Central Support

The Finance Team

Rachandeep Nandra- Head of Finance 

Rachandeep has had over two decades of working in the financial sector having worked in several multi-academy Trusts including School 21 where she worked for a decade and more recently as a Finance Manager in Big Education.  She is a confident, hardworking individual who pays close attention to detail, with a flexible working approach and excellent organisational skills.  She is an all-round team player as well as someone who can use her own initiative. She is always seeking opportunities to expand her and other’s skills, to support school and Trust improvement, to innovate and streamline Trust processes for the  betterment of the children.

The Operations Team

Pete Wade - Compliancy Manager

Pete has a enjoyed a career working in Operational roles for a number of large organisations with a particular focus on Operational Excellence. During this time he rose to Board level with responsibility  for Financial and Budget control, People development and acting as Lead on Change Management processes to aid improved productivity and staff welfare. By bringing these aspects to the Academy Pete is supporting our development and continued growth. A former Governor of a local Junior school, 4 years as Chair, his experience in understanding the importance of creating a strong educational environment supports the ethos for our children's future.

Deirdre McCoy- Project Manager

Deirdre has over 30 years of both commercial and school management; she was a founding staff member of Strive4 Academy Trust and has worked at Ray Lodge Primary School for a decade, recently returning to the Trust after 2 years at another Multi-Academy Trust. Deirdre oversees project management focussing her skills and energies on specific tasks and development in order to have timely, but sustainable, growth and development in key areas of Trust finance and business operations.