School Improvement Team

Tamsin Grainger 

Tamsin trained as an English and Drama teacher with Teach First in London and quickly fell in love with teaching. She then worked at The Hurlingham Academy as Senior Leader, DSL and SENCO where she loved being part of the school’s journey from Inadequate to Good; focussing on giving children a fantastic set of results along with a brilliant Character Education. Tamsin returned to Somerset (where she grew up) in 2019 and started her current role in school improvement. Our schools work tirelessly to give children the chance to meet their full potential and we care deeply about every child. We care about their academic achievement and we hold ourselves to account for being truly inclusive. Our School Improvement Team’s vision is simple: By being optimistic, challenging and kind, we ensure that children in our Trust are prepared and motivated to succeed in the next stage of their education or training. Tamsin loves working as part of that team and being in our schools every day.

Tamsin’s favourite thing about working at BTC Trust is the drive, passion and dedication of our colleagues – working alongside some of the most ambitious, inclusive and hard-working people there are. And, importantly, she loves any time spent with our children; it is an absolute privilege to be a small part of their journey through our settings.

Pete Foster 

Pete Foster has been a teacher and school leader for over a decade. He has worked in state comprehensive schools across the South West throughout that time as an English teacher, Head of English and Senior Leader. He believes in the transformative power of education for all young people.  

Pete has a keen interest in evidence-based practice and teacher development. He has written widely on how we can apply evidence to leadership, the classroom and professional development in schools. Pete regularly speaks at regional and national conferences on these topics, including the Festival of Education, researchEd and Chartered College of Teaching events. He has supported the development of resources for the National Professional Qualifications for senior leadership and teacher learning. His first book, What do new teachers need to know?, was published in 2023.   

Zoe Banfield 

Having wanted to be a teacher since the age of ten, Zoe realised this goal when she trained as a primary school teacher with a specialism in science at The University of the West of England, Bristol. She spent seventeen years teaching at primary schools in Oxfordshire including being a subject lead, curriculum and behaviour lead and assistant headteacher. Zoe has been lucky enough to lead two international teaching projects, which involved working with teachers and children in Belgium, Finland, Italy, South Africa and Spain. Zoe is passionate about continuous professional development and supporting teachers to be the best they can be. This is why she decided to apply for the Teacher Development Lead (primary) role at BTC Trust and has been in post since 2022. She is passionate about reading and co-leads a teacher reading group in Bridgwater as well as being the proud own of over six hundred children’s books. Outside of work, Zoe can usually be found in a theatre watching a musical, reading a book or listening to music. 

Zoe Stucki 

Zoe has worked in education for twenty-four years and has been a senior leader in education for eighteen of those. Zoe decided that teaching was the vocation she wanted to pursue when participating in a Students as Tutors programme in her second year at university. Zoe has worked in 7 different schools across Liverpool, the Midlands and Somerset and she has been Headteacher in two schools: an upper school with sixth form and an all through school. 

Zoe now works as Raising Standards Lead at BTC Trust and has the privilege of working with leaders across our 7 schools focusing on improving outcomes. Outside of work Zoe enjoys reading, running and paddle boarding. 

Clare Lewis 

Clare has worked in education for 21 years across both the state and private sector in secondary schools and Further Education. She began her teaching career as a Geography teacher and was a Head of Geography and Head of Humanities. Clare's career pivoted towards careers education when she became senior leader working with Key Stage 5 pupils and realised her passion for helping young people realise the opportunities open to them on leaving formal education.

Clare heeded the advice she often gives out regarding personal growth and development and undertook further two qualifications specialising in Careers leadership, and is now a Level 6 Careers Leader and Level 6 Careers Advice and Guidance specialist. She works across the Trust schools supporting schools with their career’s programmes, and networks with the local business community to engage employers to work with our schools. We are incredibly proud that our senior schools have all achieved 100% in the Gatsby Benchmarks, and that our Primary staff are embedding careers in the curriculum for our youngest pupils.

Clare also works across the Trust to oversee our Personal Development provision – working with staff to ensure our pupils have access to a wide, rich set of experiences. We strive to ensure there are meaningful and high-quality opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests, and their strength of character. Outside of school Clare can be found exploring the great outdoors on horseback or on foot with her labrador