Members and Trustees
Mary Laing
As a mother of five children and a grandmother of eleven, Mary is passionate about supporting children, young people and the local community.
Mary joined as a Member in December 2024, having supported our Trust for many years. Mary’s husband, David Laing, was the Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire and a Member of our Trust from 2018 to 2024. Throughout this time, Mary visited many schools in the county, volunteering and supporting community initiatives.
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Mary is passionate about reading and has loved books all her life. Mary passes on her belief in the power of literacy by volunteering in primary schools, supporting children to access literature and develop a love of reading.
We are delighted that Mary has joined the Trust, supporting its next phase of growth, while ensuring that children and the community remain at the heart of our work.
Victoria Martin
Victoria is part of the senior leadership team for Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, overseeing commissioning, strategy and policy work on public safety. She has a particular focus on work for victims, violence against women and girls, and serious violence prevention for young people. Victoria has been part of the PFCC for 11 years and, in this time, has worked closely with many of the strategic leads in the County tasked with safeguarding and educating children and young people in Northamptonshire.
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Her strategy and policy focus also allow her to work closely with national policymakers in central government and experts in the field, which can be transferred to her position as Member of Northampton Free School Trust. Victoria oversees several of the PFCC’s major funding streams. Victoria holds two degrees – a BA in Drama, Theatre and Television as well as an MSc in Psychology, which has developed her research and critical thinking abilities, which are applied to both her role at the PFCC and her role as a Member of Wootton Park Academy Trust. Victoria is passionate about ensuring children and young people get the start in life they deserve and ensuring those who don’t are helped to develop to the best of their ability.
Deborah Mattock
Deborah has been a Member at WPS for two years and has brought with her over 30 years of experience as a strategic and operational leader in the higher education sector. She most recently directed the Human Resource service at the University of Northampton, championing the staff experience and managed a large and diverse portfolio, which included marketing, public relations, communications, and international recruitment. She succeeded by adopting an inclusive leadership style whilst maintaining a focus on results, customer service, equality, diversity and inclusion.
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Deborah has been active in community work since 2009, working initially as a School Governor and Trustee and more recently as a Director of the Northampton Town Football Club Community Trust. She is currently an Independent Director at the Northamptonshire Children’s Trust and is using her experiences to make a positive difference to social care in the county.
Jelena Motte
Jelena was involved at the pre-opening stage of WPS and has been a Member of the Trust since April 2018. Jelena works as a Regional Finance Manager for Northampton region within a local multi-academy trust. Previously, Jelena has worked as a financial consultant and finance advisor for Voice for Victims and Witnesses Limited and the Office of Police and Crime Commission.
Kelvin Thomas
Kelvin is currently Chairman of Northampton Town Football Club, a Director of a radio company and a Non-Executive Vice President of Special Effect, a UK Charity that puts fun and inclusion back into the lives of people with mental and physical disabilities by helping them to play video games. Kelvin is passionate about bringing together leadership, business and the community.
Our Trustees
Roberta Brittle, Chair of Trustees
Roberta has been a Trustee for five years and Chair of the Trust for three. Roberta is a qualified accountant with significant leadership, operational and project management experience. Roberta has been instrumental in successfully negotiating multi-million-pound contracts and is knowledgeable of budget and financial accounts management complexities. Roberta is also committed to improving employee engagement and development.
Darren Allmark
Darren is a Management Accountant (FCMA, CGMA) with over 30 years of experience in the manufacturing sector. Darren has had several roles, including Group Finance and Operations Director, with responsibility for manufacturing, health and safety and financial planning, control and governance.
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About four years ago, Darren started working for a Northampton-based charity as a Finance Business Partner and, at the same time, became a Parent Governor at Wootton Park School, supporting both the ‘Finance and Resources’ and ‘Teaching and Learning’ committees. Darren has lived in Northampton for over 25 years and lives with his wife and two children, who both attend WPS – one in primary and the other in secondary.
Kate Clough
A current Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead at a primary school, Kate sits on the Teaching & Learning Committee providing support and challenge. Kate specialises in the Early Years and also manages the school’s nursery, which she opened in 2016.
