Leadership Team

Dr Tim Mills MBE is Executive Director of Primary Education at STEP Academy Trust and Executive Headteacher at LA Fontaine Academy.

Tim joined STEP in 2014 and led both Angel Oak Academy and David Livingstone Academy to 'outstanding' Ofsted judgements.  Under his leadership at Angel Oak Academy, it was designated a National Teaching School and latterly a Teaching School Hub.  He has been designated a National Leader of Education and has supported a number of schools nationally.  

Tim's doctoral research focused on teaching phonics in Upper Key Stage 2 and he has advised Ambition Institute on the NPQ for Leading Literacy and the DfE's Early Reading Framework.  His chapter in the book 'Leading in Change' was published in the USA and he has contributed a chapter to the ResearchEd book on leadership.  He has written papers for academic journals including 'Gove's Greatest Contribution?' for the Buckingham Journal of Education, and he has lectured at both the University of Brighton and St Mary's University as well as delivering webinars in Australia and Canada on orthographic processing development and its importance to early reading.

Tim's first degree was in Economics at The University of Liverpool, and he has a Master's degree in leadership from St Mary's University.  Before entering the teaching profession, he lectured in marketing, was a feature writer for The London Evening Standard and worked for a number of years in investment banking.