Our Senior Leadership Team

Wayne started his journey with STEM focused education in 2013, helping to found UTC Reading with Jo Harper, our Trust’s CEO.  He moved on sabbatical to what would become UTC Heathrow as Vice Principal in 2017, becoming its Principal when it became UTC Heathrow in 2018 and joined the Trust.  Prior to this, Wayne worked in other education settings since he started teaching in 1998 as an Advanced Skills Teacher, Head of Faculty and Head of Department.  Wayne returned to UTC Reading in March 2023 as Executive Principal: the school has a special place in his heart and is part of his community, having lived locally for over 26 years.  His vision for the school is ensure that every student enjoys and feels safe at school, that they get the most enriching and effective experiences, and start to gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the world of work.  He is immensely proud to be Executive Principal of both schools and to help ALET schools deliver their vision of Transforming Lives Through Learning.

Jennie Thomson is a home grown leader, having started her career at UTC Reading in 2014 straight after qualifying as Biology teacher from Canterbury Christ Church University. She has worked in various leadership roles in the school, including Director of KS4 (years 10 & 11), and Assistant Principal firstly with responsibility for behaviour and welfare, and then teaching and learning.  Since September 2022, Jennie has been Deputy Head of School with responsibility for the Quality of Education. Over the last two years she has been working on an integrated apprenticeship and Master’s Degree. She has achieved her Masters of Education in School based Leadership and Management, and achieved a distinction in the Apprenticeships part in March 2023, earning her Chartered Managers Status.  Jennie was appointed Head of School in October 2023, and is really looking forward to getting UTC Reading back to being recognised as a high quality school and truly transforming lives through learning.

Stephanie is the Assistant Head of School responsible for Careers, Futures and Employer Engagement, and is the designated Careers Leader. Stephanie has been at UTC Reading since September 2016, with a focus on bridging the gap between industry and education. Working with students, staff, parents, and employers alike, Stephanie leads on whole-school careers programmes to ensure students are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to make informed decisions about their next steps and ultimately preparing them for the world of work.

Stephanie has gained her Level 6 qualification in Careers Leadership and has led the college to achieve the Quality in Careers Standard twice, demonstrating continued excellence in careers education, information and guidance since 2018.

Andy trained as a teacher after 20 years in industry, having worked on military sonar equipment and on systems safety in the aerospace industry. He joined UTC Reading in 2020 as Director of Science and joined the SLT in 2023, now taking up the role of Acting Assistant Head of School. Andy continues to add to his impressive list of qualifications, completing an NPQ for Headteachers recently as well as his degree in Industrial Engineering, Masters in Environmental Engineering and Chartered Engineer status. He absolutely loves working at UTC Reading and is particularly committed to helping lead the school improvement plan so that UTC Reading can once again be recognised as being a school of choice in our specialist areas.