Odyssey Collaborative Trust has welcomed three new leaders, strengthening its mission to deliver high-quality, community-driven education with a trio of key leadership appointments and further cementing its role as a driving force for positive change across its seven city schools.
The Trust has created new Director of Education and Director of SEND roles and appointed a new Headteacher for Borrow Wood Primary School, as current head Zoe Fletcher prepares to retire at the end of this academic year.
Aimee Tinkler joins Odyssey as Director of Education, bringing with her over two decades of experience in teaching, leadership, and system-wide school improvement. Most recently working as Head of Education for a trust in Coventry, Aimee is returning to her roots in Derbyshire, where she previously spent eight years as a school leader.
“I’m really excited about taking on this role back in the community where I live and grew up,” Aimee shared. “Education isn’t just about children—it’s about supporting families and communities, and Odyssey’s compact nature and close-knit schools make it possible to have meaningful, place-based impact.”
A national education leader, Aimee is currently President of the Chartered College of Teaching and is studying for her Doctorate in Education at UCL. She has worked extensively with the DfE, Ofsted, and other national organisations, and her debut book, Small and Mighty – Conversations about Small Primary Schools, is due for publication in July.
Her leadership vision is centred on collaboration. She said: “Seven schools working together is so much more powerful than one alone. That’s the ‘trust dividend’—how we become greater than the sum of our parts.”
Outside of work, Aimee takes her family cold-water surfing in the Inner Hebrides and is a strong advocate for adventure and wellbeing.
Ian Dewes, Chief Executive of Odyssey Collaborative Trust, said he was very excited to welcome Aimee to the Trust family.
“Aimee has such a fantastic breadth of education and leadership experience that we feel very privileged she has chosen to bring this back home to Derbyshire and joined our Trust. We will support her as she continues to make the incredible difference to education, communities and children which she has dedicated her career towards.”
Aimee will be joined on the executive team by Abbie Watts, who takes up the newly created role of Director of SEND.
She brings a wealth of experience from her current role as SENCO for the Village Federation in Derbyshire. She has worked in both mainstream and special schools and is deeply committed to collaboration and consistency in SEND provision.
“Being part of a Trust, whose schools are geographically close means we can genuinely work together. I want to help our SENCOs feel supported, connected, and confident in sharing their expertise,” said Abbie. “SEND can sometimes be isolating work—my goal is to create a network that builds resilience and wellbeing.”
Abbie plans to launch an internal audit of current SEND practice across the Trust, to identify shared priorities and better utilise support services.
“It’s not about one-size-fits-all solutions,” she added. “It’s about reaching more children with the right support and using the services available more effectively.”
Recent studies suggest that by 2030, more people will be identified as neurodiverse than neurotypical, and that makes it more important than ever to ensure systems are fit for the future.
“That’s why now is the time to make sure our systems are fit for the future.”
When not leading on SEND strategy, Abbie enjoys converting camper vans and exploring the UK with her dog during school holidays.
Natalie Bartlett joins Odyssey Collaborative Trust from Transform Trust, where she was Head of School at Pear Tree Primary. A proud Derby native, Natalie brings a deep understanding of the city and a passion for making a difference in the community she grew up in.
“I’ve always worked in Derby and have seen the challenges our children face,” said Natalie. “I want to be part of making it better. There’s a real opportunity here to shape positive moments in children’s lives, and as a leader, I believe strongly in being able to influence those lightbulb moments—for both pupils and staff.”
Natalie is especially excited about the development of the new ERF (Enhanced Resource Facility), which opened this term. She sees this facility as a valuable step in inclusive practice.
“Fostering inclusion is an area I am very passionate about and have experience in and I keen for the ERF to be fully integrated with our mainstream provision. I was always very interested in the school’s ‘Borrow Wood Best’ am looking forward to ensuring At Borrow Wood, our behaviour policy reflects this ethos: are we being our Borrow Wood best?”
Natalie takes up the role in September but is already spending time each week at the school to prepare for the next academic year and has been involved in the recruitment process for roles at the new ERF.
Outside of the classroom, Natalie is very comfortable on the dancefloor as a qualified ballroom dance teacher—and says her dream would be to be on Strictly Come Dancing.
Ian Dewes added: “At Odyssey Collaborative Trust, we are committed to ensuring our children, colleagues and communities thrive. Aimee, Abbie and Natalie’s personal values and passion towards working with the wider school communities, supporting staff and ensuring the best outcomes for children mean they are a perfect fit for our Trust and helping us achieve our vision. We are already enjoying working with them as they transition into their new roles and are looking forward to welcoming them to the posts fully in September.”
This article was written by Kirsty Green on behalf of Odyssey Collaborative Trust. Can we share your news and get you in the headlines too? Find out how we can help by getting in touch.
