Governance
Governance in Wessex Learning Trust plays a crucial role in ensuring that the Trust operates effectively and efficiently while maintaining high educational standards.
Our governance structure encompasses the following:
- Members – Our Trust Members have a limited but crucial role in ensuring the Trust’s effectiveness. Members appoint trustees and have the power to amend the Trust’s Articles of Association. They hold trustees to account for the Trust’s performance.
- Trustees – Our trustees are non-executive directors and are responsible for the overall strategic direction and oversight of the Trust. They ensure that the Trust complies with its charitable objectives, adheres to legal and financial regulations, and delivers high-quality inclusive education. Our trustees are volunteers and bring diverse skills and experiences to the Trust Board.
- Executive Leadership – Our Executive Leadership Team, led by the Chief Executive, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust. Our executive leaders implement the strategic vision set by the trustees and manage the Trust’s operations, including educational performance and finance.
- Local Partnership Boards – Local Partnership Boards (LPBs) operate at school-level. They focus on improving the outcomes for children and young people in their schools, providing support and challenge to school leaders. Chairs of Local Partnership Boards meet regularly with the Chair of Trustees, ensuring a link between local and central governance.
Wessex Learning Trust Members and Trustees for the academic year 2024-25
| Wessex Learning Trust Members | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Role | Date of Appointment |
| Neil Day | Member | 01/10/2019 |
| Brian Kirkup | Member | 01/09/2016 |
| Jeff Savage | Member | 01/10/2019 |
| Gill Stobart | Foundation Member | 20/05/2024 |
| Wessex Learning Trust Board of Trustees | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Role | Date of Appointment | Term of Office | Date of Re-Election (If Applicable) |
| Gavin Ball | Trustee | 01/09/2017 | CEO | n/a |
| Emily Bott | Trustee | 28/03/2022 | 4 years | n/a |
| Ed Bowen-Roberts | Trustee | 11/07/2023 | 4 years | n/a |
| Melanie Casey | Trustee | 18/03/2020 | 4 years | 18/03/2024 |
| Maggie Cooper | Trustee | 11/07/2023 | 4 years | n/a |
| Mike Dibble | Trustee | 14/03/2022 | 4 years | n/a |
| Antony Durbacz | Trustee | 14/09/2023 | 4 years | n/a |
| Paul Jacobs | Foundation Trustee / Chair of the Trust Board | 30/11/2017 | 4 years | 30/11/2021 |
| Paul Jenkins | Trustee / Vice-Chair of the Trust Board | 18/03/2020 | 4 years | 18/03/2024 |
| Kirsten McCann | Trustee | 12/10/2022 | 4 years | n/a |
| Simon Osborne | Trustee | 12/10/2022 | 4 years | n/a |
| Ruth Smith | Foundation Trustee / Vice-Chair of the Trust Board | 18/05/2023 | 4 years | n/a |
| Becci Stickley | Trustee | 28/11/2023 | 4 years | n/a |
| Sylvia Such | Foundation Trustee | 13/11/2023 | 4 years | n/a |
The Trust Board delegates aspects of its responsibilities to committees that focus on specific areas, facilitated by trustees with expertise in those areas. The committees allow for more detailed scrutiny and specialized oversight, enabling the Trust Board to function more efficiently.
Wessex Learning Trust Board has the following committees:
Standards and School Improvement (SSI), responsible for monitoring and evaluating the quality of education and student outcomes.
| Standards and School Improvement (SSI) Committee Membership | |
|---|---|
| Gavin Ball | Trustee (ex-officio) and Accounting Officer |
| Emily Bott | Trustee |
| Ed Bowen-Roberts | Trustee |
| Maggie Cooper | Trustee / SSI Committee Chair |
| Paul Jacobs | Foundation Trustee / Chair of the Trust Board |
| Ruth Smith | Foundation Trustee / Vice-Chair of the Trust Board |
| Sylvia Such | Foundation Trustee |
Finance and Business Services (FBS), responsible for ensuring prudent financial management and accountability across the Trust, as well as Human Resources.
| Finance and Business Services (FBS) Committee Membership | |
|---|---|
| Gavin Ball | Trustee (ex-officio) and Accounting Officer |
| Melanie Casey | Trustee / FBS Committee Chair |
| Mike Dibble | Trustee |
| Antony Durbacz | Trustee |
| Jane Hutton | Director of Operations |
| Paul Jacobs | Foundation Trustee / Chair of the Trust Board |
| Paul Jenkins | Trustee / Vice-Chair of the Trust Board |
| Kirsten McCann | Trustee |
| Simon Osborne | Trustee |
| Ruth Smith | Foundation Trustee / Vice-Chair of the Trust Board |
| Becci Stickley | Trustee |
Risk and Audit (R&A), responsible for identifying and mitigating risks that could impact the Trust’s operations and reputation.
| Risk and Audit (R&A) Committee Membership | |
|---|---|
| Gavin Ball | Trustee (ex-officio) and Accounting Officer |
| Melanie Casey | Trustee |
| Maggie Cooper | Trustee |
| Richard Holmes | Co-opted committee member |
| Paul Jacobs | Foundation Trustee / Chair of the Trust Board |
| Paul Jenkins | Trustee / Vice-Chair of the Trust Board / R&A Committee Chair |
| Ruth Smith | Foundation Trustee / Vice-Chair of the Trust Board |
Values and Ethos (VE), advises the Trust Board on matters relating to the Trust’s overall position in respect of upholding and supporting its vision and values throughout the Trust.
| Values and Ethos (VE) Committee Membership | |
|---|---|
| Gavin Ball | Trustee (ex-officio) and Accounting Officer |
| Maggie Cooper | Trustee |
| Paul Jacobs | Foundation Trustee / Chair of the Trust Board |
| Paul Jenkins | Trustee / Vice-Chair of the Trust Board |
| Ruth Smith | Foundation Trustee / Vice-Chair of the Trust Board / VE Committee Chair |
| Sylvia Such | Foundation Trustee |
In addition, the Chairs of Local Partnership Boards meet regularly with the Chair of Trustees, ensuring a link between local and central governance. The details of our current Chairs are as follows:
| School Name | Chair of Local Partnership Board |
|---|---|
| Axbridge Church of England First School | Toni Hael |
| Brent Knoll Church of England Primary School | Sue Owen |
| Cheddar First School | Alison Alen |
| Crispin School | Lisa Clark |
| Croscombe Church of England Primary School | Simon Butcher |
| Stoke St. Michael Primary School | Simon Butcher |
| Draycott and Rodney Stoke Church of England First School | Adrian Warman |
| Shipham Church of England First School | Adrian Warman |
| East Brent Church of England First School | Roland Smith |
| Lympsham Church of England First School | Roland Smith |
| Sandford Primary School | Belinda Hancock/Ian Chadwick |
| Winscombe Primary School | Belinda Hancock/Ian Chadwick |
| Elmhurst Junior School | Hazel Callaghan |
| Fairlands Middle School | Phil Maddock |
| Mark Church of England First School | Lorraine Clarke |
| Kings Academy | Chris Thurling |
| Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School | Sue Moreman |
| Nailsea School | Sue Renny |
| St Cuthbert’s Church of England Infants School | Christine Raphael |
| St Cuthbert’s Church of England Junior School | Phil Michael |
| Weare Church of England First School | William Fox |
| Wedmore First School | Keith Boulnois |
The calendars of attendance and business interests for all our Local Partnership Boards can be found by accessing the schools’ websites, links to which can be found here.
Structure of Wessex Learning Trust Governance
