Emma has worked in education for over 17 years, including 10 years with the Laurus Trust. Before joining Hazel Grove High School, Emma held a variety of leadership roles across Laurus Trust schools, including Trust Director for English, Assistant Head at Cheadle Hulme High School, and Deputy Head Teacher at both Hazel Grove High School and Laurus Cheadle Hulme. She is also a Specialist Leader in Education for English and has supported numerous schools in and around Greater Manchester to raise standards and improve outcomes.

Originally from Liverpool, Emma graduated from the University of Manchester with a BA Honours Degree in English Literature and History and later achieved a First-Class Master’s Degree in Education and Leadership from the same university. Her academic achievements reflect her passion for learning and leadership.

Throughout her career, Emma has been committed to providing high-quality learning opportunities for all students. She is driven by the belief that better is always possible and feels privileged to take on the role of Head of School. Emma’s leadership is rooted in the conviction that education transforms lives, and the belief that all students should have the opportunity to succeed.

Emma lives locally and is the proud mum of two boys, which further strengthens her commitment to creating an inclusive and aspirational environment for all families within the Hazel Grove school community.

The central focus at Hazel Grove High School is the achievement of our students. This is not solely defined by academic standards as we recognise that achievement will take many forms depending on the individual potential, interests and talents of each young person. We want all students to fulfil their ambitions whether they be academic, musical, sporting or creative, and to reach their full potential.

We believe a rich and varied curriculum is important to shaping a young person’s potential. We judge the learning experiences at Hazel Grove to be exceptional, from the varied teaching techniques our staff employ to the wide variety of foreign and residential trips, from the extra curricular offers in Sport, Theatre and Music to the rich pastoral and personalised Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) programme.

Our ultimate aim is to take children beyond what they would be expected to achieve after consideration of initial attainment and background factors. We do this by being optimistic about young people and employing enjoyable and challenging learning opportunities. We have relentlessly high expectations of everyone who chooses to learn at Hazel Grove.

At Hazel Grove, we have established a purposeful and caring atmosphere which caters for the needs of the individual child. In a pleasant and well ordered environment, students are encouraged and expected to work to the very best of their ability.

We are so proud of our students who achieved truly impressive GCSE results in 2025. Nearly half of the cohort achieved Grades 5+ in English and Maths and 67% achieved grades 4+ in both subjects. A superb 27% of all grades attained were the highest grades of 7-9. Across the broad range of subjects at Hazel Grove there have been exceptional outcomes. Our Year 9 linguists achieved an incredible set of GCSE results with over a third of students achieving a grade 7-9, 70% securing a grade 5 or above and 81% achieving a grade 4 or higher. 2025 also saw the inaugural Year 13 cohort at Hazel Grove Sixth Form achieve an incredible set of A Level results with 77% of all grades awarded at A*-B and an amazing 49% at A*-A. One third of students achieved A*-A across all of their subjects and have secured places at some of the top universities in the country including The University of Oxford, Imperial College London, Durham University and The University of St Andrews.

In 2026 Hazel Grove High School continued to deliver positive outcomes, with 35% of A Level students achieving AAB or better and 43% of grades awarded at A*/A. At GCSE, 54% achieved grades 9-5 in English and Maths, while nearly one-third of all grades were awarded at the highest 9-7 level, demonstrating strong academic achievement.

Hazel Grove High School is celebrating a highly positive Ofsted report that recognises the school’s strong commitment to academic achievement, ambitious culture and effective leadership. As part of the Laurus Trust, the school was inspected in April 2026 under Ofsted’s new framework. Inspectors praised the school’s clear vision and high expectations, noting that leaders, trustees and governors work together to ensure every pupil is supported to achieve success both academically and personally.