Meet the Team
Our team all have considerable experience in the areas of work they are deployed.
We couldn’t do half of what we do here at Delegated Services if it wasn’t for our amazing team. In addition to our Risk Management and Reassurance Advisors, we also have a network of consultants, who are our Network Partners, service providers and many other expert individuals on hand to help our customers.
Our Team
Bill Crocker
Director and Chief Executive Officer
Tech IOSH, MEPS, MRICS
One of the founding Directors of Delegated Services in 2012 and Chief Executive Officer since 2019, Bill has built up the CIC to be recognised as the regional expert leaders of our range of services.
This hasn’t been achieved alone but by a steadily expanding team and with our Network Partners built on a firm foundation of open and trusting relationships. All are passionate about our services and skilled in supporting the sectors we serve. The approach DS takes, which is rooted in our ethos, is first to ensure the wellbeing of team members so that we are then best able to support our customers with the many challenges faced.
Bill’s career commenced in the fields of valuation and estates management. He retains his membership status of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. This area of professional knowledge and activity contributes to DS’s ability to provide a wide range of advice and support across multi-discipline areas of our customers’ activities and we say, if we don’t know the answer to a question, which is unusual, we’ll know someone who does!
Previously he led and provided a successful Risk, Resilience and Wellbeing service as part of the Children and Young People’s Services Directorate, Bristol City Council, for over 10 years. The experience was extensive and incredibly varied. On reflection it was not to be missed. At the most challenging end of the spectrum and on commencing work with them, staff and pupils were hurt, reputations damaged and substantial costs incurred, including those that were uninsurable. Bill also has the invaluable experience of being involved with court cases brought by the HSE, but was also able to work in effective partnership with education establishments and provide the best service of 50 provided to establishments by the LA for 3 consecutive years, and as verified by the audit commission who reported on the outcome of their survey findings to the Department’s senior management team.
In parallel with the HS&W work, Bill was the Department’s lead on Emergencies and Business Continuity, not only building resilience in the Department itself, but also across the establishments being supported. This is when the 24/7 emergency telephone line was born, in recognition that schools were facing a whole range of dramatic challenges, not just in normal working hours. He represented the Department in the wider council wide response to emergencies and trained with, not only other areas of council expertise, but the blue light services, the military, NHS, utility services and the voluntary sector.
Bill knows that Customer feedback is central and essential to the service DS provides. Satisfaction is essential with all recognising our high levels of competence and commitment. DS prides itself in supporting our customers through effective change and implementation of appropriate systems to meet the necessary laws and other requirements in a prioritised, proportionate and as pragmatic way as possible. Our subject service areas are sometimes described by leaders as the sort of thing that keeps them awake at night. We address these concerns head on and with an appropriate mix of the serious to well placed and sometimes groan worthy humour, work with individuals and teams to settle those jangling nerves and move forward positively and with confidence.
Rachel Barfoot
Chief Operating Officer and Community Sector Lead
BA (Hons), M.Sc
Rachel was appointed as the Chief Operating Officer and Community Lead in late 2022 after working as the Business Manager of a Multi Academy Trust with an academy and two nurseries, for eight years.
Prior to this she had worked for seven years as a General Practice Chartered Surveyor (MRICS), as Policy Officer for the HEFC government quango and then for over 15 years at a senior level in the charity sector including being a Board Member of two charities, a volunteer and co-leading a community group for ten years.
In 2000, Rachel was appointed as the Development Manager for what became a £5.4m new build, multi partnership, financially sustainable community facility, The Withywood Centre, in the heart of Withywood, an outlying housing estate in south west Bristol with high levels of deprivation. Since then she worked as CEO of the £4.8m Heritage Lottery funded Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust development during the restoration period, establishing the Cemetery as a visitor site and developing social enterprises in cemetery services, visitor facilities, heritage, wildlife and education. She then appointed to be CEO of Community Ignite (CVS South Gloucestershire) providing infrastructure support to the community sector and a volunteering brokerage service in south South Gloucestershire, community lead for Kingswood Priority Neighbourhood Group and providing resident support services to Kingswood priority neighbourhoods.
Alongside her work, Rachel was an active member of the Bristol Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO), part of number of regeneration partnerships and networks, completed the Common Purpose Leadership course and gained the Prince II Project Management practitioner qualification.
