Trustees
Martin Copsey
Chair of the Trust Board
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Martin is now semi-retired having been a Senior Civil Servant working in Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS).
After graduating, he completed an MA in Social Work at the University of Nottingham and qualified as a Probation Officer. After holding a range of operational and management posts he was appointed as Chief Probation Officer to the then Dorset Probation Area in 2005.
He went on to hold a variety of national posts in the Prison and Probation Service Agency, working in and leading a variety of reform and change programmes for the organisation. On retiring from HMPPS, he was appointed as a non -executive director for London and Thames Valley Community Rehabilitation Companies.
He has previously worked in a variety of related fields as one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Probation and as a lecturer in Probation and Social Work at the University of Hull. He has advised a number of other jurisdictions on establishing and running their own probation service.
During his career he developed a range of business skills and knowledge in the areas of organisational change, programme and risk management, performance improvement, internal assurance and standards setting.
He and his family now live in Poole.
Martin is the current Chair of Trust Board within Coastal Learning Partnership.
Les Lane
Vice Chair of the Trust Board
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Les is currently working in Facilities management for BCP Council, having previously been the Facilities Manager for a semi national Housing Association for 24 years. Prior to this he was in a property management for the DHSS (now DWP). Currently he is working on ensuring compliance with H&S particularly in the areas of Control of Asbestos and Water Hygiene. Whilst working as the Facilities Manager he was responsible for the setting and monitoring of annual budgets across multiple sites and cost centres. His interest in education comes from having served a Governor at 2 Poole schools and having a daughter who is a teacher. He believes that every young person deserves the best chance to become the best they can be, and that every mistake is an opportunity to learn.
Brendan McCarthy
Chair of Resources Committee
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With expertise accumulated over a 25-year career at an international law firm in the City of London, Brendan brings to the Trust a wealth of experience in property and insurance law, risk and incident management as well as legal and contractual issues. As a partner, Brendan has fulfilled a number of management roles relating to compliance, accountability and strategy. Brendan is the current Chair of the Resources Committee within Coastal Learning Partnership.
Brendan Mullany
Chair of the Achievement Committee
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Brendan is a retired business consulting professional and was a Partner in a global Professional Services Firm. Brendan had a number of education governance roles between 2006-19 including School Governor, Chair of the Dorset Schools' Forum, member of Dorset Strategic Alliance for Children and Young people, and member of Interim Executive Board for the Sherborne Learning Centre. Brendan is the current Chair of the Achievement Committee within Coastal Learning Partnership.
Mark Gilbert
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With a passion for education, Mark has been a teacher for nearly two decades after previously working in the museum industry in London. Currently in his role as a Headteacher he leads an alternative provision for students with Social, Emotional, Mental Health (SEMH) and since training as a SENDCo 10 years ago he has very much specialised in the field of inclusion and SEND. He enjoys spending free time with his young family and in his role as a football coach for an U9 Lilliput team. Mark aims to use his expertise and experience to support CLP in achieving the best outcomes possible for the young people that attend their schools.
Kat Hearn
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Kat is a Senior Lecturer at a London based university, lecturing, and researching in Accounting and Finance. She is an active researcher in educational pedagogy, holds a PGCE teaching qualification and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority. Prior to her move into Higher Education 10 years ago, Kat trained as a Chartered Accountant within the Assurance department of a Big 4 London firm. She had several large FTSE clients and specialised in accounting for the oil and gas industry. Having seconded to her firm’s technical accounting and internal training team, she discovered a passion for learning and teaching and decided to make the move into education.
Paul Howieson
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Paul is an experienced school leader with over twenty years working in school senior leadership and education advisory posts. Paul's most recent school leadership post was as Headteacher at Baden-Powell & St. Peter's CE Junior School (BPSP), a six-form-entry junior school in Poole which is now a highly valued member of the Coastal Learning Partnership family of schools. Following his six years as Headteacher at BPSP, Paul became the Chief Executive officer of a small Multi Academy Trust of six schools. Paul has been the Chief Executive Officer of Coastal Learning Partnership since 1st March 2020 during which time the Trust has grown from 15 to 20 schools.
Claire Lawrenson
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Claire has called Dorset home since 2007, having been drawn to the area's stunning coastline and countryside from her roots in the rural Midlands. Together with her husband, she is raising their three children locally, all of whom have attended CLP schools. With a career built in strategic commissioning roles within local government and the NHS, Claire has led transformation projects and commissioned high-quality services. Her most recent role focused on children's and family health services, where she developed a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in education. Now, Claire is channelling her leadership experience into the sustainability field, eager to make a meaningful impact to create a better future. She is thrilled to be a Trustee for CLP and contribute her skills to support and enhance the Partnership's important work.
Jo Levasier
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Jo is the Vicar of Swanage & Purbeck Deanery Schools Missioner (from July 2023) having moved from 20 years as a youth and children’s minister and then priest in the Diocese of Guildford. She has experience in a wide variety of schools and churches over the last 25 years and was a Chair of Governors for a preschool in her previous role. She has a degree in natural sciences, a diploma of theology and a great love of young people.
Martin Tiffin
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Martin has spent 45 years in the construction, development and infrastructure arena as a Chartered Civil Engineer and Lawyer and worked on the delivery £15 billion of projects in that time both on the UK and internationally. Martin has advised numerous public bodies both here in the UK and Australia on inward investment and regeneration. Martin's outside interests include his family and various sporting activities ranging from team sports to windsurfing, mountain biking, triathlons and sea swimming.
Lucy Waterhouse
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Lucy moved to Dorset from Bedfordshire, 23 years ago when she began her teaching career. She is an experienced school leader and is currently a serving headteacher within a local multi-academy Trust . Lucy sits on the Poole SCITT Trainee Professional Development board and enjoys helping support the development of our future school teachers and leaders in the locality. She was a local governor at the CLP school her children attended, before taking on the role of a Coastal Trustee. She is passionate about education and making sure that all children receive the very best education that they can.
Rod Woodford
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After graduating, Rod worked for Rio Tinto for 7 years as a production manager before opting out and travelling with an English language teaching qualification. He loved teaching and spent many years in East Asia, mainly Japan, where he worked for ANA airlines in Tokyo. He joined the British Council and from their centre in Kyoto he managed the English teaching operations. He then moved to Milan for 3 years, and managing the examinations, English language and arts activities across the north of Italy before relocating back to the British Council’s London office. He held several senior positions, including: Director of British Council Teaching Operations for East and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and finally Europe and the Americas. He had a team of over 2,000 teachers working in more than 70 teaching centres across 23 countries and was responsible for the overall management, financial performance, investment, and expansion of these operations. Rod has now retired and enjoys a variety of outdoor sports and activities when he is not struggling with DIY.