Board of Trustees
Mr. Mike Briscoe
CHAIR OF TRUST / NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Mike is Chair of the Learning Community Trust and also Non-Executive Director. Living locally, Mike is passionate about the area, communities and opportunities for learners. He has worked at senior levels in the education sector for more than 40 years and is highly experienced in leadership, governance and education policy including high level consultancy in the UK and internationally.
Term of Office: 4 Years
Start Date: 17/07/2017
New term of office start: 17/07/21
New term of office end: 16/07/2025
Mr. David James
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HR
David has held senior roles in teaching, local government and the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE). CIPD qualified since 1994, his experience includes Head of Professional Regulation at the GTCE and Head of Personnel Services in the Shropshire LEA . He has been a special adviser to government on the development of policy on school staffing issues and is now an HR consultant working mainly in the education sector.
Term of Office: 4 Years
Start Date: 17/07/2017
New term of office start: 17/07/21
New term of office end: 16/07/2025
Mrs. Bev Tyley
NON-EXECUTIVE FINANCE DIRECTOR
Beverly is a qualified accountant with extensive senior management experience in the public and education sectors. Professional roles have included strategic and hands on responsibility for finance, IT, data management, estates, human resources, marketing and customer services. She has also taught on AAT and CIPD programmes. After several years acting as the lead governor for finance at HLC, she is currently non-executive Finance Director to the Trust.
Term of Office: 4 Years
Start Date: 17/07/2017
New term of office start: 17/07/21
New term of office end: 16/07/2025
Dr. Gill Eatough (CEO)
EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL OF TRUST
Gill has been a Headteacher for nearly 20 years, having trained as a research scientist and then entering the profession as a science teacher, a decision she has never regretted. In January 2005 Gill was appointed to her second Headship, Principal of the Hadley Learning Community in Telford, she was appointed to oversee the establishment and construction of a new £70 million PFI all-through school, which opened in September 2006. HLC has regenerated a community and is a highly performing, successful school. In September 2017 Gill stepped down as Principal of HLC and was appointed Executive Principal and CEO of the Learning Community Trust, she is committed to developing an outstanding MAT for the North Telford community with an absolute focus on school improvement and effective collaboration across our schools.
Term of Office: 4 Years
Start Date: 17/07/2017
New term of office start: 17/07/21
New term of office end: 16/07/2025
Mrs. Christine Davies CBE
TRUSTEE / LEADER FOR SAFEGUARDING
former Chief Executive of the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People's Services. Director of Children's Services, Telford and Wrekin Council (1997- 2007), previously teacher, psychologist and Director of Education. Advisor to the LGA, currently member of the Youth Justice Board for the Office of the Children's Commissioner. Awarded CBE for an "outstanding contribution to education".
Term of Office: 4 Years
Start Date: 17/07/2017
New term of office start: 17/07/21
New term of office end: 16/07/2025
Prof. David Woods
TRUSTEE / LEADER FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
David Woods has been a teacher, senior leader, teacher trainer and local authority adviser. He was formally the Chief Education Adviser for the City of Birmingham and subsequently the Chief Adviser for the London Challenge. Currently he is Chair of the London Leadership Strategy, Chair of the Birmingham Education Partnership School Improvement Advisory Board and a Visiting Education Professor at Warwick University and the Institute of Education, University College, London. He has written and spoken extensively on education particularly on school improvement.
Term of Office: 4 Years
Start Date: 17/07/2017
New term of office start: 17/07/21
New term of office end: 16/07/2025
Mr. David Wootton
TRUSTEE / LEAD FOR GOVERNANCE
With forty years in Education David has had varied career. He has been Chief Executive of one of the highest performing School Groups in the country, Executive Principal within a Trust, Academy Principal, Headteacher and Music Teacher. David was also an Adviser to the Department for Education, served on Ministerial Working Parties, member of the YPLA/EFA Boards, Chair of the Independent Academies Association, and a long standing member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Leadership and Governance. David is now consultant adviser working across the educational spectrum.
