“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Margaret Mead
Debbie Brazil
Debbie is the founder and chief executive of End Sexism in Schools and is responsible for shaping the strategic direction of our work. She also presents our initiatives and insights to the media and other relevant external audiences.
She was motivated to start ESIS after discovering the everyday sexism inherent in the primary and secondary schools attended by her two sons. Debbie’s BSc in Computing and Operational Research has given her a deep understanding of statistics and the important role that accurate and timely data plays in challenging systemic bias. Debbie also has an MA in Women’s Studies from Bradford University. Her day job involves leading improvement and transformation for an NHS hospital and she has many years’ experience of enhancing the delivery of hospital services for NHS England.
Rachel Fenn
Rachel leads our English curriculum campaign. She is an English and Drama teacher with a wealth of experience teaching in UK state and independent schools. Alongside her teaching expertise, Rachel is an author, teacher trainer specialising in curriculum design and a playwright.
A committed feminist, she is tired of seeing PHSE lessons promoted as the only answer to endemic sexism. Wanting to be part of tackling the disease rather than the symptoms, Rachel joined the End Sexism in Schools campaign in 2020 and led our ground-breaking research into Sexism in the English Literature curriculum. She would like to see a radical rethinking of the school curriculum to give women’s voices and experiences equal prominence and as part of this process has designed and developed a range of tools to support the teaching of a less biased curriculum.
Katrina Handford
As stakeholder manager, Katrina looks after our many wonderful Patrons and Author Supporters. Through her work as Head Teacher of Kent College Pembury and previous roles of Deputy Head and Acting Head at Nottingham Girls’ High School she has seen the many benefits of a learning environment that nurtures confidence in girls. Katrina believes in an education system that gives both girls and boys the opportunity to become resilient and compassionate leaders of the future, ready to take up their place in the world on an equal footing.
Her role in ESIS gives her the opportunity to bring the knowledge and expertise she has gained through her work to a wider platform.
Sam Cornish
Sam’s passion for tackling sexism in schools was ignited after the birth of her daughter.
Witnessing the widespread nature of sexism in everyday life, Sam wanted to take action to ensure a better future for her daughter and other young girls.
Having recently completed the CIPD’s Foundation Certificate in People Practice Sam brings a unique blend of administrative expertise and freshly acquired human resource skills to her role as Volunteer Lead.
Sam is responsible for recruitment and onboarding and is committed to creating a positive and enriching environment for all of our volunteers, believing that their dedication and passion are key to driving meaningful change. Her goal is to build a thriving volunteer community where everyone feels valued, supported and motivated to make a difference.
Caroline Walker
Caroline leads our Political Campaign team. In her day job, she is the chief executive of a small charity working to enable access to quality education in Ethiopia. Projects that enable girls to thrive in education are a big part of her work there.
Her interest in equality in schools started early when she successfully led a petition at her primary school to allow girls to wear trousers as part of uniform. Unaware of the wider issues at play, she just really did not like dresses!
Her interest continued at university where her dissertation focussed on Mary Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, exploring the
ways in which she challenged gender norms through her writing.
Through her work with ESIS she is keen to unpick the ways in which systems set up around curriculum and schools enable or prevent sexism, and to identify the levers for change so that girls in the UK can participate fully and equally in school, free from gendered limitations or harassment.
Sarah Reavley
Sarah leads our advocacy and public affairs activities.
She also works for a domestic abuse charity supporting survivors and has an MA in Violence Against Women and Girls. It is this work that motivated Sarah to join End Sexism in Schools as she is determined to tackle the causes of violence against women and girls, not just the consequences.
Sarah has a professional background in communications and research, having worked at a senior level in a number of professional services firms and having run her own successful research and marketing consultancy for more than two decades.
If you’d like to join the End Sexism in Schools team, head to our Get Involved page to sign up!