Laura Fox
Laura has 18 years of experience in education, first as a secondary school teacher and senior leader before moving into teacher professional development for a global education charity. She qualified in 2005 and holds an MA in Education and a CIPD Level 5 Diploma in Organisational Learning and Development.
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Laura’s in-school roles included Head of English and Assistant Headteacher, with responsibilities including whole-school literacy and whole-school curriculum. Since moving into teacher professional development, Laura has held a range of positions, including Learning Manager, Senior Education Adviser and Senior Data and Performance Manager on national education contracts with the Department for Education, including the Early Career Professional Development Programme and Early Years Professional Development Programme. In addition, Laura has contributed as a curriculum writer and assessor for National Professional Qualifications.
Laura is a keen education writer and enjoys competing in triathlons in her spare time.
Roshni Patel
Roshni Patel brings experience from the audit profession, having worked in the field for over a year as a trainee accountant (CA). Her audit portfolio includes manufacturing and retail sectors, providing insight into financial planning, compliance, and risk management. Alongside her professional role, Roshni has over five years of experience delivering private tuition to children, reflecting her strong passion for education and commitment to improving outcomes through strategic academic planning and supporting school staff as part of a holistic ecosystem.
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Looking ahead, Roshni is enthusiastic about contributing to the school’s continued development, with a particular interest in strengthening financial governance and risk management to ensure sustainable growth.
Dr Michelle McDowell
Michelle joined the Trust as a parent governor for Wootton Park School in 2024. As an educational psychologist and former secondary school teacher, Michelle has been eager to support the Senior Leaders in implementing early intervention strategies and tailored support for learners, and recognises the importance of balancing academic excellence with the well-being of learners, staff, and leadership.
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Michelle is particularly attuned to modern challenges such as managing screen time and digital engagement, which can impact learning and well-being and advocates for policies that promote a healthy balance of technology use to enhance student development.
Our Trust’s focus on a rigorous curriculum, cultural diversity, and community engagement aligns with her passion for fostering well-rounded, lifelong learners.
Mary Miller
Mary is a former Art Gallery Director for Marlborough Fine Art in London and, although recently retired, is passionate about raising the profile and funds for voluntary organisations. Mary is also committed to supporting young people in reaching their potential and gaining opportunities and experiences in different sectors.
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Mary recently supported Wootton Park School to achieve its Careers Mark. A nationally recognised benchmark of Careers Education, Information and Guidance quality, WPS joins only 24% of UK schools in successfully achieving the standards required to gain this award.
Barbara O’Brien
As an established education professional with extensive experience as a teacher and leader in school improvement, leadership and management, Barbara has a significant, wide-ranging experience in and contribution to:
Leadership roles on multiple national contracts with the Department for Education
Advisory and leadership roles in multi-academy trusts, including Interim Headteacher and Executive Leader roles for Peterborough Diocese Education Trust and Executive Leadership for Inspire Multi-Academy Trust
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Training and consultancy across the public, private and voluntary sectors, including international, national, and higher education
Significant experience in school improvement and development in a range of educational settings, including underperforming academies
Over 15 years of experience as school governor, including chair of Academy Improvement Boards - in primary, secondary and all-age schools
Currently sits on the Board of Directors of Wootton Park Academy Trust
National Professional Qualification for Executive Leaders (NPQEL) facilitator Education
Adviser/external expert working on academies and free schools programmes across East Midlands and Humber, NW London and South Central, SE and South London, and West Midlands regions
Over 20 years of experience as an Ofsted Inspector in primary, middle and secondary schools
Chief Improvement Officer at Burton and South Derbyshire Education Trust; supporting, challenging and mentoring leaders; advising on national developments, collaboration, networking and governance arrangements.
Martin Scoble
Martin has a varied career, starting with nearly two decades as an Army Officer in the Royal Engineers, serving in multiple countries and with multinational partners. Following the military, Martin worked across the public, private and charity sectors, along with different voluntary roles. Martin held Chief Executive positions in the public sector, worked within the technology industry and, more recently, as a Bursar & Director of Finance and Operations within the education and charities sectors.
