Staff

• Sharon Burt
  Chief Executive Officer
  Sharon Burt

  Professional experience:

  I wholeheartedly understand the importance of every child feeling safe and happy to come to school. At Solent Academies Trust we proudly place pupils and their families at the heart of all decision making, and our senior leaders facilitate high performing teams to be innovative, courageous, forward thinking, and ambitious for our community, and beyond.

  I am passionate about driving high standards in education to achieve the very best outcomes for young people, and I have greatly enjoyed every minute of my 25 years teaching and leading in a broad range of specialist and mainstream settings.

  Our executive team and I are unwavering in our expectations for high quality leadership and governance, strong partnerships, effective change management, innovative project developments, and coherent business functions which enable our trust to grow and thrive with capacity and integrity.

  Together we promote entrepreneurial challenge and innovation to impact widely on our self-improving school led system, improve equality of opportunity and increase social mobility for all our community. Current projects include establishing a city wide Inclusive Employability Hub, expansion of specialist provision including holistic therapies and services, and extending opportunities for training and employment for young people with complex needs and disabilities.

  I have been a Specialist Leader in Education since 2012 (Leadership and Management, SEND and Safeguarding), and place a high importance on using enquiry led learning as the flywheel to accelerating improvement in the classroom.

  My experience spans a broad range of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities including Autism, speech, language and communication difficulties, complex learning/ medical needs and social, emotional and mental health needs. Specialist expertise also includes sensory integration approaches, attachment awareness and use of PACE.

  Qualifications:

  • Senior Leader Master's Degree MBA, dual accredited with the Chartered Management Institute Level 7 Strategic Management & Leadership Diploma
  • National Professional Qualification in Executive Leadership Programme undertaken 2018 - 2020
  • PGCE specialism in English
  • BSc (Hons) Social Policy & Criminal Justice

• Faye Watton-Lawrence
  Executive Principal
  Faye Watton-Lawrence

  A little about myself

  I have been working in special education for the majority of my career, initially in London and now in my home city of Portsmouth. I am currently in my third year working with the Solent Academies Trust, initially at Redwood Park, I then transferred to be Assistant Headteacher at Mary Rose, becoming Principal. I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Autism in Education in 2015, with a focus on innovative strategies for supporting self-regulation in children with Autism. My focus is, and always will be, on supporting our pupils and their families to achieve the happiest, most independent and fulfilling futures possible.

  Hobbies and interests

  I am married and live in Southsea with two young daughters. Having left London for a life by the seaside, I enjoy long walks and days out at the beach with my family. I am a keen baker and love sharing my cooking with family and friends - as well as the staff and children at Mary Rose!

  What excites me about my role

  It is my absolute privilege to work alongside the pupils, families and staff at Mary Rose. What a joy to work in an environment where no day is ever the same and where having fun is central to everything that we do. The team at Mary Rose is a superb example of how hard work, determination, creativity and nurture combine to make something very special. Together they ensure that every child is given the best opportunity to shine possible - no one could ask for more

• Kate Buckingham
  Head of School
  Kate Buckingham

  Background Information

  Having joined Mary Rose Academy in January this year as Vice-Principal I am very excited to be starting this academic year as Head of School! I have thoroughly enjoyed my two terms at Mary Rose so far, and I am really looking forward to all the new adventures to come. I have spent my entire teaching career working in a special school setting, previously I was at a Special School in Southampton, where I worked for over 15 years having started as a Newly Qualified Teacher.

  It is an absolute privilege and joy to be a part of the journey our young people take and I thrive in celebrating each of those small steps of progress they make.

  Area of Interests

  My particular area of interest throughout my career has been Autism, gaining a Masters in Autism and being part of the first cohort of Advanced Practitioners for Attention Autism in the country. I am also passionate about research, particularly Action Research, and ensuring that we are always at the forefront of new and best practice and I am part of ACORNS, a research network based at the University of Southampton. I have delivered training Nationally and Locally and have had a research paper published in the European Journal of Special Needs Education.

  My big focus when working with any children and young people (and indeed adults!) is building relationships, through fun and creative shared experiences, so I am often seen covered in glitter, shaving foam or food colouring

• Sam Leadbeater
  Assistant Principal
  Sam Leadbeater

  A Little about myself

  I've joined Mary Rose Academy this academic year having spent the last 6 years at Redwood Park Academy. My role is Assistant Principal for Secondary, overseeing and looking after the young people in our school aged between 11 and 16 and their class teams. I am responsible for curriculum development and accreditation for the main Mary Rose Site.

  Hobbies & Interests

  I have a passion for music and in my spare team I enjoy putting on gigs, putting out music on my small record label and managing a handful of artists at the early stages of their careers. When its hot and sunny you'll find me on a paddleboard somewhere in the Solent or the nearby waterways!

