Gemma Buley
Principal at Thames Valley School

Gemma is the Principal and SENDCo of Thames Valley School. She brings a wealth of experience and dedication to her role, having worked in education for several years. After beginning her career as a Specialist Teaching Assistant, Gemma qualified as a teacher in mainstream settings, where she developed her skills in leading on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Since joining Thames Valley School 6 years ago, she has been an integral part of Thames Valley School’s journey to success, in roles such as Primary Lead Teacher, Autism Lead Practitioner, SENDCo, and Deputy Principal, while also working towards her National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH).

Gemma is passionate about ensuring all young people have positive and enriching school experiences that prepare them for life beyond school. She is committed to fostering an environment where each young person can thrive, both academically and personally. Gemma strives to build strong partnerships with families, recognising that a collaborative and supportive approach benefits both the child and their family. Her extensive experience and dedication to ensuring Autistic students are valued and supported make her exceptionally well-suited to lead our school community.

Paul Scales
Principal at Church Lawton School

Paul has 31 years of teaching experience in a diverse array of schools across the Northwest and Midlands. With 28 years spent in various specialist education provisions, he is a highly motivated school leader with over 24 years of successful senior leadership experience.

Paul has a proven track record of raising standards, maximizing student outcomes, and driving rapid and sustainable whole-school improvement. Since 2000, he has served as a senior leader in different specialist schools, catering to the needs of a wide range of autistic students, and has worked to maximize opportunities for those students.

Before joining the Liberty Trust, Paul worked at the National Autistic Society Academies Trust, serving as both Interim Director of Education and Executive Head. Prior to that, he was a Specialist School Leadership Consultant, collaborating with various organizations to ensure all students in different educational settings could achieve their best.

Paul is passionate about Adventure Learning and Quality of Life Independence curriculum. He has extensive experience in the outdoors and has led numerous school trips to residential centres in the UK and Europe. He is also a strong advocate of school exchange programmes and recently collaborated with Rodengymnasiet College in Sweden. 

Lisa Thompson
Head of Digital, Data & Technology

Lisa has over 20 years' experience working with data and systems across the commercial, policing and education sectors. Her experience spans, Secondary, Primary and Specialist provision with roles both in School as a Data Manager and working for 2 large Multi Academy Trusts.

She has exceptional insight into the challenges facing Trusts in developing the use of data to support the strategic management of the Trust and has proven experience of using data and systems to drive school improvement at scale. In her last Trust Lisa was responsible for the successful procurement, migration and implementation of a new Management Information System across 27 schools.

Rachael Clements
Principal at Vanguard School

Rachael has worked in the education field for over 25 years.  She has held several senior positions both in the UK and abroad and has experience of working with pupils of all ages and abilities within primary and secondary settings. 

She began her career in the Primary sector in Inner London, progressing to Primary Headship where she was responsible for the amalgamation of both an Infant and Junior department whilst developing a Nursery alongside. She has supported the start-up and development of a school in Central Asia, providing opportunities for local and international pupils to access future education in the UK and the USA.   

Due to family circumstances, Rachael acquired knowledge as a parent and as an educator of supporting pupils with special needs and took the decision to move into specialist education.  Her experience includes working with the Local Authority to support children missing in education, working within SEMH and Autism settings and leading on transitioning pupils from mainstream to specialist settings in a trauma-informed way to support pupils to reengage in learning.  Her most recent senior posts have been focused on the strategic improvement of schools, particularly on raising standards in education, attendance and safeguarding. 

Rachael is passionate about working with pupils in a holistic way and providing the best environment for them to reach their full potential.  She is a keen collaborator and loves working with teams to ensure the best outcomes for all.