The Pioneer Academy

Leonie Freeman joined TPA in June 2022 and has worked in different finance roles within the education sector since 2015.  In her role as Central Finance Manager she supports five schools in Bexley and Kent.

Remi Oni joined TPA in September 22 having worked within the education sector since 2017.  She previously graduated with a BScHons in Accounting and Financial Management, and in her role as Central Finance Manager, she supports four schools in Croydon, Bromley and Surrey.

Lorrayne Sanders is an experienced School Business Manager and has worked in an educational setting since 2013 and joined The Pioneer in March 2022.  In her role as Central Business Manager she supports five schools in Bexley and Kent.  She believes passionately that every child should have the same opportunity to make the most of their abilities and succeed in life and believes that education plays a vital role in this aspiration.

Jane Whiteman-Bruner is an experienced School Business Manager and has worked in educational settings across London for over 20 years and joined the Pioneer in February 2023. In her role as Central Business Manager she currently supports two schools in Croydon and is passionate about education.

Emma Thompson joined The Pioneer Academy in September 2020 and has over 15 years’ experience of working in Education.  She is skilled in Talent Management, Labour Relations, Personnel Management and Employee Engagement.  Emma joined the Trust from working within Further Education and holds a Post Graduate Diploma focused in Psychology from the University of Westminster.

Carly joined the The Pioneer Academy in 2022 as an Executive Recruitment Assistant and is based in our Central Team. She has over 20 years experience in Administration roles within a corporate environment and in her role as Executive Recruitment Assistant, she deals with short term supply cover and also assists with long term recruitment requirements.  

Sam Warwick joined The Pioneer Academy in June 2022 as Excecutive Assistant.  She has nearly 20 years experience in corporate organisations, as well as the NHS.  Sam provides administrative assistance to the CEO and COO.

Jo Lakey joined The Pioneer Academy in November 2017 as Director of Education.  She is now a consultant that leads on governance within the Trust.  Between 2003 - 2017, Jo Lakey worked alongside senior leaders and governors on school improvement matters; working as a seconded Head Teacher in Kent and then as Bexley’s Head of School Improvement.  As an Ofsted lead inspector, Jo has led school self-review visits and self-evaluation surgeries.

Chris Money-Chappelle has worked in education for 12 years in various roles progressing into his preferred field involving Information Technology.  Chris relishes the continual challenge of taking The Pioneer Academy forward as the Head of IT Support.

Kinza Tahir graduated with a BScHons in Computer Science, She has been working in the IT industry for over 10 years. Initially specialising in CRM Software, she moved away from this specialty so that she could expand her skills and help more people. This is the first time she has worked in a school environment.

Simon Frampton joined The Pioneer Academy in September 2020.  Previously working as a Commercial & Projects manager in the Landscape Management & Construction sector, he has many years’ experience in working closely with site teams and contractors and using his experience to lead projects from idea through to fruition.

Toni has worked at Stewart Fleming Primary School as a Lunchtime Supervisor since September 2008. She has always enjoyed working with the children at lunchtimes; for the last few years she has worked with Year 6. A majority of them enjoy football so she plays twice a week on the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area).  Recently Toni has also taken on the important role of ensuring the central offices are kept clean.

Kevin O’Neill joined The Pioneer Academy in November 2020 as a Groundsman and is now the Senior Groundsman.  He ensures all the grounds across our sites are maintained, including grass cutting, hedge and shrub trimming, installing sports markings, general site tidying, leaf clearing, weed treatment, tree and shrub planting and ad hoc requirements to assist the Academy. 

Charlie joined The Pioneer Academy in March 2022 as a Groundsman. Working closely with the rest of the Grounds Maintenance Team, he ensures that all TPA school sites are maintained to a high standard.