  What excites me about my role

  I am really excited by the passion, energy and knowledge of the Secondary team I work with. They give 110% 5 days a week (sometimes more!) to provide the best possible learning opportunities for our young people and it is so inspirational. I enjoy looking at new and innovative ways to provide the most engaging and future-focused curriculum, introducing new technology and real-world contexts that develop independence and purposeful knowledge, skills and understanding within our young people.

• Jaimie McBroom
  Assistant Principal
  Jaimie McBroom

  Background and Experience

  I have been working in special education for all for my teaching career. In my previous school I worked with pupils in years 4,5 and 6 with a wide range of needs and abilities. I have been at Mary Rose Academy for four years now working in Primary and Secondary. I have loved supporting pupils with different needs, adapting my practise and ideas to suit the pupils learning.

  Hobbies and interests

  I love to spend my free time walking my mad little dog Flint or getting crafty when sewing or crocheting. I then wind down with a good book or a film, my favourites are the Harry Potter series!

  What you enjoy about working at your school

  I love working here at Mary Rose Academy, the pupils are amazing and always make us smile! They all overcome so many boundaries to access their learning to develop the skills they need and have fun doing it! The staff here really go above and beyond, working their hardest for our pupils and go out of their way to support each other.

• Kirsty Troughton
  Assistant Principal
  Kirsty Troughton

  A little about myself

  After leaving University I began my teaching career working in a mainstream setting as a Physical Education teacher. I moved across to Mary Rose Academy in 2009 and I have enjoyed various different roles during my time here including SSCO, Head of PE, Lead Team Teach Tutor and my most current role as Assistant Principal. I feel privileged to work at Mary Rose Academy the staff and pupils are incredible, and I am passionate about ensuring that all our young people achieve their full potential.

  Hobbies and interests

  I have a pet Whippet and enjoy being out on walks, especially by the sea! I enjoy running, swimming and being active. I also enjoy trying my hand at DIY and learning new skills and most recently re landscaped my back garden which was a great project!

  What excites me about my role

  Mary Rose Academy is an amazing place. The staff and pupils are inspirational and always give their absolute best which is what helps to create our 'Mary Rose Magic'. I feel proud to work with young people and staff that approach all learning opportunities and activities with determination, maximum effort and have the best fun at the same time which helps them to achieve so much.

• Mel Walton
  Assistant Principal
  Mel Walton

  A little about myself

  This is my 5^th year at Mary Rose Academy as an Assistant Head teacher. I am pastorally responsible for the pupils within the secondary school and also lead on staff development and training. I am a Specialist Leader of Education and enjoy supporting other schools and teachers, I also have Masters degree in Education.

  Hobbies and interests

  I am originally a PE and Geography teacher and so love nothing more than being outdoors on my mountain bike, surf board or snow board and spending time walking my two Labradors on the beach. Being healthy, fit and happy is very important to me and teaching PE to the pupils at Mary Rose is my perfect job!

  What excites me about my role

  I enjoy working with such open minded, passionate and enthusiastic young people, families and staff. Mary Rose's 'can do' and creative attitude is both refreshing and infectious. Mary Rose is truly an outstanding school that wants the absolute best for all of the pupils across Portsmouth. I am constantly blown away by the achievements of the pupils and am immensely proud to say that I work here.

• Ella Adams
  Family Support Worker
  Ella Adams

• Shelley Bonner
  Admin Manager
  Shelley Bonner

  Background Information

  I started work at Mary Rose Academy in 2009 as a Receptionist. Prior to this I worked in the accountancy admin sector for over 17 years and was looking for a new and exciting job role.

  What you enjoy about working at your school

  This is my first role in a school and since joining the Mary Rose team I haven't looked Back!!

  I have watched Mary Rose grow into an outstanding multi- academy Trust. The skills and knowledge I have learnt along this journey have earnt me the role of Admin Manager, working with a special team to meet the high expectations required to ensure the smooth running of the department to efficiently meet the needs of our staff and students.

  I co-ordinate the annual reviews to ensure that our pupils EHCP's are up to date. I also manage the fundraising for Mary Rose and am very proud to have raised large amounts of money and win successful grants so we can provide specialist equipment for our pupils to make their time at Mary Rose even better.

  What I like about my job

  No two days are the same!

  The staff go above and beyond every day! The pupils are the reason we come to work. Watching their achievements as they move through the school and knowing how I can really make a difference.

  Hobbies and Interests

  I enjoy my family time and supporting them and going to the gym when time allows.

 Please click here to see the Solent Academies Trust Team