At Delegated Services her focus has been on the business development, operational management, marketing, Network Partner development and increasing our services and engagement with the community sector including the launch of a new monthly Community Sector News Bulletin.
Jonathan Davis
Risk and Assurance Advisor and Estates Management Lead
B.A (Hons), Tech IOSH, NEBOSH, TIFSM
After completing his honours degree in History at Greenwich University, Jon joined Monterey FM, managing a total facilities management (FM) contract for high profile British Telecom sites in Central London. After moving back to Bristol he took up a post as facilities manager for Strictly Education managing school facilities in the South West and Midlands including small projects.
In 2003 Jon joined Interserve FM managing buildings in the Network Rail property portfolio. During his time with Interserve he completed his NEBOSH general certificate in 2005 and became a member of the British Institute of Facilities Management. From there he took up a post with John Laing Integrated Services in a team overseeing a new PFI built learning campus’s and satellite sites. He managed facility operations whilst maintaining contractual service level standards and key performance indicators along with monitoring environmental standards and utilities performance. He later became PFI Facilities Manager for John Laing Integrated Services UK, managed high profile BT Sites for Carillion and was interim Estates Manager for Colston’s Girl’s School Trust.
In 2007 Jon moved to Australia and worked as a Project Manager with Spotless Managed Services, leading operations for 19 public and private school partnerships (PPP) in New South Wales. Setting targets and goals, he planned project direction, organised processes in line with budgetary timelines, scoped constraints, implemented H&S controls, conducted risk assessments/site inspections, and reported performance to Sydney based investors.
After moving back to the UK in 2012 Jon took an interim position as Estates Manager for Colston Girls School Trust then moved to a large standalone primary academy in Bristol. There he was responsible for premises management, service contracts, HS&W, wraparound clubs and GDPR. During this time Jon completed a certificate in School Business Management and became a technical member of IOSH.
Since 2022 Jon has worked for Delegated Services as a Risk and Reassurance Manager and premises advisor developing our Estates Management offer and with a focus on HS&W supportive audits, fire risk assessments and business development. He is particularly interested in supporting schools, MATS and charity sector organisations with projects, energy management, estates management practice and sustainability.
Mark Howard
Risk and Assurance Advisor
B.Sc, H&S Postgrad Dip IOSH
After completing his degree in Zoology at Bristol University, Mark joined the Health and Safety Executive where he took their Post-Graduate Diploma in Safety and Hygiene at Aston University. Whilst studying he worked carrying out inspections of factories and offices. He then moved to work with the new nature conservation charity Avon Wildlife Trust where he managed practical work on nature reserves around Bristol and the then Avon area.
From there he took up a post at the Parks Department of Bristol City Council where he ran their environmental employment schemes and then became Manager of park facilities including children’s playgrounds, adventure playgrounds, allotments, parks buildings, Bristol in Bloom and open spaces. He spent over 20 years supervising and managing practical projects and staff teams at various levels. He also spent some time with Bristol Museums supporting staffing restructures and public events and the Colston Hall (now Bristol Beacon) supporting the original bids for refurbishment of the hall.
In 2005 Mark joined Valcor Limited as Health and Safety Consultant providing health and safety services and inspections for Bristol City Council’s Children and Young People’s Services Directorate and other work including the full time supervision of the occupation and health and safety operations of a newly built secondary school.
Since 2013 Mark has worked for Delegated Services as a Risk Management and Reassurance Advisor with a focus on supporting customers with policies, risk assessments, supportive audits, inspections, fire risk assessments, accident investigations, food safety management, grant bids, events and particularly the more technical and complex issues that arise in health and safety. He is very interested in supporting our growing number of charity sector customers and using his experience of volunteering and running and chairing community and charity sector groups.
Lucy Wyatt
Risk and Assurance Advisor
BEd (Hons) M.Ed QTS NPQH Dip NEBOSH Grad IOSH
Here after working through a year-long construction project on site, she was ultimately responsible for a campus containing a large primary school with Specialist Resource Base, a Children’s’ Centre (managed by the Local Authority) and health facilities managed by the North Bristol Trust including midwifery, health visitors, community paediatricians, CAMHS etc. She worked on this project with colleagues from Skanska, the National Health Service and Early Years Team during the planning and construction phase and afterwards as they established the provision of services. This was the turning point that led Lucy to become a Health and Safety trainer and consultant.