Term of Office: 4 Years
Start Date: 17/07/2017
New term of office start: 17/07/21
New term of office end: 16/07/2025
Mr. Andrew Harris
TRUSTEE / CHAIR OF AUDIT AND RISK
Andrew is the Plant Director of a Saint-Gobain factory in Telford. Andrew is not an education professional, but a manufacturing professional. Therefore he brings an alternative insight to the Trust. Andrew has a B.Sc. from the University of Manchester and a MBA from the Aberdeen Business School. Andrew also has global experience having consulted in over 20 countries. Andrew is dyslexic, so has a strong interest in inclusion and SEND. He is also Vice Chair of governors of a local non-trust primary school. He is a foster carer and enjoys pottering about in the garden in his free time.
Term of Office: 4 Years
Start Date: 17/07/2017
New term of office start: 17/07/21
New term of office end: 16/07/2025
Mr. Graham Hutchinson
TRUSTEE
Worked for Interserve plc and has been involved in a number of PFI and BSF school builds and FM delivery in the UK and worked for the company overseas in facilities and estates management. Graham has also been involved in a MAT as CEO of the Interserve Academy Trust and worked closely with the EFA, schools and undertaken Due Diligence on a number of school projects in terms of finance and building conditions
Term of Office: 4 Years
Start Date: 17/07/2017
New term of office start: 17/07/21
New term of office end: 16/07/2025
Mrs. Stephanie Bridgewater
TRUSTEE
Having been born in the area, I have a wealth of local knowledge. My working life began in the private sector, predominantly in manufacturing, during which time I gained a Diploma in Purchasing & Supply Chain Management.
In 2007, the need for a change in career meant that I moved to the public sector to work for HM Land Registry, initially as an Executive Registration Officer and most recently as Higher Registration Officer.
I have one daughter who attended Ercall Wood Academy where I spent 4 years as a Parent Governor working alongside the Headteacher and Learning Community Trust to aid the successful conversion of Ercall Wood from maintained school to Academy.
I also volunteer as secretary for Telford Netball Club. Any spare time that I do have is spent walking my 2 working cocker spaniels in the beautiful Shropshire countryside.
Term of Office: 4 Years
Term of office start: 01/03/2021
Term of office end: 01/03/2025
Mr. Clive Jones
TRUSTEE
In January 2016 I became responsible for fulfilling the responsibilities of the Statutory Director of Children’s Services (DCS) for Telford & Wrekin Council and shortly afterwards the Statutory Director of Adult Social Services. As DCS I had professional responsibility for the leadership, strategy and effectiveness of local authority children’s services and for securing the provision of services which address the needs of all children and young people, including the most disadvantaged and vulnerable, and their families and carers.
I joined Telford & Wrekin Council in 1990 and worked in children’s services as an Assistant Director since 2008. In that time I focussed on improving outcomes for children, young people and adults across a range of services including Building Schools for the Future programme, school organisation, school catering and cleaning, transport, housing, youth services, youth offending services, community safety, educational psychology, family support and intervention, children centres, commissioning for vulnerable children, families and adults and Family Connect (single point of referral for all children and family services). I was a member of the Telford & Wrekin Safeguarding Children Board from 2008 - 2020.
My roles involved me in developing the strategic direction, partnerships and priorities of the council, and securing their implementation, through cooperative working with elected members, colleagues and service partners
In 2020 Ofsted judged children’s services in Telford to be outstanding following an inspection. I retired from my role as DCS in November 2020. I continue to provide support to the DfE as an Improvement Advisor. Outside of work I am a committed volunteer at a local cricket club and enjoy a wide range of sports with my family
I am passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of children, young people, families and adults within the Borough, making the biggest difference to those that are most disadvantaged.
Term of Office: 4 Years
Term of office start: 01/09/2021
Term of office end: 01/09/2025
Mrs. Lisa Jinks
TRUSTEE
Term of Office: 4 Years
Term of office start: 01/09/2021
Term of office end: 01/09/2025