Tim Plumb - CEO and Trustee

Tim has been teaching since 1996 and has worked in three secondary schools in a large range of different classroom and leadership roles.  He has worked as a Senior Leader since 2004 and joined Woolwich Polytechnic School for Boys as a Deputy Head Teacher in 2006.  Tim became the Co-Head Teacher of Woolwich Polytechnic School for Boys in 2011 and became the sole Head Teacher in 2019.  He is the CEO of PolyMAT and oversaw the establishment of the MAT in 2014.

Tim was one of the founders of the bid to open Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls and has worked as the Project Lead during all phases of pre-opening.  He has a deep commitment to raising educational standards for all and has a passion for inclusion combined with the highest expectations.

Tim has worked as a PiXL Associate since 2014, helping support Head Teachers in a number of other schools across London.  This experience brings new ideas back to PolyMAT and is part of Tim’s belief that we are always stronger when working in partnership with others.

Tim has a passion for personal academic growth and is regularly seeking new knowledge that helps the leadership of PolyMAT.  Tim has a BSc(Hons) in Geography and an MA (Distinction) in Educational Leadership.  He qualified as an AST in 2000 and gained his NPQH in 2007.

Bob Janes - Member and Trustee

Bob was a student at Woolwich Polytechnic from 1973 until 1980 and worked as a Science Laboratory Technician at the school from then until 1983 when he joined the civil service. He specialised in IT as a programmer and systems analyst, before moving into Project Management and becoming a member of the BCS.

Bob retired from the civil service in 2012.

Bob first joined the Woolwich Polytechnic Governing body as a parent governor in 1999 and has served as both vice chair and chair of governors. Bob has three sons who have attended the school, two of whom have special educational needs (dyslexia and ASD). Bob has also served on the Governing bodies at Thomas Tallis School and Abbey Wood Nursery School.

Bob volunteers as a stem cell courier for the charity Anthony Nolan and as a vaccination steward for the RVS.

Sylvia Perrins - Trustee

Sylvia was educated at the London School of Economics and holds a BSc (Econ) degree. She also has a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Open University and is a qualified Chartered Management accountant and holds a Post Graduate Certification in Education (PGCE)

Sylvia started her career as an economist and financial planner for BP plc and moved into the field of education, initially teaching Business and Economics at a college of Further education before becoming Vice Principal of a large London Further Education College. She then set up and became Chief Executive of a National Skills Academy for Financial Services, developing the education and skills needs for the industry, including leadership development and personal financial management.

Sylvia has been a Non-Executive Director for a large Health Trust, chairing the Audit Committee for 8 years. She was also a Board member of the England Women’s Golf Association and became interim chair whilst the merger with the men’s association took place

Sylvia is currently working for a Charity publishing house as Director of Strategy and Finance. In her spare time, she enjoys playing golf, cycling and long distance walking.

John Philip - Trustee

John taught from 1975 to 2010, when he took early retirement from Little Heath School in Reading. For the following two years he continued working for the school as a consultant member of the Leadership team. As part of that role, he also worked as an adviser to the Heads of partner schools that were formerly part of the SSAT Gaining Ground programme. In the first decade of the century, he did a great deal of work for the SSAT through their RATL, RAPP & Leading Edge programmes. He organized and fronted their ‘Ofsted Telling Your Story Effectively’ conferences and presented at conferences on ‘Maximising Achievement at KS4 and KS5’ as well as at their Annual National Conferences & Achievement Shows.

Since September 2010 John has worked as a Senior Education Consultant for Alps Alkemygold. He give feedbacks to schools, MATs and LAs on the quality of KS4 and post-16 provision and presents for Alps at conferences and training sessions nationwide.

Since 2012 he has worked as an Associate for the PiXL Group at KS4 and Post-16. During that time I have been the Post-16 Associate at Woolwich Polytechnic School for Boys and the KS4 Associate at Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls.

From 2018-20 he was the Secondary Adviser to the RSA Academies.

Selom Anim - Trustee

A motivated professional with over 14 years’ experience delivering projects across a variety of sectors including education, rail infrastructure, sports, leisure and entertainment. Selom has am proficient in managing complex tasks and relationships across the project lifecycle through dynamic team leadership and management of project business operations to drive consistency, efficiency and profitability. I possess proven commercial acumen managing project budgets and risks, forecasting costs, administering various forms of contract, evaluating tenders and advising on appropriate procurement routes.

I adopt a methodical approach to problem-solving drawing upon my extensive technical experience, strong leadership and communication skills. I drive multidisciplinary teams to deliver service excellence by creating an environment of inclusion, collaboration and ownership. I thrive in high pressure environments with a proven track record of delivering multiple projects concurrently without compromising on quality or safety standards. Overall, a well-rounded and experienced project and programme manager with strong team leadership and communication skills.

I currently oversee the delivery of new school infrastructure on behalf of the UK Department for Education (DfE) as part of the Free Schools Building Programme. I manage a team of project managers to deliver a growing portfolio of school projects with a value of over £100 million across the south-east of England.

Jennifer King - Trustee

Jennifer King is an award-winning, international thought leader in Education with 20 years of experience in the education sector from classroom to corporations. She is passionate about the success of students and their teachers and how the power of technology can transform the way they work and learn. Jennifer's teaching career spanned continents and subject matter from IT to Art and Design - bringing effective leadership and results to her schools. She is the former CEO of JKES, an education consultancy and Microsoft Education and Training Partner focused on digital transformation, project-based learning, and teacher professional development. At Microsoft, Jennifer was the Education Director of a start-up within Microsoft focused on Skills and Employability for the education sector before becoming the Education Industry Advisor for Public Sector.

Sarabjit Bahra - Trustee

I was a student at Woolwich Polytechnic boys school from 1988-1994. I have worked in the Retail industry for 28 years and in the Hospitality industry for 6 years. I have a finance and auditing background, specialising in Safety management.  I work with a variety of external government agencies, fostering positive working relationships and successful outcomes.

In my spare time I enjoy completing DIY challenges and learning new skills in this area. I also enjoy watching football. At home, I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes from around the world using ingredients that I have never used before.