Our Founders
Founder and CEO
Dr Sam Frankel
Sam has over 20 years experience of leading research, development and knowledge transfer projects with children and adults in schools, homes and in the wider community. Sam has delivered local and national education programmes with children in England, reaching over 75,000 children. Sam combines theory and practice in his explorations of learner engagement and is widely published.
Past and present positions:
Associate Professor - King’s University College, Canada
Adjunct Professor - Faculty of Education, Western University Canada
Visiting fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University, Sheffield University and University of Central Lancashire, UK
Research Fellow at the Elliot Foundation
Series Editor for Emerald Studies in Child Centred Practice
Co-Founder
Dr Caroline Whalley CBE
Caroline is nationally recognised for the work she has done to enable learners and learning communities - “success has many faces and only variation and innovation will provide tomorrow’s answers”.
This work includes:
Founder, CEO and Chair; The Elliot Foundation; The Elliot Foundation Academy Trust [2011-2023]
The Department for Education: Innovation Unit [2007-2010]
Director, Education & Training, Babcock International Group FTSE100 [2004-2007]
Executive Director, Children’s Services, London Borough of Ealing (3rd largest London Borough).
Leading 200 schools, 11 libraries, 18 community spaces. Budget £ 210 Million, 800 staff [2001-2004].
Our Core Team
Operations
Fiona Cheong
Fiona comes with a decade long experience in operations and project management in regional government and academic sectors. She holds a Master of Intercultural and International Communication from Royal Roads University, British Columbia, Canada. Fiona is focused on applying her extensive training and experiences to bolster Learning Allowed’s goal towards an innovative and compassionate people-first approach to ignite, transform and sustain lifelong joy of learning within communities.
Communications/ International Research & Development
Alex Whalley
Alex’s work combines design with arts based interventions. Whether that is music production, art therapy or graphic design, Alex brings a creative perspective to communication and sharing a message. Alex is currently based in Thailand, exploring new learning opportunities!
Learning Allowed Connect CIO
Chair of Trustees
Clare Clatxon
Clare started her professional life as an education officer in the RAF before moving to become one of the founding members of a leading national charity, the Youth Sport Trust where she remained for almost a decade. She then joined the teaching profession, eventually assuming headship of both secondary and primary schools. Later she was appointed as executive headteacher of 2 primary schools in Bedford Borough before assuming a role as a school improvement partner.
In addition to headship, she has worked for the central team of Brooke Weston Trust in Northamptonshire as its Recruitment Director. In 2021 she completed the National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership with a focus on system leadership and has since been privileged to work as a facilitator for the National Professional Qualification for Headteachers.
Katie brings expertise in children’s participation, particularly for children and young people managing disabilities. Katie is Lecturer in Education Studies, University of Dundee, her work on inclusion and children’s voice, combines both supporting children’s collaboration in charitable projects in Scotland, as well as teaching courses on children’s advocacy in Canada.
Trustee
Peter Hay
Pete leads the Community Church Tadley. For more than 30 years he helped organisations successfully lead change and transformation programmes that accelerate growth, reduce costs and deliver better customer experiences. By equipping people to lead and navigate change, and leverage Digital Transformation opportunities, they were able to implement smarter ways of working and deliver better results with less effort.
For the past 8 years he has brought these skills to his work with organisations and schools to help children and young people have the best possible start in life, supported by the whole community to succeed.
Louis is a commercial academic working in higher education and charity sectors. He started his working life in software houses, pre and post university developing electronic fund transfer software and holds a professional doctorate in education.
In 1996, Louis founded TrainingWare, a foundation that has a vision for learning - our current vision is 'to provide every child in developing countries with 30 minutes a day controlled access to learning materials on the internet.'
Louis is an Anglican Reader and a churchwarden serving Christ Church Little Heath. He also leads Hertfordshire Constabulary Chaplaincy and is married with two grown up daughters.
Trustee
Dr Katie Westwood
Trustee
Dr Louis Spring
Learning Allowed Canada
Our evolving not-for-profit partner organisation in North America is led by Lindsay Izsak (Chair), Gabrielle Gooch, Nadine Ivankovic, Dr Katie Westwood and Mackenzie Robinford.
Learning Allowed brings together …
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Learning Allowed Ltd.
Responsible for research, development and content design.
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Learning Allowed Connect CIO
A recently registered charity set up to deliver our programmes to benefit schools and community groups. (website coming May 2025)
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Learning Allowed Canada
An evolving Canadian not-for-profit for reaching out to groups in North America.
Our Advisors
Special thanks to Polly Sell for her help with Learning Allowed logo design and rebranding.
We are supported by Innovate UK Business Growth and Design for Growth.
Full Clarity
We are delighted to be supported by Ed Kemp and Jon Hewines from Full Clarity who have been increasingly involved in our journey. Full Clarity is an award winning innovation and transformation consultancy with a passion for delivering impact and change through experience design.
Ed Kemp two decades of expertise in User Experience, service and digital product design. He has a proven track record working with large clients such as Harrords, ITV as well innovative SMEs and disruptive tech startups and specialises in taking challenging and complex requirements and designing intuitive impactful solutions.
Jon Hewines has 20+ years experience developing digital products, with a particular focus with e-learning and online training, having worked with end clients such as BP and ExxonMobil.
Dr Kate Bacon
Reader in Teaching and Learning Manchester Metropolitan University - is programme leader for Educational Studies. Her research and teaching explores themes from within Childhood Studies including the social construction of childhood, structure and agency, childhood identities, and children and citizenship.
John Fowler
With over 30 years experience in education John has had a number of roles; as a head teacher, an Ofsted Registered Inspector, a Local Authority Advisor, notably leading a ‘teaching and learning’ team and a Leadership Development Partner. John has advised schools, in the UK and overseas, local authorities and national organisations on 'leading learning schools', as well as continuing to offer independent advice. John was deeply involved in the develop of the Learning Allowed approach. Now based in Australia - John is currently focused on using an element of the approach to support a coaching programme at Soul Hub.