The Inquiry Team
the Inquiry team
About Star Academies
Star Academies is one of the UK’s highest performing multi-academy trusts, with a strong track record of improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Star is a values-based organisation that works to improve the life chances of young people in areas of social and economic deprivation to help them succeed at the highest levels of education and employment.
Many Star schools serve communities where white working-class children face persistent barriers to success. The trust firmly believes that every child, regardless of background, deserves the opportunity to thrive. Star is therefore leading this bold, sector-driven effort to understand the causes, learn from what works, and drive meaningful change in schools and communities across the country.
Star’s Chief Executive, Sir Hamid Patel CBE, is the co-chair for the Inquiry, alongside Baroness Estelle Morris. You can find out more about our co-chairs and Inquiry panellists here.
Star Academies has commissioned the Inquiry.
Jed Cinnamon, Head of Partnerships and Impact
His background is in programme leadership and strategy in the education sector. Following roles teaching and leading English in secondary schools, he led teacher training programmes for new teachers at Teach First and The Brilliant Club. At Nesta, the social innovation foundation, Jed developed the education and young people strategy and led grant-making programmes. During this time, he was seconded to the Education Endowment Foundation to support the set-up of the National Tutoring Programme as Head of Operations. Most recently he led new product development in the strategy team at Ambition Institute, a teacher development charity. Jed’s role at Star Academies is to develop and manage partnerships that support the trust’s strategic priorities. He has also led the MAT’s approach to community engagement, enrichment and wider support for pupils and families.
Linda Thompson – Associate Director (Education)
Since joining Star Academies in 2012 Linda has played a key strategic role in shaping and leading the Trust’s educational provision. Prior to joining Star Academies, Linda served for 12 years as a Regional Director within the National Strategies programme. She also held a national leadership role as Deputy National Lead for Assessment for Learning, contributing to the development and implementation of key educational strategies to raise standards in schools. Since joining Star, Linda has worked closely with the CEO to support the growth of the Trust and drive educational excellence across its schools. She has held a range of senior roles, including Principal of Tauheedul Islam Boys’ High School and later Eden Girls’ School Coventry, as well as Executive Director of Star Institute, the Trust’s professional development arm. Linda has led on several strategic partnership initiatives at Star Academies, including the successful bids and implementation of the Teaching School Hubs and leading the Initial Teacher Training (ITT), Early Career Teacher (ECT), and National Professional Qualifications (NPQ) components of the National Institute of Teaching (NIOT) bid, working in collaboration with three other national multi-academy trusts. More recently, she has led the development of the Education Brief for the Eton–Star 16–19 Colleges in partnership with Eton College and has overseen the development of a digital Talent Platform to support professional growth and career development across the Trust.
About Public First
Public First is a consultancy that sits at the intersection of policy, communications and research. We exist to help organisations solve some of society’s hardest problems – and to do so in ways that cut through in public debate and change how government acts.
Public First understand how change really happens. The team has worked inside government, with foundations, charities and campaign groups, and with schools, universities and business – but our work is always grounded in the views of real people in real communities. To do so we test public opinion in all its forms, synthesise research and existing knowledge and turn the insight into actionable policy. Public First is part of SHGH, which holds the companies Public First, Stonehaven and Robertsbridge.
Public First is a Company Partner of the Market Research Society and members of the British Polling Council.
Public First is leading the delivery of the Inquiry research and is the Inquiry’s secretariat.
Katie Carr – Director
Katie Carr is a Director in the Education Practice at Public First. She leads the research for the Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes and a range of other high-profile education research and strategy projects, including surfacing the views of parents on education in the Parent Voice Project and understanding the views of parents, pupils and school staff in improving attendance in schools. Prior to this, Katie spent 10 years at the Department for Education, including as Chief of Staff to two Schools Ministers. She helped steer major legislation through Parliament and led national work on teacher recruitment and retention, regional school improvement, and school and trust strategy. Katie is Chair of Governors at a London secondary academy and a trustee of Tutors United.
Ed Dorrell – Partner
Ed is a Partner at Public First. Before joining PF, he was one of the most experienced and respected education journalists in Britain. He was deputy editor of the Times Educational Supplement (TES) for seven years, a role he combined with being comment editor and before that he was news editor for five years. Ed has also written for most national papers including the Guardian, the Times, the Telegraph and the Independent. He is known for his sharp policy analysis and his wide-ranging network in the media, in education, in government and in the Labour party. He offers high-value counsel and insight on media affairs, public opinion and policy formulation to many of Public First’s major education clients including Unison, the Sutton Trust, the International Baccalaureate and Eton College. He still writes regularly for the Independent, CapX and Labour List.
Dr. Sally Burtonshaw – Director
Dr. Sally Burtonshaw is a Director at Public First, where she led the research for the Inquiry into White Working Class Outcomes. She also works on a wide range of other research and policy projects, including on the future of state-funded tutoring and countering mis- and disinformation in schools. Prior to joining Public First, Sally was Head of Policy at London Higher, representing over 50 higher education institutions across London. She began her career in a sixth form college and later worked on access and participation at The Brilliant Club. Sally is a trustee of The Elephant Group and a member of the Independent Schools Inspectorate’s Education Advisory Forum.
Sarah Anderson – Policy Analyst
Sarah is a Policy Analyst in the Education practice. She graduated from the University of Cambridge with a first class BA in Classics, and subsequently spent a year as Undergraduate President and Chair of the Board of Trustees at Cambridge SU. During her tenure she led the SU’s implementation of a governance review and contributed to a new organisational strategy. Since joining Public First, Sarah has worked on the Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes and the Parent Voice Project. She is also a governor of a local primary school in Southwark.
About The Christopher and Henry Oldfield Trust
The Christopher and Henry Oldfield Trust is a UK-registered charity that supports initiatives addressing some of society’s most pressing challenges. The Trust funds programmes that expand opportunities for disadvantaged young people, reduce offending and reoffending and tackle issues such as homelessness. Through strategic grant-making, the Trust aims to empower communities, foster opportunity, and support long-term, sustainable change.
The Trust is funding the delivery of the Inquiry.
The Inquiry would like to thank all those who contributed to our research, and particularly:
Public First
Adam Drummond, Seb Wride, Ed Shackle, Vivian Gournari, Michael Kane, Holly Papworth, Rebecca Sims-Robinson, Amy Norman, Noah Bezalel, Meg Price, Iman Abdul-Karim, Caitlin Luhde-MacLaren, Elinor Gray, Scott Corfe
UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities
Professor Jake Anders – Deputy Centre Director
Dr Paul Martin – Senior Research Fellow