Our Executive Team - Bradgate Education Partnership

Gareth Nelmes – Chief Executive Officer

Gareth is the Chief Executive Officer, the Accounting Officer, and an ex-officio Trustee appointed by the Trust Members.

After leaving university Gareth joined The John Lewis Partnership working in retail management. A career change to move into teaching led Gareth to Warwickshire. As a class teacher with specialisms in Maths and PE, he eventually become an Assistant Head and then a Deputy Head Teacher. A move to Leicestershire came in 2007 when Gareth was appointed as the Head Teacher at Gaddesby Primary School. In 2009 Gaddesby Primary School was judged as Outstanding. Here he developed and led a successful re-build and expansion of the school with a £1.1 million capital bid.

He has successfully supported other Leicestershire schools as a National Leader in Education developing. In 2013, with the support of other Head Teachers, Gareth and another local Head Teacher applied for National Teaching School Status. They set up STEP Teaching School Alliance. STEP was a real success, developing high-quality school improvement initiatives for over 30 schools over many years.

In 2015, with Multi Academy Trusts becoming the new educational model, Gareth approached his local group of primary and secondary schools to set up Bradgate Education Partnership. Partnership being the key goal! BEP was formed in 2016 with 11 local schools joining together to support and build a unique collaborative model. Today the Trust is made up of 18 local primary and secondary schools who work together to support each other.

Marie Collins – Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Marie joined the partnership in August 2022 as one of our Directors of Education, and became Deputy CEO in 2026. Marie leads on safeguarding and inclusion. Since qualifying as a teacher in 2000, Marie has worked in schools in Leicestershire and Leicester City and been a SENCO for over twenty years.

Prior to joining Bradgate Education Partnership in 2022, Marie was the principal of a large, outstanding primary school in Leicester City. She also supported many other schools, primary and secondary, in her role as both a National Leader of Education and as an Executive Principal working within a large multi-academy trust. Marie has experience as both a trustee and a local governor at a nearby secondary school. She seeks opportunities for educational networking, peer support and challenge and is proactive at seeking purposeful collaboration. Marie is committed to driving ambition and opportunities for all pupils, at all phases of education.

Sarah Edge – Chief Finance Officer

Sarah began her career at Leicestershire County Council, progressing through a number of roles including payroll, Financial Systems, Education Finance, Adult Social Care Finance and Business analytics.

Sarah is a CIPFA qualified accountant who joined the Trust in 2017 as a Finance Manager and progressed to CFO in 2019. As CFO Sarah leads a team of Finance Managers who support schools with setting budgets and monthly budget monitoring and also the Central Finance team who are responsible for Maintaining the Finance System and processing payments and income.

John Pye – Head of School Improvement (Secondary)

John joined Bradgate Education Partnership in 2026 as Head of School Improvement (Secondary). He has over 25 years’ experience in education, having held leadership positions across a wide range of secondary schools and multi-academy trusts.

Prior to joining Bradgate, John served as an Executive Principal and trust-wide school improvement leader, supporting schools through significant improvement programmes and the Department for Education’s RISE initiative. He previously led a large secondary school, securing substantial improvements in student outcomes, curriculum provision and school culture, and has held senior leadership roles in both state and independent schools.

Alongside his trust leadership work, John is a Visiting Fellow with the Ambition Institute, facilitating National Professional Qualification programmes for school leaders. John is passionate about curriculum excellence, leadership development and ensuring that every child has access to a high-quality education.

Pam Rai – Director of HR

Andy Marshall – Head of Operations

Andy has worked in the education sector since 2006 and joined Bradgate Education Partnership in 2019. Andy brings a broad range of expertise spanning IT, infrastructure, estates management, health and safety, catering, sustainability and compliance.

Having worked across a variety of educational settings, including preschool, primary, secondary, post-16 and specialist provision, Andy has developed a strong understanding of the operational challenges and opportunities facing schools. He is passionate about creating safe, efficient and sustainable environments that enable pupils and staff to thrive, while ensuring the Trust’s resources and services support its wider educational ambitions.