Meet the Team

Anthony Benedict – CEO

Anthony has been a qualified teacher for 27 years. He started his career as an English teacher and has worked in five different authorities and held senior roles, predominantly in secondary education, in six different schools. He holds a National Professional Qualification in Executive Leadership and a Diploma in trauma and mental health.

Roughly five years ago he left mainstream education for alternative provision. It seemed to him that the school system was “losing” too many children, even when some of them were hidden in plain sight. He had recognised that if children were tired or hungry or scared then they weren’t going to be able to learn. He had a simple idea that if schools could meet these very basic needs, it might help prevent some of the so-called behavioural problems that were so prevalent and seemed to escalate so quickly. After his first day in charge of a Pupil Referral Unit he realised that he needed to unlearn all he had previously thought about how schools work and start again. He fell down what he likes to refer to as a trauma and attachment rabbit hole and hasn’t looked back
since.

He has become unashamedly evangelical about what he has learnt in terms of neuroscience and childhood brain development and cannot believe that anyone who wants to work in schools or with children isn’t provided with this as prerequisite training before they are taught how to teach.

He has spent the last four years developing Relational Inclusion and has worked with anyone and everyone who is prepared to listen including the Violence Reduction Unit, the police, Manchester University, and of course primary, secondary, and special schools and PRUs.

He is absolutely on a mission to change the world.  His book, Educating Everyone – an introduction to relational inclusion will be on sale from April 2025

Chief Financial and Operations Officer – Nicola Johnson

Nicola is an experienced CIMA-qualified accountant with three decades of success across diverse finance environments. She demonstrates a strong track record in leading teams, delivering statutory accounts, managing audits, and meeting critical year-end deadlines.

Nicola combines strategic leadership with hands-on financial management, making a significant contribution to organisational resilience and sustainable growth. Particularly effective in turnaround and improvement contexts, with a strong understanding of public sector governance, education funding, and operational excellence.

Director of Relational Inclusion – Naomi Cartledge

Naomi has worked in education for over 30 years, with extensive experience as a primary school teacher, SENCo, Deputy Head and Headteacher. She is currently Headteacher of Corrie Primary and Nursery School in Denton, alongside her role as Director of Relational Inclusion across the trust.

Throughout her career, Naomi has been deeply committed to inclusion and to ensuring that every child is able to thrive. Corrie Primary and Nursery School hosts a resourced provision for 20 pupils and is a Trauma Informed accredited school. The principles underpinning this work align closely with the values and vision of Ambition Community Trust, making it a natural and strong partnership.

Naomi is passionate about creating safe, supportive learning environments and believes that when educators deepen their understanding of trauma and attachment, they are better placed to respond with empathy and to build meaningful pathways for children’s success in education and beyond. Central to her philosophy is the belief that if children could do better, they would.

She holds a Diploma in Trauma and Mental Health Informed Practice and is an Advanced Trauma Informed Practitioner. Naomi is committed to continuously developing her own knowledge and sharing this learning across the trust.

In her role as Director of Relational Inclusion, Naomi leads the trust’s team of therapists, who work closely with schools and pupils to support children’s emotional wellbeing. This therapeutic offer is a core and distinctive strength of the trust. Through her leadership, Naomi plays a key role in shaping inclusive practice and improving outcomes for children across the trust and beyond.