Since leaving headship and obtaining a NEBOSH Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety, Lucy has combined her career in teaching with her roles a as a Risk Management and Assurance Advisor at Delegated Services and Safeguarding and Health and Safety Advisor for a key children’s charity in Bristol. She is also a governor in a large city primary school.
Lucy uses her teaching skills to write and deliver training that is specifically tailored to the needs of schools and community sector organisations. The courses currently on offer include Safer Recruitment (for which she is an Accredited Trainer), CDM awareness, Accident Investigation and Reporting and Risk Assessment training.
Philip Tranter
Risk and Assurance Advisor
IOSH Tech
Philip has worked for Local Authorities for over 25 years specifically providing Health, Safety and Welfare advice to schools and academies has been a Technician member of IOSH since 1990, originally Associate and then Tech IOSH when grades changed.
He worked for Avon County Council for over 10 years when the Local Authority Education Department had responsibility for the local colleges as well as schools, and ran the in-house cleaning and catering services. During that time he was involved in the roll out of COSHH, Electricity at Work Regulations and the 6 pack of Health and Safety Regulations. As part of this, he was responsible for running the peripatetic team set up to check portable electrical appliances, was the contact point for all environmental health reports for school kitchens as well as inspecting schools etc., identifying priorities for bids against health and safety budgets and writing technical briefs for approved projects. During this period Colleges became independent and local management of Schools began.
Phillip then worked for South Gloucestershire Council for 14 years running the Schools Health and Safety Unit which provided advice, guidance, model documentation etc. to the Council Schools and latterly Academies. He has a strong technical and practical knowledge of all areas of health and safety relating to schools, particularly the effectiveness of methods of implementation and risk assessments. Over the years he has seen many changes in those requirements including major changes in Asbestos, Accessibility, CDM, COSHH, DSE, Play Equipment standards and Work Experience as working practices have improved and responsibilities increased. He managed budgets for work in schools, prepared briefs for the work to ensure health and safety requirements were met and later, as funding was devolved, supported many Head Teachers prioritise and manage their own health, safety and welfare issues.
Since joining Delegated Services, Philip has supported schools in a number of ways, including audits, requests for specific pieces of work, fire risk assessments, asbestos management plan reviews, prioritisation of works where requested and undertaken many site inspections helping local management, including governors and trustees, better understand what to look for. He has also assisted in the. He currently has a focus in supporting Secondary and Special Schools.
Jane Meakin
Risk and Assurance Advisor
NEBOSH, Level 3 Child Protection
Jane started her career in Health and Safety working for the prison service as a Health and Safety administrator. She left there to become a Health and Safety Officer in a large secondary school of around 1200 pupils where she gained my NEBOSH qualification, Level 3 Child Protection qualifications and certification in management of medication.
When she arrived in post arrangements were minimal and basic and she developed the policies, systems and delivery of Health and Safety so that it was fully comprehensive, statutorily compliant and embedded into the organisation. During that period she spent a year on secondment with Wiltshire Council Health and Safety team where she gained a lot of valuable experience. Her main focus was auditing youth clubs, libraries, and respite homes. Jane remained at the school for 12 years in total and loved every day of my time there.
Following this from 2019 Jane went to work for Integra, the trading entity of South Gloucestershire Council. There she worked as the Health and Safety Officer with a portfolio of around 50 schools providing risk and assurance services as well as monitoring and planning training courses.
In January 2021, Jane joined Delegated Services as a Risk and Assurance Advisor and has focused her work in looking after primary schools across South Gloucestershire and some in Bristol. She advises on policies, supportive audits, emergency planning, technical risk assessments, personal pupil assessments, accident reporting etc. Jane also volunteers for the South Gloucestershire Youth Offending Team as an ‘Appropriate Adult’.
Nate Allen
Risk and Assurance Advisor and ICT Manager
MIWFM, IOSH Managing Safety in Schools
Nate has worked within a schools environment for over 20 years. First starting as an IT manager at Henbury School (now Blaise High School) before moving to Cotham School in 2002. At Cotham School he retrained as the school’s Facilities Manager after taking the role in 2010.
