Natalie Wathen is an accomplished TransforMATive Associate, bringing over a decade of leadership experience in primary education. She works with schools and Multi-Academy Trusts to drive improvement, strengthen curriculum design and foster professional collaboration that delivers sustainable outcomes for pupils and communities.
Natalie began her leadership journey at The Forest Academy in 2014, where she played a pivotal role in the school’s transformation from one of the lowest-performing in the region to one of the most improved within just a year. As Co-Head of School, she helped lay the foundations for the academy’s eventual Ofsted Outstanding judgement. More recently, as Principal at Ebor Gardens Primary Academy, she has led a complex school context defined by high pupil mobility, high levels of deprivation and over 80 per cent of pupils with English as an Additional Language. Through her leadership, she has embedded a culture of high expectations, robust safeguarding and data-driven accountability, ensuring that pupils consistently achieve strong outcomes in line with national benchmarks when considering constant cohorts.
Her influence extends beyond individual schools. Within the Barnsley and Leeds Primary Partnership (BLPP), Natalie has led subject network groups, including maths, to drive collaborative curriculum development across multiple academies. She has supported inspections, coordinated curriculum coherence across five schools and contributed to whole-school reviews to support improvement journeys elsewhere in the Trust. Alongside this, she has championed staff development at all levels, from working with SCITTs and ITTs to creating apprenticeship and volunteering pathways that have successfully built the workforce of tomorrow.
Natalie is deeply committed to evidence-based practice, having contributed to projects such as the Education Endowment Foundation’s Strengthening Social and Emotional Learning in Leeds Schools. She brings a research-informed, solution-focused approach to leadership that empowers teams, strengthens partnerships and embeds continuous improvement.
At the heart of Natalie’s leadership is a belief in high support and high expectations. She is passionate about ensuring that strategy is always translated into practice, that culture is rooted in trust and shared vision, and that every child receives the best possible education, regardless of background.
Natalie Wathen reflects the TransforMATive ethos of turning vision into impact and driving sustainable improvement through people, culture and collaboration.