Introducing our Executive Team
Chief Executive Officer
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Dr Nic Crossley has over 25 years’ experience in education which spans primary, secondary, mainstream and specialist provision and her research interests are in the factors which contribute to educational underachievement. She is committed to working with schools to enhance the learning experience for all vulnerable learners; however, her specialist interest areas are Autism and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH). She has previous experience as a Consultant Principal to two Special Academies, as a School Inspector, and has written and led leadership development training for middle and senior leaders in Primary, Secondary and Special education in England, Wales and Jersey. She is the co-author of Inclusion: A Principled Guide for School Leaders, and Inclusion: A Principled Guide for Early Career Teachers, both published by Routledge, as part of the NASEN Spotlight series. She is currently a Council member for ASCL (Association of School and College Leaders), Vice Chair of the Ethics, Inclusion and Equalities Committee, and the national SEND representative. She is also a member of the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) Policy Advisory Group and co-founder of the MAT SEND Leaders Group. With a Masters in Educational Leadership and Management (MA), and a Masters in Practice-Based Educational Research (MEd), Nic is also an Honorary Teaching fellow at the Centre for Teacher Education at the University of Warwick, which was awarded in recognition of the contributions made to teacher education. She is currently a member of the Advisory Committee for the ERSC project 'Conceptualisations of Neurodiversity and barriers to Inclusive Pedagogy for Early Career Teachers (ConNECT)'.
“Nic is one of a very small number of leaders whose impressive career provides a unique insight into the way schools manage and deliver SEND provision, which she leverages for the benefit of some of the most disadvantaged young people in our schools”. (Wiltshire Virtual Conference, December 2023) Recent Publications Articles
Crossley, N (2024) Ofsted Inspections: 8 Tips for Making Complaints (London, Times Educational Supplement) available at: https://shorturl.at/VrckJ Crossley, N (2024) Ten Questions with Nic Crossley (London, Times Educational Supplement) available at: https://shorturl.at/HuJ1Z Crossley, N (2023) National Careers Week: Six Ideas to Support Students with SEND into Work (London, Schools Week) available at: https://bit.ly/4046Qqo Crossley, N (2023) Why Wait until 2025 to Tackle the SEND Postcode Lottery (London, Times Educational Supplement) available at: https://bit.ly/3KvVmWV Crossley, N (2022) Children with SEND are Vulnerable – and the most exposed (London, Times Educational Supplement) available at: https://bit.ly/3YZyUuO Crossley, N (2021) Voices for Change (London, Association of School and College Leaders) available at: https://bit.ly/3at2Sk3 Crossley, N (2020) Closing the Opportunity Gap for Learners with SEND Beyond the Pandemic (London, Queen Street Group) Available at: https://rb.gy/2odeiu
Books:
Crossley, N and Hewitt, D (2025) Inclusion: A Principled Guide for Early Career Teachers (London, Routledge) available at: https://tinyurl.com/479nskz8 Crossley, N and Hewitt, D (2021) Inclusion: A Principled Guide for School Leaders (London, Routledge) available at: https://bit.ly/3oeqbbe Doctoral Research:
Crossley, N (2017) The Impact of Government Reform on Conceptualisations of Professionalism in Compulsory Education in England; Considering the National Standards of Excellence for Headteachers and the Teachers' Standards, through the Lens of Critical Discourse Analysis (University of Exeter) available at: https://tinyurl.com/mkck6y97 Contributions to Educational Inquiry: UK Parliament: Public Services Committee (March 2024) The Transition from Education to Employment for Young Disabled People available at: https://shorturl.at/WWYZW UK Parliament: Education Select Committee (March 2023) Special Educational Needs (SEND): Oral Evidence into the SEND and AP Improvement Plan available at: https://shorturl.at/tLQ0u |
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Director of Governance and Compliance
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Chris is an experienced leader and organisational psychologist and has worked across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. He is a leading consultant in organisation transformation, change, and leadership. Prior to joining the education sector, Chris was the Chief Executive of a not-for-profit start-up leading on national policy and advocacy. He has experience of driving organisational strategy and improvement, including compliance, risk and assurance. Chris is familiar with both practical and strategic roles deploying his evidence led and values driven skills. Chris is committed to strengthening the organisations he works with to ensure they can work effectively, deliver public benefit and enhance their role in civic society. He is a committed volunteer both within education, as a Trustee of a large MAT and primary school Governor, former army reservist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. |
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Director of Education
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Jo has worked in the field of autism for 20 years. Her roles have included Principal, Executive Principal and the Head of Educational Standards. In her last role she worked with our schools carrying out quality and standards reviews, assisting them in delivering excellent provision through the Quality of Life Framework. She enjoys working collaboratively alongside our school teams to support them to continually raise standards. She has been in SEND education for over 25 years and has worked with many partner schools supporting them through outreach, training and consultancy. She is an experienced educational leader with proven ability to lead specialist day schools, residential schools and children’s homes and has experience as Responsible Individual of large Children’s home. She has a Master’s degree in Special Educational Needs and has completed the National Professional Qualification for Headship. |
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Director of Safeguarding
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Nic is the Safeguarding Lead for the Trust and an Intermediate Team Teach trainer as well as a PREVENT trainer. Her experience spans primary, secondary and specialist provision. Her specialist interest areas are Safeguarding and Child Protection. She has previous experience as an SLE for Safeguarding and Attendance, as well as experience in working with young carers; particularly around supporting those where substance abuse and mental health are of a concern. Nic has written and led leadership development training for Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs), Attendance Leads and Family Support Workers, is a trained Parenting Practitioner and is a regular speaker at Safeguarding conferences. Nic is the Parent Partnership Lead and is responsible for driving positive mental health in schools and trauma-informed approaches across the Trust. |
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Chief Finance Officer
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Lynn is a Chartered Accountant and has over 20 years’ experience in education which spans Primary, Secondary, Colleges and continued professional development. She is an experienced leader and brings a wealth of knowledge to the Trust. Lynn is committed to strengthening the organisation and is responsible for the finance strategy. |
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Head of Executive Services & EA to the CEO
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Harriet has over 20 years’ experience in the administrative profession, the majority being within the legal sector and has supported executives in both the UK and Internationally. Proven experience supporting a Board of Directors within the education / child care sector and has also previously managed a team of PAs. Harriet’s degree in Applied Social Science also provides her with relevant background knowledge to bring to her role at Liberty. As the EDI Strategic Lead for the Trust, Harriet Chairs our EDI Partnership Board and leads on the Trust EDI strategy. |
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