During his time at Cotham School Nate was RP for Health and Safety, lead First Aider, responsible for compliance, Planned Preventative Maintenance and Responsive Maintenence. He led a team of caretakers, caterers and cleaners as well as having responsibility for contracts management and contractors.
As a member of the schools management team Nate was well respected for his understanding of legal matters, esp. compliance and contracts and attended governor meetings in an advisory capacity.
After leaving Cotham School Nate briefly worked for the NHS providing Facilities Management services to a local group of GP Practices, before leaving and going out alone and forming a business to provide Facilities Management, Property Maintenance and Health and Safety consultancy.
In his spare time Nate is captain for a Skittles team in the Berkeley District Skittles League and likes nothing more than hitting a spare.
Claire Leheup
Outdoor Learning Advisor
M.Sc, MIOL, MOEAP and MCLOtC
Claire has been the Outdoor Learning Advisor for Delegated Services for the past 10 years, in addition to her 20 years previous experience in both formal and informal education and in a wide range of sectors. This included advising and supporting Schools and Youth and Community groups in accessing outdoor learning safely and effectively.
Whilst at Bristol City Council as The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Manager, Claire was inspirational in developing and delivering several specialist projects, enabling young people with sight, hearing & mobility impairments to be able to access the outdoors and gain valuable independent living skills through expeditioning.
Claire is a member of the Institute of Outdoor Learning, The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom and The Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel. She also holds a Masters Degree in Outdoor Learning.
She has extensive knowledge and expertise in advising staff how to plan, prepare and execute educational visits in the UK and overseas, ensuring that the appropriate health and safety criteria are met and that the venture is also an enjoyable and memorable learning experience for all involved.
As a nationally accredited trainer, Claire is able to offer quality training for Educational Visits Coordinators and Visit/Deputy Visit Leaders. She also provides bespoke training.
In her spare time, Claire extends her passion for the outdoors by walking, cycling, riding, paddling, stand up paddle boarding and caving!
Shelley Brown
Training Provision Manager and PA to CEO, Directors and Executives
Shelley joined Delegated Services in November 2015, as PA Support to DS. Since then, as the training business grew she become our Training Coordinator, developing many aspects of our training offer, marketing, systems and records, bringing new trainers on board, managing the training and significantly contributing to the development of DS’s Customer Portal launched in 2024. She also works as our CEO’s Personal Assistant.
Shelley has over 20 years experience as a Personal Assistant working within large FTSE 100 corporate companies, including PA to the Head of Commercial Insurance Director in the Square Mile of central London, and at Yell as PA to 3 Regional Directors based all over the UK, Scotland North East & Yorkshire, London & the South East and the South West, Wales & Northern Ireland. As if this wasn’t enough proof of her organisational skills, she also co-chaired her daughter’s Primary School PTA Committee until her daughter moved on to Senior School education.
Lucy Park
Databases and GoTo Editor
Lucy joined Delegated Services in September 2022 and works as a part time Administrator supporting the team in the administrative and client management functions. She has a wealth of experience in administration and in writing formal reports within the social care sector.
In her past, Lucy has worked with a variety of social care professionals in multi agency meetings to ensure that the child’s wellbeing and safety is their key focus and looks forward to supporting DS customers in their journey to do the same.
Sophie Round
Publications Editor
Sophie came to Delegated Services as our Publications Editor to develop the Bulletin and other professional documents. She brought with her more than ten years’ experience of working in a variety of roles in FTSE 100 companies which included the responsibility for the production of a variety of publications for clients and staff.
She used her strong writing and marketing skills to produce a variety of company publications across different business sectors, particularly in the property management and the finance sectors. She also often took on the role of creating internal newsletters.
Sophie also previously worked as the PA to Managing Directors and in Office Management in different sectors including transport and property management. She has a strong understanding of collaboration tools and IT systems in a corporate environment. She has a proven track record of streamlining processes and improving working methods. Other professional responsibilities have included Head Fire Marshal, a DSE Assessor and ensuring Health and Safety compliance within the office.
Our Board
David Potter
Board Member and Consultant
David joined the Delegated Services Board in 2012. He is an education consultant with particular interests in managing the improvement of teaching quality, in helping schools and education departments assure quality and plan for improvement, and in supporting schools causing concern.
