DSAMAT - Key Persons
Ali leads the strategic governance development across the Trust, supporting both the Trust Board and Local Governing Boards. Ali has been involved in school governance for over 9 years, as Trustee, Chair, governance professional and governance lead within standalone and multi academy trusts, across all age ranges. Ali is passionate about supporting the incredible trustees and governors who freely offer their skills and time to support and develop our schools, working to ensure they are equipped for a happy and successful governing experience.
Alison has had a long teaching career in primary education in Essex, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire with a particular passion and strength in the wider curriculum and encouraging Music. PE and Outdoor Education in primary schools. She has held leadership roles in several Hertfordshire schools and over 14 years as headteacher of a VA Primary School. She is also a Visiting Tutor for Hertfordshire University, both interviewing students and supporting them on their placements. Since retiring from headship, Alison has become an Education Consultant for the Diocese of St. Albans and a facilitator for STEM leading CPD course for science subject leaders.
Job Titles:
- Headteacher of Townsend School
Andrew is the Headteacher of Townsend School in St Albans, a Church of England School graded Good by Ofsted. He is a member of the Board of Education. He has extensive experience of leadership and management, both in an education setting and externally having in the past supported other schools. He represents other school leaders on the executive of the Hertfordshire Association of Secondary School Headteachers and for many years has represented the Diocese on SACRE. For nine years Andrew was a Trustee of a national youth organisation/charity for children/young people aged 6 to 18 providing strategic leadership, maintaining accountability, ensuring legal compliance, and creating a strategic vision. Andrew is also a non-executive director of Herts for Learning, a significant not for profit organisation supporting the school improvement of Hertfordshire Schools.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Bishop of Bedford and Chair of the Diocesan Board
Bishop Richard is the Bishop of Bedford and Chair of the Diocesan Board of Education. He was previously Archdeacon of Leicester where he led the development phase and opening of the St Philip Inter-faith Centre in 2006. He has a strong commitment to social justice which has included being Chair of both a New Deal for Communities Programme and New Deal for Employment Programme. In 2002 he awarded an OBE for services to the unemployed in Rotherham. He has been Vice-Chair of a major Housing Association. He is currently a Governor of Bedfordshire University, Chair of the Eastern Region Ministry Course and Chair of the Church of England's committee for ministry of and among deaf and disabled people.
David is the Diocesan Director of Education for the Diocese of St Albans. He was a primary school teacher and school leader serving as headteacher in three Church of England schools requiring rapid improvement. Following a period where he was CEO of the Stapleford Centre, a Christian education charity, David became Deputy Director of Education in July 2013, assuming responsibility for school buildings, land and trusts and the development of the Diocese's school improvement provision.
Charlotte is responsible for ensuring that the Trust complies with relevant compliance requirements, statutory regulations and all aspects of GDPR. Charlotte also acts as the Data Protection Office for the Trust. Prior to her current role, Charlotte worked within the Finance department for the Trust, supported one of the Trust schools with their finance processes and has also clerked for various schools within the Trust. Prior to this, Charlotte spent over 14 years working in the Finance and Banking sectors in a variety of highly pressurised environments. Charlotte works in our Central team but also supports our schools with all elements of compliance and GDPR.
Elouise works closely with both the Central team and our schools on all elements of financial controls and regulations. Elouise is a key point of contact and support for our schools when dealing with any financial enquiries. Elouise is currently studying, as part of her apprenticeship, for her Level 2 accountancy qualification.
Emma is the Trust People Manager and is responsible for ensuring best practice in HR across the Trust. Emma is an Associate Member of the CIPD and her HR experience is from a variety of sectors including education. Emma enjoys delivering all aspects of HR to effectively support the Trust both strategically and operationally, including all areas of recruitment and retention of staff, staff development and well-being, developing HR policies and practices and keeping abreast of changing employment legislation.
Fiona is responsible for the financial day to day book keeping for four of the schools within the Trust, ensuring accurate input of income and expenditure within budget . Fiona has thirty years experience in accounting and finance, the last five and a half years of this being in a school setting at Thomas Whitehead CE Academy before moving to the central team.
Gemma leads on all educational aspects across the Trust and is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching as well as a Teacher Development Trust Associate. Gemma started her career as a primary school teacher before becoming the head of a village Church of England school. She then decided to diversify and move into secondary education where she ran the Accelerated Curriculum on Entry for under-performing students in Year 7. Within her time in secondary education , she also set up a Teaching School Hub in one of the Opportunity Areas, organising and delivering high quality CPD for both primary and secondary practitioners linked to the main Teaching School. Gemma has facilitated on both the NPQML and NPQSL for Ambition Institute and led Introduction to Coaching sessions for Women's Ed.
Job Titles:
- Co - Director of the Primary Science Quality Mark at the University of Hertfordshire
As Co-Director of the Primary Science Quality Mark at the University of Hertfordshire, Helen leads a national accreditation programme for school improvement in primary science, which provides professional development for around 600 subject leaders each year. Helen has extensive experience as a professional development leader and has led programmes for primary and secondary phase teachers and also industry professionals. She currently sits on the national primary committee for the Association of Science Education and regularly participates in local and national working groups across the science education sector.
