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

   

• Louise Isa-Grada
  Principal
  Louise Isa-Grada

  I grew up in Portsmouth and after graduating from university I went off to work as an outdoor activities instructor in beautiful Dorset. I found that working with young people was a really rewarding experience and I decided that a career in teaching was my vocation. Subsequently I qualified as a science teacher and my journey has taken me from a mainstream classroom in an inner city boy's school, to leadership roles in schools for pupils with SEND. I gain the greatest job satisfaction when I know that my work contributes to ensuring that children are reaching their full potential.

  I live with my husband and my two rescue dogs Nelson & Emma. I love the outdoors, walking, cycling, kayaking or swimming and sometimes running. Reading is my escape and I have far too many books.

  I am passionate in my belief that all children and young people should have the very best opportunities through education. As the  Principal I am privileged to work with committed staff that are dedicated to ensuring that the pupils of Littlegreen Academy are happy and successful, that they learn through exciting and creative activities. Each day I look forward to spending time with the boys.

• Hannah Davis
  Vice Principal
  Hannah Davis

  A little about myself  

  Littlegreen Academy has played a significant part in my life for the past 16 years and in this time I have held many positions within the school.  I  am extremely proud to be Vice Principal  at  Littlegreen  Academy.  I  love my job because  I  get to spend time with some of the most  interesting and brilliant young people.  I  feel privileged to be just a small part of their lives.      

  I strongly believe that the social and emotional development of all pupils is paramount and that learning can only happen when children feel safe and experience a positive and nurturing environment.      

  Hobbies and Interests

  Time away from work is about finding pleasure in the little things in life.    I have two children (Edward and Bella) and as a family we enjoy travelling, going on adventures and walking our dog Honey.    We love being outside and active, and rarely sit still!    

  What excites me about my role

  The team of staff  at  Littlegreen  Academy are exceptional and we all work together to give the young people the best possible opportunities, experiences and skills needed to lead a successful and happy life.      

   

• Jo Howard
  Assistant Principal
  Jo Howard

  A little about myself

  I am a Science specialist and enthusiast, a true advocate of nothing is impossible. Originally from London, I moved to West Sussex with my family to enjoy the benefits of both countryside and coast. I have a lovely terrier called Riley.

  Hobbies and interests

  I have an enquiring mind , I love exploring , walking, and finding new places to visit - I have a passion for weight training and use this to keep fit.

  What excites me about my role

  Witnessing the pupil's development during their journey through the school setting - Being part of a team able to support the pupils in gaining the confidence to fulfil the values that Littlegreen Academy uphold.

  It excites me to be part of Solent Academy - using a collaborative approach to enhance learning. Improved communications with both students and families. Where parent/carers can feel confident about the academic setting their child is in. with compatible expectations of safeguarding and growth. Secured on one academic platform.

• Fay Cripps
  Head of Learning KS2
  Fay Cripps

  A little about myself

  Following on after a number of years working with young people in social care and seeing how many were struggling to access an education, I decided to move across to education and qualified as a teacher.   I spent the first four years working in mainstream secondary schools teaching PSHE, Citizenship and RE. Since being at Littlegreen I have been lucky enough to work across all the key stages and this has given me the opportunity to have a board understanding of the range of needs across the whole community.

  Hobbies and Interests

  In my leisure time I spend my time cycling both on and off road looking for quality coffee and cake stops.   I am a member of Chichester Runners and enjoy trail running around the South Downs.  School holidays is all about eating croissants in France and drinking cappuccinos in Italy.   It is also time to spend with my family who are dotted all over Britain from Cumbria to Norfolk.

  What excites me about my role

  What I enjoy most about my role at Littlegreen is learning what our pupil's behaviour is communicating to us and how we can help them.   I enjoy providing an environment that allows them to learn at their own pace and the fact that two hours are never the same!   I enjoy seeing an insight into the fantastic adults our pupils will be.

• Ella Bryan
  Family Liaison Officer
  Ella Bryan

  A little bit about me

  As a teenager, I found school particularly challenging often feeling misunderstood, not supported, and rarely listened to. I left at 16 and trained to become a hairdresser - a job I enjoyed but didn't feel was right for me.

  After a lot of thought and reflection on my own school experiences, I decided that I wanted to turn my hand to support in education and work alongside to students, and their families, in helping them overcome their difficulties. I headed to college to retake my GCSE's, at which point I found out I had dyslexia! This was a massive shock, but also brought a sense of relief that there was a reason behind some of the struggles I had faced during my school years.

  So here I am, after many years working within education with hundreds of different students and supporting several families in both education and social care settings, I can safely say I made the right decision.

  Hobbies and interests

  A perfect weekend for me would be spent with my three children, and our dog.

  In the summer you'll find us enjoying the sunny seaside, having a barbeque or going on a bike ride. In the cooler months we like leaving the beaten track and exploring the untrodden paths of a forest, before heading home to warm up under a blanket and watch a film.

  I like singing along to my favorite songs (although I sound awful) or getting lost in a book and hold my hands up to a boxset binge from time to time!

  What excites me about my role

  I struggle to pinpoint one area of my role that excites me because each and every day brings a smile to my face as I witness challenges being overcome and achievements being made.

  Walking alongside our students and their families, seeing their successes as they make their individual journeys and being part of such a committed team of people, all with the same aim, is something I feel extremely privileged for.

  It's a real pleasure to be part of the community that makes up Littlegreen Academy, and the wider Solent Academies Trust.

• Grace Jones
  Admin Manager
  Grace Jones

  A little about myself

  My background includes working in the health and social care sector with learning disabilities, mental health and elderly care. In addition I have admin experience within health and social care, HR and experience in recruitment and supervision.

  Hobbies & Interests

  My hobbies include reading (I also have a soft spot for comic books and graphic novels). But my favourite thing of all to do in my spare time is to spend it with my dogs and go on long walks.

  What excites me about my role

  What I enjoy about my role at Littlegreen is seeing the growth and progression in the pupils and working in an innovative, positive environment with an amazing, dedicated team.

 Please click here to the see the Solent Academies Trust Team