In his seventeen years of teaching, he ran two departments, was a pastoral head and deputy head, and led a large secondary school. He then worked for fifteen years in local authorities, first as Senior Secondary Inspector, later as Chief Adviser and Deputy Director of Education (Head of School Improvement). He has worked as a DfE Adviser, led a large number of OFSTED inspections, trained OFSTED inspectors and monitored inspections; and worked extensively as a School Improvement Adviser to schools and academies. He has also been a governor both to primary and secondary schools.
In addition to working in the UK, he has worked as a consultant to governments in South Africa, Botswana, Russia, Cyprus, Jersey and the Caribbean. He has published extensively on school improvement, self-evaluation and schools in difficulties. He is currently offering consultancy services to schools and academies.
Geoff Mountjoy
Board Member and Consultant
Geoff has been a Board member since 2014. He has over 18 years’ experience of supporting school governance in the three strands of effective governance (1) setting strategic direction, (2) holding senior leaders to account and (3) monitoring financial efficiency/probity. He continues to be a Member and Trustee of a successful North Somerset Stand Alone Academy.
He worked for the Teaching School Council (South West) as a Regional Governance Lead co-ordinating leadership governance support to schools/academies and continues to support schools in a Bristol Multi Academy Trust as well schools across Somerset. Geoff is currently studying for a PhD in Education, exploring how to promote effective governance relationships.
Geoff strongly believes that, evidence from Ofsted inspections shows that effective governance is a major determining factor of the success of a school and whether its pupils make good progress as learners. He has designed and delivered a training programme for system leaders to undertake External Reviews of Governance (ERG). These allow schools to critically examine their strengths and weaknesses and produce an action plan for improvement. He has personally undertaken ERG’s and also provides facilitation for schools to undertake annual self-reviews as recommended by Ofsted. Too often schools don’t know how effective their governance really is until concerns are raised at an Ofsted inspection and the reviews Geoff offers helps them and Trusts to make improvements, or consolidate success, in advance.
In addition to governance reviews, Geoff is currently offering support to boards for governor induction, the development of governance targets, mock Ofsted’s for governors, advice on due diligence for schools joining MATs, and mentoring of new Chairs.
John McCarthy
Board Member
John McCarthy, with over 16 years in business leadership, serves as a non-executive board member at Delegated Services. His journey began in the technology sector, swiftly transitioning to hospitality where he co-founded and developed Clevedon Hall Ltd. into a renowned event venue.
In his role at Delegated Services, John is known for challenging conventional approaches, particularly in Sales and Marketing. His perspective is invaluable in steering the company towards sustained growth and community impact. Upholding the legacy of his father, Peter McCarthy, the company’s founder, John’s vision is integral to the long-term success of Delegated Services.
John’s expertise and strategic insight continue to be pivotal in guiding the company’s direction and enhancing its community contributions.
Jo Bradshaw
Board Member and Consultant // BSc (Econ) MBA
Jo joined the DS Board in 2023 after working for Educate Together, a five school Multi Academy Trust (MAT) based in Bristol. She started working for Educate Together as a Consultant in 2017, instigating and managing significant organisational change, and then progressed to the position of Chief Finance Officer. From there she became the Chief Executive Officer for the MAT between 2020 and 2022.
Jo has worked in Bristol education since 2001 and has had many years’ experience as a Business Manager, CFO, COO and CEO in a number of different educational settings. She has helped many schools transition through challenging and difficult times.
Jo’s background is in accountancy and finance as a Commercial Manager for a number of organisations, both commercial and local government. She completed her management training with a multinational blue chip organisation. Her specialism was culture change within local government and this was the basis for her research dissertation for her MBA. She moved into the education sector in 2001 after a time in local government. Her focus has been on managing organisational change and helping leaders to understand the possible culture changes that are required to bring improvement and enable their organisations to thrive and be sustainable.
Jo believes that there needs to be well documented policies and procedures in place to enable schools to be child focused and to enable school leaders to focus on what they are most skilled in doing. This works best when there is an effective business strategy underpinning and strengthening the educational focus. Jo is an experienced Business Consultant for schools and academies, offering financial health checks and business audits.
