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Governance
The Kingsbridge Educational Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (a charitable company limited by guarantee, company number 09144847) with sponsorship accreditation from the Department for Education. At the moment the Trust operates six schools: Hockliffe Lower School; Kents Hill Park all-through School; Monkston Primary School; Middleton Primary School; Oakgrove all-through School and Willow Grove Primary School.
The Trust’s model is unique, in that it devolves maximum decision-making powers to local level and ensures each school retains its own identity and Local Governing Body (LGB). Apart from the requirement to have a Finance and Personnel Committee, LGBs determine their own committee structure.
The Board of Directors retains an oversight function, especially as regards finance, outcomes and safeguarding, but responsibility is delegated to the individual Governing Bodies.
The Trust, however, has a level of expertise that individual schools can draw upon and offers an unrivalled opportunity to share best practice and school improvement strategies for the benefit of all children. It also enables cost-efficient, expert centrally-run services to be provided to schools enabling them to concentrate on teaching and learning.
Professor Megan Crawford
Professor Crawford has been a governor of six schools and has set up three new primary schools and two new ‘all through’ schools in Milton Keynes. She was formerly Chair of a Trust in Devon.
She is a Professor in the Research Centre for Global Learning at Coventry University and was previously Director of the Plymouth Institute of Education and Professor of Educational Leadership and Professional Learning.
Her career has developed from primary schools, where she was a Deputy Head, to teaching in HE. Her expertise is in postgraduate programmes - in particular, the needs of the part time student.
Megan was awarded ‘Governor of the Year for the East of England’ and has been a National Leader of Governance. She has worked on research projects for the Department for Education and the National College and on many aspects of leadership in schools, including moving from Deputy to Head and managing performance.
Megan has written over 50 articles on both practice and theory. Her book, ‘Developing as an Educational Leader and Manager’ was published by Sage.
Tony Holland
Tony Holland has spent the last 20+ years as a consultant for a large international technology company, where he currently works on harmonisation between world-wide standards, industry and with UK and EU governmental policy and regulation.
For a number of years Tony has also been the director of a Management Company operating in the property sector.
Tony has been a governor at Middleton for six years and has been subject link governor for curriculum subjects including Science, Art and Music, regularly reviewing these subjects with the subject leader form the school to monitor the quality and effectiveness of the subjects being taught. He is also the chair person for the PPC committee and the vice-chair to the local governing body.
In July 2018, Tony’s son saw the end of his seven year journey at Middleton and left to move on to Oakgrove to start his next educational chapter with strong SATs to support him.
Mike Taylor
Mike works for a software company as a business consultant providing services to the retail industry. He moved to Milton Keynes in 1991 to work for a local retailer and to Middleton in 2001. He has four children who have all been educated at Middleton and Oakgrove schools. Mike has been a governor at Oakgrove School since its inception and became a director of KET in 2016.
He is passionate about, and strongly supports the role that a school has, in preparing the next generation of children for life beyond school.
Iain Denning
Iain has been involved in school leadership for over 35 years. Starting out as a teacher of Modern Languages in Northampton his career has been based in Northamptonshire, Bedford and Milton Keynes.
Iain was a Headteacher of three successful schools- two large secondaries and of an all through school before becoming the CEO and Accounting Officer of a growing Multi Academy Trust. Much of his career was marked by the strategic management of educational provision including the opening of three new schools, the changing of age range provision and academisation.
Iain was also a trained Ofsted Inspector.
After retiring in 2019 Iain joined the LGB of Kent’s Hill Park School before resigning and becoming a member of the Trust.
Nina Burdiak
Nina’s professional background is in marketing and communications in regulated industries and for prestigious brands. She has a proven track record in defining and delivering marketing, digital and social strategies as well as omni-channel campaigns. Her current role is as a Global Marketing Manager within digital health for a medical device company - a role which sees her travel to different countries on a regular basis.
As a keen rider and horse owner, Nina enjoys spending time with her horse, Charlie, and when she isn’t at the stables, she likes to get hands on with home renovations and DIY.
Related Documents
KET Members and Directors 2023-2024
KET Members and Trustees Declarations of Interest 2023 - 2024
Chair: Professor Megan Crawford
Professor Crawford has been a governor of six schools and has set up three new primary schools and two new ‘all through’ schools in Milton Keynes. She was formerly Chair of a Trust in Devon.
She is a Professor in the Research Centre for Global Learning at Coventry University and was previously Director of the Plymouth Institute of Education and Professor of Educational Leadership and Professional Learning.
Her career has developed from primary schools, where she was a Deputy Head, to teaching in HE. Her expertise is in postgraduate programmes - in particular, the needs of the part time student.
Megan was awarded ‘Governor of the Year for the East of England’ and has been a National Leader of Governance. She has worked on research projects for the Department for Education and the National College and on many aspects of leadership in schools, including moving from Deputy to Head and managing performance.
Megan has written over 50 articles on both practice and theory. Her most recent book, ‘Developing as an Educational Leader and Manager’ was published by Sage.
Vice Chair: Barry O’Neill
Barry has been a governor at Oakgrove School since 2005 and was Chair of Governors for five years. Both his children attended Oakgrove School.
Barry has been a member of the KET Board since its inception and is currently the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of KET. Barry is the Managing Director of a large insurance broking business based in London and Milton Keynes.
Carol Howells
Carol Howells is a member of the central academic staff at the Open University and a former barrister.