Helen has experience of teaching and school leadership in Hertfordshire where she developed a passion for Outdoor Education and gained accreditation as a Forest School Leader. In 2022, she gained a Masters in Business and Organisational Strategy.
Jeni works closely with the Trust Governance Manager supporting governance development across the Trust. Jeni has almost 30 years' experience in education, including 17 years as a Headteacher before taking early retirement and moving into governance. Jeni is currently studying for the Level 4 Certificate in Academy Governance with The Chartered Governance Institute.
Board of Trustees, known as Directors, are appointed by the Members and are the accountable and decision making governance of the Trust and all its schools. Currently the membership is:
Jenny is an editor in the health and social sectors, and has extensive communications, marketing and governance expertise in the education, youth charity, healthcare and professional services sectors. She has over 10 years' experience as a governor, including overseeing primary/secondary; the transformation of an underperforming infant and nursery school to an Ofsted Good standard; and the achievement of a SIAMS Excellent judgement for a junior school. Most recently as Chair of Governors she led the combinations of two Church primary schools in Berkhamsted, Herts, to form Castle Church of England Federation, which is a finalist for an Outstanding Governance Award 2021. She volunteers with a number of local groups where she lives including the Scouts, and the Canal & River Trust.
Lindsay has recently taken early retirement from her post as Chief Finance Officer of a growing , faith based, multi-academy trust in South West Hertfordshire - a collaborative group of secondary and primary schools. She has over 17 years of experience working in finance and business roles in the education sector, mainly in secondary schools. Prior to that , following several years in the armed forces and a brief foray into the hospitality industry, she trained as a Chartered Accountant and worked in the charity sector .She also has over 10 years experience as a school governor and is currently Chair of Governors at a local primary school.Lindsay is a volunteer at the Felix Project in London.
Mike was a career Civil Servant working in areas responsible for corporate planning, finance, housing, inner cities and local government re-organisation. His final posting was as Director of HR. As well as having overall HR responsibility for all staff in the Department he organised and took part in the recruitment and appointment of senior staff. Since retiring he has undertaken a number of voluntary posts including Board Chairman of a charitable housing association based in Hemel Hempstead with 4,500 properties and a turnover of £45m, being the independent member of the Alzheimer's Society Nominations and Appointments Committee and Governor of a mixed secondary school for students with complex social, emotional and mental health needs. Currently he is involved in a number of local groups in the area where he lives, including being a member of his Parochial Church Council. He was awarded the CBE in the June 2005 Birthday Honours List and has been a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development. Mike was Chair of the Board for the Diocese of St Albans Multi Academy Trust before moving to our Members.
Natalie has overall responsibility for the Trust and is accountable to the Board of Directors. She has worked within the Educational sector since 2009, and has experience of leading and delivering educational development, governance services, school business services and staff development. Natalie has worked in and supported academies, maintained, free schools and special schools across all sectors as well as third sector Education organisations. Natalie steps up as DSAMAT Interim CEO from her position as Deputy CEO.
Rachel is responsible for the financial processes and procedures across all schools within the Trust and the central team. Rachel has more than 12 years' experience in the education sector, providing finance and business management support to schools and academies. Rachel has worked in both maintained schools and academies and also supports schools as a member of their LGB
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer for a Trust
Sharon is the Chief Operating Officer for a Trust of primary schools in Watford. She is a nationally recognised school business leader who has 15 years' experience in the education sector.
She is a fellow of the Institute of School Business Leaders. Being recognised as an ISBL Fellow demonstrates leadership within the profession, having achieved a high level of professional expertise and shows commitment to developing knowledge and skills to meet the ever-changing demands of the education sector. She is a member of the Fellows Forum steering committee as well as a member of the ISBL National Advisory Board. This professional body provides feedback to the broader sector in general particularly the DFE and the EFSA. In Nov 2021, she received the ISBL CEO Award for Exceptional Contribution to School Business Leadership.
Steph has worked in our Trust for a number of years, both in the central team and as a headteacher and is delighted to be focusing on this new role leading on inclusion. Prior to working in the Trust, Steph has extensive experience working in a variety of senior leadership roles, primarily focusing on special educational needs, in both primary and secondary schools. She is a qualified SENCo and dyslexia teacher.
Janet is the Archdeacon of Hertford. She has served on the Diocesan Board of Education since 2009 and has been Chair of the Diocese of St Albans Educational Trust since its formation in 2013. Janet spent her pre-ordination career teaching in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in mainstream and special schools, becoming deputy and then acting headteacher. She then worked for Luton Education Department as Primary Strategy Manager and also supported schools as SIA on occasions. Janet has been a governor and then Chair of a Lower School in Sandy, and then Governor and Chair of a community primary school in Luton, she served on the Governing body of the Church Junior School in Luton. She has also served on the Luton SACRE.