The Trust Leadership Team

With 14 years of experience in education, Joel Thornton has worked across all phases of mainstream and special education, from nursery through to sixth form, as well as within further education. Joel has led the creation and implementation of transformative IT strategies across five multi-academy trusts, consolidating complex systems to ensure they are secure, efficient, and tailored to the needs of students. Joel has led a team of 14 IT professionals across the North West, North East, and Yorkshire at Consilium Academies, where he has transformed IT provisions to support teaching, learning, and student achievement. Joel has recently taken on the new role of Chief Operating Officer, demonstrating his leadership in scaling and strengthening systems across multiple educational settings. Joel leads our Operations and Estates teams, embedding our framework for excellence and delivering high quality systems and services aligned to the needs of the schools. Between August 2024 and April 2026, Joel was also the Interim Director of IT at Epworth Education Trust alongside his Consilium role, where he has been driving IT transformation. Joel also consults for Vantage CE Academies Trust. In addition to his role at Consilium Academies, Joel serves as the Chair of Governors a primary school within the Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust: St James Worsley Mesnes, where he supports governance and strategic direction.