She works predominately as a senior lecturer in law and has written extensively on devolution and the UK’s relationship with the European Union. Carol has been a school governor for over twenty years and provides legal and business insights into the work of the Board of Directors.
Cathy Cornes
Cathy became a school governor in 2012. Her roles have included Safeguarding Governor and Standards Teaching and Learning Committee lead. For two years she was the Chair of Governors at Monkston Primary School. Cathy has been a Director of the Kingsbridge Educational Trust since 2019. Her daughter is currently studying at Oakgrove School.
Cathy has volunteered for many charities and over the years has held many roles within these organisations.
For the last 10 years, she has worked at a firm specialising in online assessments and competency management for businesses with safety critical roles, helping to ensure they have a competent and safety compliant workforce.
CEO and Accounting Officer: Peter Barnes
See Peter's welcome message for more information.
Director: Sam Summers
Sam has been a governor at Middleton Primary School since before it opened in 2003 and has been chair for the majority of that time. Sam is also a Director of the Kingsbridge Educational Trust.
She has worked as part of the Senior Leadership Team in a School for a number of years, so has an excellent insight into the operational elements, as well as experience in the strategic management of schools. Both her boys were educated at Middleton School and more recently at Oakgrove School.
Sam is passionate about educational excellence, inclusion and for all children to have the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
Co-opted: Paul Watts
Paul has been a resident of Milton Keynes since 2003. He is married with two children, one of whom attends Oakgrove Secondary School. His involvement in education governance began in 2012, when he joined the Board of Governors of Monkston Primary School as a parent governor and development governor. He then took on the chair of the Finance, Personnel and Resources sub-committee in 2014 and was subsequently appointed as Chairman of the Governors in July 2015. He headed-up the process of the academy conversion for Monkston Primary School and ultimately its integration into the Kingsbridge Educational Trust in July 2017, joining the Trust’s Board of Directors in May 2017.
Outside of his role in the Trust, Paul has worked in information technology for over twenty-five years, seventeen of which have been as a security executive and a chief information security officer in several industry sectors, including financial services; retail; critical national infrastructure; food and beverage; data analytics and market research. A certified information security professional holding credentials from both ISC² and ISACA, he has previously spoken and written on many security leadership topics, including engaging with the board; building and sustaining robust enterprise security cultures; sustaining high-performing security teams and managing mental well-being in the cyber security industry. Paul is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Information Security, a Chartered IT Professional and a member of the British Computer Society.
Safeguarding Director: Charles Clay
Charles is a retired litigation solicitor who has worked with firms in London and Milton Keynes. He has lived in Milton Keynes for approximately 25 years and in Middleton for 19 years. He has two children, both of whom attended Middleton and Oakgrove Schools.
Charles was a governor at Oakgrove School, from its inception until 2016 and was also a governor at Middleton Primary School for two years. He has been a committee chair and Safeguarding Governor. Charles has served on the Finance and Personnel Committee and the Admissions, Discipline and Welfare Committee at Oakgrove School.
He resigned from both governing bodies when he became a director of KET in 2016. Charles is now director with responsibility for Safeguarding within the MAT. He has strongly supported the successful growth of Oakgrove, Middleton and Kents Hill Park schools.
Clerk to the Board of Directors - Mrs Julie Mason
Related Documents
Mr Charles Clay (Chair): Director
Professor Megan Crawford: Director
Ms Carol Howells: Director and Chair of the Oakgrove Finance & Personnel Committee
Mr Peter Barnes: CEO & Accounting Officer
Mr Barry O'Neill: Director
Mrs Sam Summers: Director
Mr Peter Neale: Chair of the Middleton Finance & Personnel Committee
Ms Debbie Bowker: Chair of the Monkston Finance & Personnel Committee
Mr Gary Taylor: Chair of the Kents Hill Park Finance & Personnel Committee
Mrs Jane Lear: Human Resources Director
Mrs Alison Bealy: Chief Financial Officer (interim)
Clerk to the FAHRCT - Mrs Julie Gale
Governance Documents and Reports
KET Master Funding Agreement and Supplemental Funding Agreements - Deed of Variation
Supplemental Funding Agreement - Hockliffe Lower School
Supplemental Funding Agreement - Willow Grove Primary School
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016-2017
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2017-2018
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018-2019
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019-2020
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2020-2021
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2021-2022
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022-2023
Executive Pay ending August 2023
KET Gender Pay Gap Report - 2017
KET Gender Pay Gap Report - 2018
KET Gender Pay Gap Report - 2019
KET Gender Pay Gap Report - 2020
KET Gender Pay Gap Report - 2021
KET Gender Pay Gap Report - 2022
KET Gender Pay Gap Report - 2023
Modern Slavery Statement - 2020
Modern Slavery Statement - 2021
Modern Slavery Statement - 2022
Modern Slavery Statement - 2023
KET Scheme of Delegation: Non-Financial 2023-2024
Academies Financial Handbook 2023
KET Financial Handbook 2022-2023
Related Documents
Code of Conduct for Directors and Governors October 2022
KET Privacy Notice for Governors and Trustees
KET Trustees Attendance 2019-2020 (Includes terms of office)
KET Trustees Attendance 2020-2021 (Includes terms of office)
KET Trustees Attendance 2021-2022 (Includes terms of office)
KET Trustees Attendance 2022-2023 (Includes terms of office)