an independent school for 7-16 year olds in Khartoum, Sudan to mainstream primary schools and now a Special school provision for 5-19 year olds. I have held many, varied roles within these schools including subject leader for Maths and Music, SENCo, Deputy Head Teacher, Head Teacher and currently Assistant Head Teacher in a special school with responsibility for lower school, curriculum, learning and teaching and outcomes. A very short time after moving to my current role in 2014, the school was judged by OFSTED to be inadequate and the Local Authority began proceedings to close the school. Three years later, OFSTED arrived again and judged the school to be ‘Good’ and in May 2019 we achieved ‘Outstanding’ judgements in all areas.
My interests outside work are in spending time on my narrowboat, cruising the canals whenever possible and I would love to be able to spend time taking part in musical activities as a keen singer and cellist.
My most important and significant roles are that of mother and wife; my daughter is due to begin Y12 at New College Doncaster in September 2021
Kathryn (Katy) Hill
Advisor
To Be Confirmed
Education Standards Committee members who have stepped down
None currently in the last 12 months
