I have worked in the early years sector for over 25 years and hold a First Class BA (Hons) degree in Early Childhood, Policy and Practice. I have had many roles within childcare while also being a long-serving childminder. I have worked in a nursery, have been a Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Well-being (SSTEW) assessor and an Early Years Lead Childminder for my local authority.

I have extensive experience is working and leading in both large and small schools. My career started in a large (3 form entry ) Junior school in Lincoln with 80% FSM. I went on to set up and lead an inclusion unit for 2 years within this school, which catered for children excluded from other schools. After 7 years in Lincoln I became Deputy Head of a large school in Whitby where I was also SENCO and a leading Maths teacher. I was acting head of that school for a period of time before becoming the head of a small school in North Yorkshire that was in Special Measures! After a period of 3 years we were judged by Ofsted as a good school with outstanding features, including outstanding leadership. This is now an outstanding school and part of YEAT.

My teaching career began 30 years ago as a secondary music teacher in deprived schools in Belfast. Enjoying success and witnessing first hand the role of education in social mobility, I developed a passion for inclusion.<br />

I began my career in education at the age of 26 having worked in the engineering sector till the age of 19 and then the business sector providing training for school leavers in business administration and ICT

Rachel Wells – Headteacher West Heslerton primary School
I have taught for 25+ years in our locality and my leadership posts include larger town schools, very small rural schools and headships across more than 1 school.
For the past 20 years, I have been a Headteacher in Ryedale with consistent Good or outstanding Ofsted and SIAMS judgements throughout that time. I have worked as a Lead Teacher and LA consultant concurrently with this post.
As SENCo for 20+ years in my current school, I have developed and lead a highly inclusive and nurturing school that provides lots of wider opportunities and outdoor education.
I am proud to be representing small rural schools and Church Schools to ensure representation, inclusion and opportunity for all learners and staff in Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale.

My name is Ashleigh Raw, and I work at Scarborough TEC college as Head of Learner Services. I have worked in education for 15 years, 10 of which have been in further education. I originally trained as a teaching assistant and have worked with students with SEND ever since.<br />

I have been teaching for over 30 years and believe passionately that all children deserve the very best, inclusive education that we can provide and we only have one chance to do this. During my career, I have been a Deputy Headteacher for over 10 years and then a Headteacher for 5 years in the Bradford District, before having the privilege of relocating to the stunning North Yorkshire Coast in September 2021. In my previous role, I established a highly successful specialist provision for children with Social Communication and Interaction needs and also worked with two other schools to set up our own small MAT.

I am currently the Executive Headteacher at the Heritage Coast Federation, comprising of two very small village schools and I love working with our amazing communities.  I feel privileged to be elected to be part of the board and am dedicated to giving support to ensure that all children in Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale have access to a wealth of opportunities to ensure that they have the best possible education.

I have been teaching for 23 years, having begun my career as a French & German Teacher at the English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College in Hartlepool, where I progressed to Second in Languages then Advanced Skills Teacher for MFL. Moving to Manor Community Academy in Hartlepool, I became Assistant Head for the International Dimension then Assistant Head for Teaching, Learning and Staff Development and finally Vice Principal. I moved to Graham School in 2018 as Deputy Head before taking up the Headship at George Pindar School on academisation in April 2019. I am proud to be the Principal of a truly inclusive and fully comprehensive secondary school.