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 – Director of Education

Marie joined the partnership in August 2022, now as one of our Directors of Education 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.

Nicola Harwood – Director of Education

Prior to joining the Bradgate Educational Partnership, Nicola had been headteacher in five different schools including a village school, church schools and large three form entry primary schools. She was the primary school improvement lead for Leicester City and most recently one of His Majesty’s Inspectors. She continues to work as an Ofsted Inspector and also undertakes quality assurance work for other trusts. She sits on the board of trustees for The Warriner Multi Academy Trust in Oxfordshire. Nicola has experience working with different schools as an adviser, governor and trustee and has supported school leaders, teachers, governors and communities across all areas of school improvement. Nicola joined the partnership in August 2022 now leading on quality of education trust wide.

Simon Cotton – Director of Education

Simon joined Bradgate Education Partnership in September 2025, bringing over 20 years of senior leadership experience in schools and local authority education. He has been Headteacher of three schools covering pupils aged from 2 to 19, giving him a strong understanding of education from early years to post-16.

Before joining the trust, Simon was Head of Education and Inclusion for a local authority, leading work on school improvement, SEND, attendance, safeguarding, and alternative provision. Simon also works nationally as a governance trainer and adviser, supporting schools and trusts with governance reviews, quality assurance, and complaints. He has wide experience as a governor and trustee.

At Bradgate, Simon leads on secondary development, attendance, admissions, and exclusions, supporting the trust’s aim to provide inclusive, high-quality education for all pupils.

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.