SCITT Director Michael Eszrenyi has extensive experience of leading professional development in schools and ITT providers, having been a Subject Course Leader for MFL, an Assistant Headteacher, a Specialist Leader of Education and SCITT Manager. Supporting trainee teachers was the focus of his Master’s degree. In 2016 he was a member of the Department for Education’s Independent Teacher Workload Review Group focussing on reducing teachers’ marking workload.

As SCITT Director, Michael has overall responsibility for ensuring the vision of excellence and high-quality offer of all aspects of the SCITT’s provision. In 2024 Ofsted noted: ‘The dedication and expertise of centre staff, particularly the SCITT Director, ensures that the goal to equip local schools with well qualified early career teachers is fully realised.’

Mr M Eszrenyi – Director

Anjali is an experienced educator with nearly 10 years of experience in the classroom, specialising in supporting trainee teachers on their journey to becoming confident and successful practitioners. She has worked with a range of teaching providers such as Barr Beacon SCITT, City Year, Teach First and Straight to Teach, mentoring trainees with varied classroom experience. She has also supported the SCITT, for over 5 years, as Subject Course Lead for English.

Having previous additional roles as Lead Practitioner and Induction Tutor for Early Careers Teachers (ECTs), she is astute in preparing trainee teachers for long-term success and confidence in teaching. She is passionate about mentoring and training new teachers, providing the guidance and expertise needed to navigate the challenges of teaching.

Alongside this, she is an accomplished English teacher with experience as Head of Department and examiner for AQA, offering a wealth of knowledge in curriculum design, assessment, and classroom management.

As SCITT Manager, she looks forward to nurturing the talent that new trainees offer and supporting new mentors in developing their trainee’s teaching pedagogy and expertise.

Miss A Parshotam – Secondary Course Manager

Cheryl is an experienced and dedicated educator with extensive expertise in primary education and leadership. Her career highlights include working as an Assistant Head Teacher, gaining in-depth knowledge in Initial Teacher Training (ITT), and serving as a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) in coaching and mentoring. Cheryl’s commitment to teacher development is demonstrated through her work as the Primary SCITT Manager at Barr Beacon SCITT (BBSCITT), where she collaborated with the SCITT Director to establish the primary teacher training courses. Before this role, she led the ITT program at Ryders Hayes School from 2016, helping shape new teachers’ early careers.

Cheryl has also played a significant role in supporting Early Career Teachers (ECTs) by facilitating their professional development programs. She was the lead for the Appropriate Body for Walsall primary schools for several years, ensuring high standards in teacher induction and support. In addition, Cheryl’s academic achievements include a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, completed in 2021, focusing on the retention of Early Career Teachers, and her NPQLTD (National Professional Qualification for Leading Teaching Development) in 2022.

Her leadership and governance experience extend to her ten-year role as a teacher governor, as well as her current position as a parent governor, reflecting her commitment to improving school leadership and pupil outcomes. Cheryl’s passion for education and her belief that all children deserve the best is evident in her dedication to nurturing and developing future teachers.

Mrs C Heaton – Primary Course Manager

Lindsey is a highly experienced SCITT Administrator dedicated to supporting all aspects of the teacher training programme. Lindsey has a strong background in administration roles and project management roles. In her role she is responsible for overseeing the administrative functions of the SCITT programme, which include:

• Coordinating communication between trainees, mentors, and partner schools.
• Helping with the application and enrolment process for prospective teachers.
• Maintaining trainee records and providing administrative support throughout their training journey.

Mrs L Haywood – SCITT Administrator

Lou has been in education for over 28 years and joined Manor Primary School as a class teacher in 1998. Since then, she has been a Year Leader, progressing to Assistant Head and the strategic Lead for Maths. She went on to gain a maths specialist qualification as well as becoming an SLE (Specialist Leader of Education) which enabled her to support specific areas of school improvement across many schools. She is now the Director of Manor Teaching School Hub and Lead Mentor for Barr Beacon SCITT.

In addition, she has gained an NPQSL (National Professional Qualification Senor Leadership), NPQLTD (National Professional Qualification for Leading Teaching Development).

She was honoured to be one of the first members of staff at Manor to be trained as and become a facilitator and coach leading to extensive experience in facilitating on many highly successful projects, including, leading on Initial Techer Training, the Early Career Framework and Appropriate Body services across South Staffs, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Her experiences as a teacher and school leader, her subject and pedagogical knowledge and her passion for teaching and learning, gives her the integrity and drive to ensure all teachers receive the very best training, from the moment they start their ITT, though their early career induction and beyond, to support the improvement of the future life chances of all children and young people.

Mrs L Wedge – Lead Mentor for Manor Primary Partnership

Alex is an educator with 10 years of experience in the classroom. Over the course of this tenure, Alex has specialised in the teaching of English and has held multiple positions of leadership within English departments across the West Midlands, including lead practitioner, second in department and director of English.

Alex is driven with a zest and enthusiasm for pedagogical research and holds a keen interest in how this can cultivate the skills necessary to create expert practitioners and students. In addition to this, Alex is an experienced examiner for AQA and believes in quality-first teaching that emanates from a position of knowledge.

Alex’s role as the SCITT Head of Curriculum and Research is to oversee the secondary ITT curriculum and the research underpinning this. He heads up our Professional Studies programme.

Mr A Elsmore – SCITT Head of Curriculum & Research

Snita is an experienced educator and has worked in schools in Sandwell and Birmingham. Her roles have included Faculty Director of Computer Science, successfully leading a team and focusing on curriculum development ensuring that the students receive an outstanding education in Computer Science.

Snita has a breadth of experience and an enthusiasm for all aspects of education. She has worked with trainees and ECTs supporting them on their teaching journey and continues to do this as part of the SCITT team.

Snita’s role is to manage the day-to-day operation of our Internships, SKEs and Assessment Only provision.

Mrs S Kaur – SCITT Co-Ordinator